1 Corinthians 15 (NIV)
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1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of
the gospel I preached to you,
which you received
and on which you have taken your stand.
2 By this gospel you are saved,
if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.
Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Cephas,
and then to the Twelve.

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**The “Scriptures” in 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 refer to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible/Tanakh), not the New Testament.**
Paul is citing an early Christian creed (which he received and passed on) that presents the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ as the fulfillment of OT prophecies, types, and patterns.
The letter dates to around AD 55, before the Gospels were widely circulated, so the reference is to the existing Jewish Scriptures.

The phrase “according to the Scriptures” (Greek *kata tas graphas*) appears twice—once with the death for sins and once with the resurrection on the third day—emphasizing that these events were not unexpected but anticipated in the OT.
Paul does not quote specific verses here;
the plural “Scriptures” points to a broader pattern of messianic expectation rather than a single isolated proof-text.
Jesus himself taught the same idea (Luke 24:25–27, 44–46), showing that the Law, Prophets, and Writings speak of the Messiah’s suffering and rising.

### “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures”
The primary and clearest reference is **Isaiah 52:13–53:12** (the Suffering Servant song).
Key elements include:
– The Servant is pierced/crushed for the people’s transgressions and iniquities (Isaiah 53:5).
– The Lord lays the iniquity of all on him (53:6).
– He is cut off from the land of the living for the transgression of the people (53:8).
– His life is made an offering for sin; he bears the sin of many (53:10–12).

Isaiah 53 also notes burial “with the wicked… and with the rich in his death” (53:9), which aligns with the historical details of Jesus’ burial.
Other supporting texts and themes include:
– Psalm 22 (detailed suffering and death of the righteous one, with many New Testament allusions to the crucifixion).
– Daniel 9:26 (“the Anointed One will be cut off”).
– Zechariah 12:10 and 13:7 (the pierced one; the struck shepherd).
– Broader sacrificial patterns: the Passover lamb (Exodus 12; cf. 1 Corinthians 5:7), sin offerings, and the Day of Atonement (Leviticus), which portray substitutionary death for sin.

These establish that the Messiah’s death was purposeful and atoning, not merely tragic.

### “That he was buried”
The burial confirms the reality of the death.
Isaiah 53:9 explicitly anticipates it.
Types such as Jonah’s “burial” in the fish and other OT patterns of descent and emergence also contribute to the overall scriptural testimony.

### “That he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”
There is no single explicit OT verse that states “the Messiah will rise on the third day” in the same direct way Isaiah 53 describes the death.
Instead, Paul (and the early creed) draws on a combination of prophetic texts, typology, and a recurring “third-day” pattern of deliverance in Scripture:
– **Hosea 6:1–2**: “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.”
This uses resurrection language and was understood in later Jewish interpretation (including Targums) as related to the raising of the dead.
It is frequently cited as a key background text.
– **Jonah 1:17** (and the larger narrative): Jonah was in the belly of the fish “three days and three nights.”
Jesus explicitly identifies this as a sign of his own death and resurrection (Matthew 12:40; cf. 16:4).
– **Psalm 16:10**: “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.”
Peter and Paul apply this directly to Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 2:25–32; 13:34–37).
– Isaiah 53:10–11 itself implies the Servant’s continued life and success after the offering for sin (“he will see his offspring and prolong his days… he will see and be satisfied”).
– Broader third-day patterns of divine deliverance or new life:
Genesis 22:4 (Abraham and Isaac),
Exodus 19 (Sinai theophany),
and other instances where decisive acts of salvation or revelation occur on the third day.
Some interpreters also note typological links to the Feast of Firstfruits (Leviticus 23), which Paul later connects to Christ’s resurrection as “firstfruits” (1 Corinthians 15:20–23).

The New Testament consistently presents the resurrection (including its timing) as scriptural fulfillment, even if the connection is often typological or pattern-based rather than a single predictive sentence.

In short, “the Scriptures” are the Old Testament as a whole, with Isaiah 53 standing out for the atoning death, and Hosea 6:2, Jonah, Psalm 16, and the wider third-day motif providing the scriptural basis for the resurrection on the third day.
This early creed underscores that the gospel events were the climax of God’s long-announced plan.