Ok, smart guy
All Paul is asserting is that the gospel (the preaching) of Christ is able to save them that believe the gospel of Christ upon their hearing and believing its preaching.
He is asserting that what he was preaching - Christ and Him crucified - was not some vain, or baseless and empty notion, rather, that the very power of God - by which He raised His Son from the dead - that very power itself is contained by, is contained within, the preaching of Christ.
The two are inseparable. Thus Paul's "unless ye have believed in vain." That is too say, unless ye have believed a preaching about someone who in fact was not raised from the dead.
One can believe preaching about how works will save you or keep you saved all one wants to.
Guess what - said preaching has no power to save anyone.
The power of the resurrection - the power that raised Christ from the dead is a perfect fit with with "the word of Christ" about that.
Now there - THERE is the Power of God!
In the beginning was the Word.
Anything else?
And the Word was WITH God.
And?
AND the Word WAS God.
BOTH are inseparable!
To believe the one is to believe the other. Its what Paul refers to as "the word of Christ."
Your question and its would be division of the Son's FINISHED work from His Word on same that is in the same power, falls flat due to the very thing Paul said his gospel was not - it was not the wisdom of words; of "well, if I'II just word this in this way, or perhaps wrap one tradition or another around it, I'll be able to help it achieve its intent."
All that can result in is more of the same old, same old "well, we have it, and you don't."
You'd think we'd've learn from both those errors at Corinth, by now...
1Cor 1:
17. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
Here's an odd concept - simply believe the gospel of Christ preached by Paul and then get out of its way and let its power CONTINUE TO do its thing.
Think about that, people - the seeming foolishness of preaching 1 Cor. 15:1-4 contains within it as a seed that same power by which the Son was raised from the dead.
Matt. 13:
31. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
There it is - there is this same - same built in power principle.
Here it is - Rom 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
And here - 1Cor 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
And here - 2Cor 13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
The Word of His Grace ALIVE!
As ALIVE and thus, as QUICKENING as He is!
