The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Christ

April 4, 2026

Elijah McSwain, Sr.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NKJV) -"For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."

The Apostle Paul penned this section of his Corinthian epistle to address false teachers who had infiltrated the Corinthian church. There were numerous individuals who held objections about the resurrected Lord. Corinth was firmly embedded in Greek culture because it was located in southern Greece. Greek culture was known for a myriad of profane, idolatrous, and heathen beliefs. One of the central teachings of the Greeks during Paul’s time was the rejection of any claim about the resurrection of the body from the dead.

The language of bodily resurrection was very objectionable and unacceptable because it was a foreign concept to the Greek mind. Consequently, this rejection of truth led to the spread of misinformation among the Corinthians concerning the resurrection by heretical teachers. 1 Corinthians 15:12 (NKJV) records “Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” Pagan philosophy and errors caused confusion among the Corinthian believers through the false doctrine taught.

Thus, Paul clearly outlined in 1 Corinthians the elements of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection as contents of the gospel message. The gospel message combated the heresy of paganistic teaching and served to reassure the Corinthians of the concrete reality of Jesus’ resurrection from the grave. Paul reminds the Corinthians of the good news preached to them and what they received (v.1). He also acknowledged that the gospel was the basis by which they had been saved through faith unless they believed in vain (v.2). In this epistle, the writer underscored that the reception of the gospel message and firm belief in it assured them of salvation in affiliation with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Salvation through faith rests on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus as declared in the Scriptures. As we look at the words of Paul, it is vitally important to understand the Scriptures and the proclamation of the events surrounding Jesus and the gospel message.

The Death of Christ

The opening of verse three, as written by Paul, acknowledged the fact that the gospel message he had received was what he related to the Corinthian people. He did not deviate from the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus based on the surrounding culture. He proclaimed the truth about the crucifixion of Jesus, the burial of Jesus, and the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is the doctrine and message that was embraced, believed, professed, and received. It was what the Corinthians relied on as the pillar and the foundation of the truth. Yet outsiders of the faith attacked the truth on which they stood. In Paul’s discourse to the church at Corinth, he reminded them that this is the scriptural framework upon which they were built. He first proclaimed, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”

The fundamental truth that Christ died for our sins is essential to saving faith, new life in Christ, and kingdom citizenship.

Paul acknowledged “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” in verse three.

The phrase “according to the Scriptures” testifies to Christ's death as prophetically foretold in the Old Testament. During the time of Paul and the other apostles, the New Testament canon of Scripture had not been completed. Thus, the Scriptures here refer to the Old Testament prophecies of Jesus’ death. Isaiah 53 describes Jesus as the offering for sin. In the Old Testament, there were shadows and types of ceremonial offerings used to temporarily atone for the people’s sins. But Jesus would be the ultimate sacrifice for sin, as stated in the Old Testament Scriptures.

Isaiah 53:3-6, 10, 12 (NKJV) proclaims, “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.”

Psalm 22, known by many as the Crucifixion Psalm, highlights moments of Jesus’ crucifixion that would eventually lead to His death. Psalm 22:1 (NKJV) reveals the fascinating words that would be stated by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew and Mark. “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” Psalm 22:16 (NKJV) declared, “They pierced My hands and My feet.” Psalm 22:18 (NKJV) implied “They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” Throughout the Old Testament, many other passages point to the crucifixion and death of Jesus on account of sin.

It was divinely appointed for Christ to taste death for the sins of the world.

Therefore, Paul reminded the believers of the significance of Christ’s death for the wickedness of mankind. Sin had to be addressed. God handled sin by crushing Jesus on the cross through physical death. Jesus was slain for the iniquity of the world. For us today, the fulfillment of His death is captured throughout the New Testament and should serve as a reminder for us.

1 John 2:2 (NKJV) mentions “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins.”

Jesus was the satisfactory sacrifice that appeased God’s displeasure and wrath against sin.

• Romans 8:2-3 (NKJV) notes, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.”

• Colossians 2:13-14 (NKJV) is written “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

• 1 Peter 2:24 (NKJV) stresses Jesus “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”

Jesus took the punishment for our sins through substitutionary atonement.

