Which Old Testament prophecies align with "according to the Scriptures" in this verse? Setting the Scene Paul says, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). He is pointing back to a rich tapestry of Old Testament passages that foretold Messiah’s sacrificial death. Below is a guided walk through those prophecies. Early Glimpses in Genesis • Genesis 3:15 — “He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.” – First promise of a Deliverer who would be wounded yet victorious over the serpent. • Genesis 22:7-8, 13 — Abraham tells Isaac, “God Himself will provide the lamb,” and a ram dies in Isaac’s place. – Foreshadows substitutionary sacrifice. Pictures of Atonement in the Law • Exodus 12:5-13 — The Passover lamb’s blood spared Israel: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (v. 13). • Leviticus 16 (Day of Atonement) – One goat slain, another bears sins into the wilderness—twin portraits of death and removal of guilt. • Leviticus 17:11 — “The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you… to make atonement for your souls.” • Numbers 21:8-9 — A bronze serpent lifted up so the condemned could look and live—a pattern Jesus applies to His cross (John 3:14-15). Echoes in the Psalms • Psalm 22 – v. 1 “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” – v. 16 “They have pierced My hands and feet.” – v. 18 “They divide My garments among them and cast lots for My clothing.” • Psalm 69:21 — “They gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” • Psalm 118:22 — “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” – Anticipates Messiah rejected yet exalted. The Servant Songs of Isaiah • Isaiah 50:6 — “I gave My back to those who strike, and My cheeks to those who pull out My beard.” • Isaiah 52:14 — “His appearance was marred more than any man.” • Isaiah 53 (key passage) – v. 4 “Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows.” – v. 5 “He was pierced for our transgressions… and by His stripes we are healed.” – v. 6 “The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” – v. 8 “He was cut off from the land of the living for the transgression of My people.” – v. 12 “He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.” Prophets Who Pinpoint the Event • Daniel 9:26 — “After the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing.” • Zechariah 12:10 — “They will look on Me whom they have pierced.” • Zechariah 13:7 — “Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” Typological Whispers of Burial and Resurrection • Jonah 1:17; 2:10 — Three days in the fish, then delivered; Jesus alludes to this as the “sign of Jonah” (Matthew 12:39-40). • Hosea 6:2 — “After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up.” – Applied to corporate Israel, yet fulfilled climactically in Messiah’s third-day resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:4). Pulling It Together From the first prophecy in Eden to the detailed portrait in Isaiah 53, Scripture consistently announced that the coming Messiah would suffer, shed His blood, bear sin, and rise again. Paul’s phrase “according to the Scriptures” in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 anchors the gospel in this unbroken prophetic line, confirming that Christ’s death for our sins was not an unexpected tragedy but the very plan God had been unveiling all along. |
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