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"The Gospel which I preached unto you . . . . . whether it were I or they, so we preach,
and so ye believed."
The opening eleven verses of this great chapter places the question of the Resurrection
squarely upon "witness". Now a valid witness must be able to give a personal testimony.
He must be an eyewitness and be able to say "I was there, I saw and heard with my own
eyes and ears". In a court of law, the veracity of a witness, and the fact that he does not
stand to gain anything by his testimony is taken into account, and a man's life or
possessions may be forfeit upon such testimony. So is it here. What sort of person is this
preacher named Paul? What does he stand to gain by affirming that Christ is Risen? Let
us see. In Galatians, Paul enters the arena and meets the possible objection:
"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that
which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Gal. 1: 18).
For a man that was a Jew, to thus speak of an angel, means that he was in deadly
earnest, or beside himself with passion. This the Apostle realizes, and so repeats himself,
saying:
"As we said before, so say I now again",
and then takes up the other possible objection "For do I know persuade men or God?" or
as Moffatt puts it:
"Now is that appealing to the interests of men or of God? Trying to satisfy men?"
He then proceeds to show the impossibility of the Pharisaic Saul ever evolving such a
gospel as he preached.
"For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jew's religion, how that
beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it."
His conversion and his Gospel were consequent upon a "revelation":
"I received it . . . . . by the revelation of Jesus Christ . . . . . when it pleased God . . . . .
to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach him" (Gal. 1: 12-16).
Not only would the rejection of his Gospel impugn the veracity of Paul himself, but
that of Peter, James and John, who had given to him the right hand of fellowship, and
preached the Resurrection also. Paul was very sensitive to the implications of unbelief:
"If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain"
(I Cor. 15: 14).
That is one consequence, and if it be true, we are all of men most miserable. But there
is another consequence:
"Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God" (15).