Through substitutionary atonement, Jesus became our hostage negotiator who traded places with us so that we could escape the penalty of sin and death to live eternally. His death was enough to free us from the punishment of sin, give us new life through the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, and heal us spiritually from the disease and plague of sin. Jesus’ death for sin paved the way for eternal life, forgiveness, adoption into the family of God, citizenship in heaven, and a life now lived for God. Praise the Lord for the death of Jesus for our sins.

The Burial of Jesus

Paul transitioned from the death of Jesus to the burial of Jesus. He wrote in verse four, which is a continuation of verse three, that not only did Christ die, but He was buried according to the Scriptures. The Scriptures foretold the nature and reality of Christ’s burial.

The prophet Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 53:9 that Jesus’ grave was made with the wicked but with the rich at His death. The nature surrounding His burial was intended to reflect the circumstances leading up to His death. The people who opposed Jesus wanted to make sure His burial brought further ridicule and shame to Him, as His death did. Participants involved in the death of Jesus desired to display the vilest treatment of Him possible.

The hatred of the people was demonstrated in their acts of cruelty toward the Savior.

• Before Christ was crucified, Roman soldiers brutalized His body through flogging.

• He was beaten, struck in the face with the palm of their hands, and spat on according to Matthew 26:67.

• The Gospel of Mark states that He was blindfolded and hit as they urged Jesus to prophesy to them (Mark 14:65).

• They plucked the hairs from His beard as mentioned in Isaiah 50:6.

• At the cross, the crowds mocked Him, wagged their heads, called Him the King of the Jews, divided His garments, blasphemed against Him, and did many other things as recorded in Matthew 27.

In addition to all of that, these wicked people plotted to criminalize Jesus more by the normal practices and customs of that day. Typically, inhumane practices were present in ancient times. Historians and scholars certify that when a person underwent the process of a crucifixion, the bodies of the dead would be left there to decompose or be devoured by the birds or other animals that could scale up the cross. For the decomposed bodies that remained, those bodies would be thrown into what was known as the Jerusalem city dump to be burned in the fire. The wickedness of those who rebelled against Christ led them to want to see Him brutally and viciously treated this way, even after death, because of their incriminating hatred against Him. They were inclined for Jesus to endure the full extent of humiliation, disgrace, and indignity that came with their usual practices.

However, God had already predetermined that His Son would have a proper burial.

Circling back to Isaiah 53:9, even though Jesus would die between two thieves, He would not be subject to the full degradation of the merciless, unsympathetic, and barbarous human activity of the day. John MacArthur alluded to the notion “Because of His disgraceful death, the Jews intended the Servant to have a disgraceful burial along with the thieves (cf. John 19:31), but instead He was buried with “the rich” in an honorable burial through the donated tomb of rich Joseph of Arimathea.” ₁ David Thompson added, “Man had his plan but God overruled. God wanted His Son to have more honor than being burned or devoured by vultures. So God raised up a man named Joseph to take care of His son’s body. The Romans authorities would grant the body of Jesus to Joseph of Arimathea (Matthew 27:57). God would not allow His Son to be buried in some shameful place. He would not allow His son’s body to be burned or eaten.” ₂ His burial was the fulfillment of the Scriptures as orchestrated by God in alignment with His eternal purposes. The eternal purposes of God would be evident through Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead.

Thus, Paul taught this truth to remind the Corinthians of Jesus' actual death, burial, and resurrection. Isaiah 53 predicted His death, and other Scriptures later on confirmed it.

• John 19:38-42 (NKJV) states, “After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.”

• The Gospel of Luke 23:51-56 (NKJV) also captures Joseph asking for the body of Jesus to lay Him in the tomb. And the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. They would eventually return to prepare spices and fragrances for the body of Jesus.

• Acts 13:29 (NKJV) pronounces “Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.”

Why is all of this important? It was the revelation of God’s eternal plan. Charles Baily concluded, “Mentioning Jesus’ burial is positive proof that Christ actually died; His spirit departed His body. Paul emphasizes that Jesus was “buried” to prove the reality of His death. If Jesus had not been buried, His enemies would have claimed that He did not die.” ₃

The proof of His death and burial would be proof of His resurrection.

