Keep the Gospel Central10/3/2022 After a lengthy discussion on spiritual gifts and their place within the church, Paul pivots in chapter fifteen to the central message of Christianity and upon which our faith is built. Here at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 15 is the simplest, most condensed version of the gospel. “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” ~1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Why does Paul do this? After discussing in depth so many different topics, why did Paul feel it was so important to touch on this concise gospel message before ending his letter?
Because Paul knew how important it is to never lose sight of the gospel. As Christians, it can be so easy to become all too familiar with the timeless story and lose our wonder and awe at the miracle of our redemption. We can get so caught up with striving to live the Christian life and growing in our understanding and knowledge of God that we lose touch with the simplest truth of all: the gospel. The gospel message isn’t just for altar calls and for witnessing sessions. It’s for all of us. We need the gospel all the time and need to place it ever before us so that we do not take our salvation for granted. And Paul knew this. So he gave a concise gospel message that contains all the points that we must constantly remind ourselves. Jesus died for our sins, not His own, was buried and then raised on the third day. Without this truth our hope is in vain and we are still lost in our sins. But because of the good news—the message of the gospel—we have hope! Therefore, let us not neglect the gospel or lose our awe and wonder at the glorious message. It’s a simple message that doesn’t need elaborate explanation, but simply belief and trust in the truth of the message. So let us take some time to ponder the message and significance of the gospel and thank God for what Jesus Christ did for us.
1 Comment
Dean Renfer
10/3/2022 12:29:48 pm
Well said!
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Kristin RenferView the About page for more info on the author. Receive Posts via EmailArchives
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