The testimony of St. Paul to the Corinthians is considered a firsthand experience of the risen Lord. This firsthand account is a personal claim of Paul to have "seen" the risen Christ although the exaltation and resurrection event has already been known before his encounter on the road to Damascus. The letter is a formula to bring about an important reminder to the Christians of Corinth with regard to the significance of what it means to acknowledge Jesus as Lord. First, Paul underscores the value of his testimony which he hands down to the Corinthians as a basic element of faith. The content of the testimony he gives is what he received. Faith comes from the testimony of the one who had received the message. Paul cited the appearances Christ made to Cephas, the twelve disciples, and to the five hundred brothers and sisters, James and to the other apostles. (cf 1 Cor 15:4-7)

Second, Jesus is Lord meant that the salvific events in Jerusalem included the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ. Paul’s account of his experience of these events is the same alongside with that of the evangelists’ because of the terminologies and creedal formula used. The veracity of this experience was explicated by his reference to the five hundred men and women "most of whom are still alive"(cf 1 Cor 15:6). Third, these events that transpired point out a basic truth of faith: Christ died for our sins and was raised up on the third day. Paul made it a point that the death of Christ on the cross was a condition for his resurrection. Paul emphasized that it is "for our sins" which elucidates the meaning of the death of Christ.

Fourth, Paul mentions that his experiences allowed him to change his life by the grace of God. He is reminded of the name "Christ" which evokes the memory of his death and resurrection. Paul, like Peter and the other apostles, have made the resurrection of Christ as their life-changing event in their life and an element of sustained faith.

Fifth, the apostolate of Paul focused on the preaching of the resurrection of Jesus. Paul describes his experience or encounter with the Lord as the "last" one. This appearance is just limited and may not be expected by all Christians throughout all the ages. Thus, the testimony he relates demands a tremendous amount of faith considering the personal background of Paul. Yet Paul considers that his apostolate of proclaiming the risen Christ is of no less important than that of the apostles.

It was the encounter of the risen Lord which made Paul a builder and a motivator of new churches. The reorientation of Paul to a radical new life in Christ through his encounter resulted into a new understanding of God. This new understanding of the living God made converted Paul from a persecutor to a missionary of Christ. The testimony of Paul was not merely to validate his apostolic authority or only to describe what he saw but that Jesus resurrected from death on the third day as an essential element of faith. The testimony Paul had was the content and basis of the Christian faith.