vs 1
After 14 chapters of letter, now Paul wants to talk about the gospel. Perhaps at the end of the book because it is of most importance, perhaps because even though the Corinthians were messed up around the edges, they still knew the gospel. Perhaps because they were in a less favourable relationship with Paul, and he's wanting to make sure that doesn't prevent them from standing firm in the gospel just because he taught it to them.
vs 2
It has to be the gospel that Paul gave them - not another gospel by some other person. I'm sure Apollos' gospel and Peter's gospel were fine. Paul is instead warning them against people whose gospel is fairly different, and therefore incorrect.
vs 3
This section is one of the most valuable of all the NT - it is one of the most succinct recitations of the gospel that we have from the first century. Christ's death as an atonement for our sins is important, but so is the fact that it is in accordance with Scripture. You can't separate the Old Testament out of the gospel - it is vital.
vs 4
His burial is important. I don't know how much we think about his burial, but it shows that he was dead for 3 days - not just a few hours and then resuscitated. He really was buried in a tomb as a dead person.
His resurrection from the dead is of course vital, but it is also important that, again, it is in accordance with Scripture. How vital is Christ's fulfilment of Scripture, that it is in the list twice?
vs 5
He then appeared to Peter and the twelve (obviously his appearance to the women is not a gospel concern
vs 6
Over 500 Christians saw him while he was back. That's a heap of witnesses. And most of them are still alive (Paul himself probably watched some die in his former life). So it's not as if you can't trust their vision or something.
vs 7
Now here is a really, really odd passage. Earlier we read that he appeared to the twelve (you've got to assume that's the new twelve, because Judas topped himself, so include Matthias). So this James probably isn't son of Zebedee, it is his own brother. His brother saw him almost last.
The other interesting thing is that there are now some apostles who see him. Is this a second visit from Jesus to the Twelve? Or are there more apostles than we know of or usually recognise? I'm going for the second one, which would mean that, although Paul is interesting in that he is a late apostle, he is probably not unique as an apostle outside the twelve.
vs 8
So now Paul, as one abnormally born. He is presumably unique in that he didn't see Christ pre-conversion.
vs 9
So Paul considers himself the least of apostles, but interestingly not because of how he became one. Only because of his persecution of the church is he so low in his own eyes. His vision of Christ was as real and true as any vision by anyone else of the resurrected Jesus.
vs 10
But apart from that, he accepts his apostleship, and not only that, thinks that he's the hardest working of them all. Which, considering how much of the non-Jewish world heard the gospel because of him, and how much of the NT is about him or by him, is probably fair. But Paul doesn't take the glory for himself - he knows full well that it was God's grace that allowed it, and God's work that accomplished it.
vs 11
So now Paul clarifies that, if it comes from an apostle, then it is God's good word, and you can accept it. And the Corinthians did accept it.
vs 12
Oh, but deary me. One of those important tenets of the gospel, that of Jesus' resurrection (in accordance with Scripture) is being questioned. Some of the Corinthians seem to think that resurrection is a bit much to believe. Not at all uncommon among greek-thinking people. Because of the greek mind/body dualism, and the spirit/body dichotomy, the idea of a resurrection of what is essentially to them evil flesh is unheard of and doesn't make sense. You could almost say it is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentiles.
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