For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

1 Cointhians 15:3-8

Later today I’ll see my grandsons and you can rest assured that at some point in the day, an April Fool’s joke will come up. While the first day of April is “celebrated” as a day when people play practical jokes on each other and it is usually nothing more than harmless fun, it is the exact opposite of the message of the Gospel proclaimed by Paul in the verses above.

Paul reminds the Corinthians that they must “hold fast to the word I preached to you.” And the word that Paul preached hinged on these four assumptions:

• Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture
• He was buried
• He was raised on the third day according to the Scripture
• He was seen by a large number of eyewitnesses

Certainly, Paul’s message was dependent on the Old Testament prophecies, but the central message of the Gospel is that Christ is alive today.

How are you building your faith in Christ today? Are you willing to defend it?