The Resurrection of Christ

Paul finished his confirmation of the good news by proclaiming Christ’s resurrection to the Corinthians. He assured them of the truth concerning the resurrection in direct correlation with what they had previously learned. Paul redirected them from the heresy of Greek culture to reaffirm the certainty of biblical truth, grounded in divine reality. The apostle progressed from His death to His burial, and now to His resurrection, as contained in the canvas of the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NKJV) is inscribed: “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” Jesus would be buried for three days and then rise again, as foreshadowed in the Old Testament writings. Jonah 1:17 speaks of Jonah being in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, which would later pertain to Jesus being in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

In biblical language, three days and three nights was a synonymous way of saying three days. Three days and three nights in Jewish terminology equated to three days.

Some people try to dismiss the three days that Jesus was in the tomb, stating that the timeframe was not a full three days. According to Jewish tradition and custom, inclusive counting was the methodology of their day. This means the Jews counted partial days as full days. The fact that Jesus stayed in the grave for partial days on Friday afternoon and Sunday morning was credited as full days, along with the entirety of Saturday. Jesus checked into Joseph’s of Arimathea's future burial site on Friday afternoon, and it was credited for a full day. Jesus stayed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea all day Saturday, and it was counted as a full day. Jesus checked out of the tomb early Sunday morning, and it was credited as a full day. Let me make it plain and simple. In our modern world, when we check into a hotel, we check in around 2 PM or 3 PM at the earliest on Friday, and we get credited for a full day. We get credited for a full day on Saturday. We also get credited with a full day on Sunday when we checked out between 10 AM to 11 AM. Hotel guests get credit for reserving rooms for three days, from checking in on Friday to checking out on Sunday.

Jesus was credited the same for checking in on Friday and checking out early Sunday.

What is the significance of Jesus being raised from the dead?

Jesus was raised from the dead to silence His opponents.

John 2:19-22 (NKJV) reveals “Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.”  

God raised Jesus from the dead to validate His deity and divine nature.

The Jews believed that only God had power over life. Thus, Jesus claimed in John 10:17-18 (NKJV) “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

God raised Jesus to fulfill the prediction of Christ.

Matthew 16:21 (NKJV) affirms, “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”

God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day to conquer death and the grave.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 (NKJV) proclaims, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” William MacDonald acknowledged “Death is robbed of its sting. It is a known fact that when certain insects sting a person, they leave their stinger imbedded in the person’s flesh, and being thus robbed of their “sting,” they die. In a very real sense death stung itself to death at the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” ₄

The resurrection of Christ revealed that death was no match for the giver and the essence of life.

The resurrection of Christ justified every repentant sinner who displayed faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Romans 4:24-25 (NKJV) makes the assertion “It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” Isaiah 53:11-12 (NKJV) avows, “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.” The resurrection is proof that God is just to the unjust. He justifies the ungodly who place their faith in the work of the cross and the resurrection. Even though we were spiritual criminals, Jesus’ transaction at the cross pardoned us from the penalty of sin.

The resurrection of Christ granted us a new quality of life.

Romans 6:4-5 (NKJV) implies “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.” 1 Corinthians 15:42-45 (NKJV) acknowledges “So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” The resurrection gave us eternal life through our belief in the saving work of Christ.

The resurrection is the foundation of our Christian witness, preaching, faith, deliverance from sins, and living hope.

1 Corinthians 15:13-19 (NKJV) outlines “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” Since Christ is risen from the dead, He is our hope, joy, the source of our life, our peace, Savior, and Redeemer.

The resurrection of Christ, which was preceded first by His death and burial, is the Christological event cemented in human history that the sinless Lamb died to redeem mankind, take away sin, and grant spiritual life.

The tomb is empty. Jesus is alive. Praise the Lord for Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

Notes

1. The MacArthur Study Bible

2. https://www.preceptaustin.org/isaiah-53-commentary#53:9

3. Editor Charles Baily, "Commentary on 1 Corinthians 15:4". "Contending for the Faith". https://www.studylight.org/​commentaries/​ctf/1-corinthians-15.html. 1993-2022.

4. The Believer’s Bible Commentary