1 Corinthians 15:4

Buried. Christ’s burial certified that our Saviour had indeed died and provided the necessary condition preceding resurrection. Joseph of Arimathaea’s request for permission to remove the Saviour’s body from the cross led to Pilate’s inquiry concerning the truth of His death (Mark 15:43-45). The preparation for His burial as recorded in the Gospels, and the account of His being placed in the tomb and guarded by Roman soldiers at the instigation of the chief priests, all give assurance that He died (see Matt. 27:57-60, 62-66; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38M2).

Rose again. “Again” is supplied. The verb is in the perfect passive form, and hence conveys the meaning “has been raised and is still alive.” The previous verbs “died” (v. 3) and “was buried” (v. 4) occur in the aorist tense, as historical events in the past, in contrast with the continuous sense implied by the perfect. Thus Paul is emphasizing not only that Jesus had risen from the dead but that He still continues in a resurrected state, and that the condition of having thus been raised is a permanent one.

Third day. For a discussion of the interval between Christ’s death and resurrection see Vol. V, pp. 248-251. Compare Matt. 12:40; Luke 24:46.