From the book The Gospel of the Kingdom by Wiley Jones.
It’s surprising to find some persons taking an isolated text (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) and, contrary to sound criticism and right interpretation, endeavoring to prove from it that Paul at Corinth did not preach the kingdom, but preached only the death, burial and resurrection of the Savior. But in that text the Greek words translated “first of all,” are defined by Liddell and Scott’s Lexicon (1849) to be “like the Latin in primis, among the first.”
The phrase might be accurately rendered “among primaries.” Campbell’s edition (1832) says, “among the first things.” Whitby’s paraphrase says, “among the principal doctrines of faith.” Thus we see that the death, burial and resurrection, although essential things, were not the only things preached at Corinth, but were “among” certain other things elsewhere called “the things concerning the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8).
Those preachers who declaim against us must admit that it would be a wretched sophism, extremely stupid and unfair, to take Acts 20:25 and argue from it that the death, burial and resurrection of Christ were not preached or believed in at Ephesus, merely because those events are not mentioned in that text.
Now on the same principle it would be an equally stupid and unfair sophism to take 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4 and argue from it that the doctrine of the kingdom was not preached or believed in at Corinth, merely because the kingdom is not mentioned in that text.
Our opponents try to justify their silence concerning the kingdom by saying that in sundry places conversions are described where there is not express mention of preaching the kingdom. But we rebut this piece of sophistry by proving that in sundry places we have the history of conversions where there is express mention of preaching the kingdom. See Acts 8:12; 14:22; 19:8, 20; 20:25; 28:23, 31.
And now let me emphasize this question — whether it is wiser or safer to include “the things of the kingdom” in our preaching and faith; and thus have a whole and true gospel; or to leave out those things of the kingdom as though they were never mentioned in Scripture, and thus have a fragmentary and perverted gospel?
To all men, women and children of common sense, this question is submitted.
To suppose from such texts as 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 that Paul at Corinth did not preach the gospel of the kingdom, nor require the Corinthians to believe it, is to misunderstand those texts, and to absurdly set Paul against Paul, for it would be accusing him of preaching a very different faith and hope in Corinth from what he preached in Ephesus and Rome; and indeed from what all the apostles were required to preach everywhere, for the command was general:
“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world” (Matt. 24:14).
Since therefore the gospel of the kingdom covers the whole field of apostolic preaching, it is plain that whatever short phrase is used to designate what was preached at Corinth and other places, “This gospel of the kingdom” is always implied if not expressed in that phrase.
