Compare Rom. 2:16; 16:25. Paul’s message to the world was based both on the OT and on the personal revelation that God had entrusted to the apostle (see on 1 Tim. 1:11). Hence his “gospel” was in accord with the facts of Christ’s life and death and resurrection.
Raised from the dead.
Christ’s empty tomb became Christianity’s unanswerable argument for the divinity of Christ and the integrity of the gospel message. No other man or religion can point to such supernatural evidence of divine intervention. The resurrection of Jesus was God’s seal of approval certifying Him as this world’s Saviour (see on 1 Cor. 15:4, 12-20).
Seed of David.
To the Jews the family line of David was sacred because the Messiah was to be born of the “seed of David” (see Ps. 132:11; see on 2 Sam. 7:12; Matt. 22:41-46). Again Paul emphasizes the humanity of Jesus and His perfect fulfillment of OT prophecy. Christ’s Davidic ancestry constituted a powerful argument when the gospel was presented to Jews.
Remember that Jesus Christ.
Literally, “remember Jesus Christ.” Here Paul stresses the humanity of Jesus, which provides the solid foundation for man’s confidence in the plan of salvation. In other instances Paul emphasizes the divine nature of Christ, that is, His love, as God, for sinners. Perhaps the apostle here confronts the growing threat of Docetism (see Vol. V, p. 912; Vol. VI, p. 58), which denied the actual human existence of Christ. This statement sets forth the essence of the Christian gospel. The Christian church is not edified by irrelevant and fanciful interpretations of Scripture. The words of Jesus constitute a model for preachers as to how weary, sin-laden men and women may find peace and victory. The person of Jesus becomes the model of Christian character for all men. Christianity is a living, virile message.