By This Gospel You Are Saved

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Key Verse 15:2a

   

“By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.”

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul reminds the Corinthians about a basic component of the gospel message: resurrection. Paul understood that one needs to know the destination if one is to take the right road. Some of the people in Corinth had lost sight of the resurrection and, as a result, had compromised with worldly desires. Today, the message of the resurrection is important because it provides Christians with a clear idea of what is in store for those who put their hope in Jesus. Let's take a look. 

Look at verse 1: "Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand." 

Paul begins by characterizing his message as a "reminder" message. This was not something new. In fact, it was the basic message that he had preached to them from the beginning, which they accepted, and which they had taken their stand. The fact that Paul had to remind them of something so basic suggests that some of the Corinthians had lost sight of the basic faith that they had when they became Christians. After being a Christian for a while, someone might say, "I don't need to hear the basic gospel message all over again. I'm already a Christian." The truth is, however, that we can easily take for granted what we once took seriously; although we "know" something in our head, that truth may have lost power in our practical lives. This seems to be what Paul was concerned about. In Paul's letter to the Corinthians, we see that many people in the church had compromised with sinful desires, and all kinds of petty arguments and controversies were dividing them. Paul wanted to help them get back to basics. 

Look at verse 2: "By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain." 

This verse shows how seriously Paul regarded the problem facing the Corinthians--it was a matter of salvation. By the gospel message, they are saved--IF they hold firmly to the word. IF they don't hold firmly to the gospel message, hover, they have believed in vain. Here the phrase, "hold firmly" suggests that the Corinthians had loosened their grip on basic gospel faith over time. Probably, at first, when they first took their stand as Christians based on the gospel message, their grip on basic truths was firm. They struggled hard to remain in Jesus by repenting of their sins and resisting the temptations of this world. They willingly endured persecution from unbelieving neighbors and family members because of their hope in the kingdom of God. Over time, however, they began to relax their grip on the gospel. The present, visible reality began to obscure their resurrection hope. The problem with loosening one's grip on the gospel message is that the current of this world pushes us away from God. When our grip on the gospel is loose, their is danger of loosing grip completely. The phrase, "believed in vain," shows that believing is not a one-time deal. To "believe" in Jesus and the gospel is really a life-long activity. We cannot rely, therefore, on the fact that we held tightly to the gospel several years ago. 

Look at verses 3-5: 

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 

Here Paul summarizes the gospel message in its most basic form. The message contains two key points: first, Jesus died for our sins; second, Jesus was raised from the dead. These two components go hand-in-hand. Jesus' death for our sins pays the price of our sins so we don't have to pay it ourselves; Jesus' resurrection secures the victory over sin and death. Paul's focus here is to emphasize the factual evidence of the gospel message. First, Jesus' death and resurrection both happened according to the Scriptures. These events were foretold in the Old Testament, proving that they were not just made up after the fact. Second, there were multiple eye-witnesses to Jesus' resurrection, beginning with Peter and then the other Apostles. Indeed, there were many witnesses of the resurrection. Look at verses 6-7: "After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."

In addition to Peter and the other Apostles, Jesus appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers (a.k.a. believers) at the same time, and many of them were still living at the time Paul wrote the letter to the Corinthians. Jesus also appeared to James, the other apostles, and, finally, to the Apostle Paul. Paul, himself, was a witness of Jesus' resurrection because Jesus appeared to him when he was an enemy of the church. In fact, Paul, himself, was powerful evidence that Jesus rose from the dead. 

Look at verse 9: " 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." Paul calls himself "one abnormally born." There was a big difference between Paul and all the other people Jesus appeared to after he rose from the dead: only Paul was an enemy of Jesus. Paul persecuted Christians. He hunted them down. He threw them in jail. He approved of their execution. For this reason, Paul admits that he doesn't deserve to be called an Apostle; that he is the least of the Apostles. How, then, did Paul become an Apostle? Look at verse 10: "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." It was only by God's grace that Paul became an Apostle. Instead of condemning him as an enemy, Jesus appeared to Paul and called him to be an Apostle--to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. Meeting Jesus in person had a profound and revolutionary impact on Paul's life. He was changed from a persecutor of the church to a powerful witness of Jesus and preacher of the gospel. The effect of Jesus on Paul's life was evident in how hard he worked--he worked harder than all the other Apostles because he had received the most grace. 

Taken all together, the evidence of Jesus' resurrection from the dead is strong: the fulfillment of Scriptures, numerous eye-witnesses, and Paul's changed life. Today, we also see evidence that Jesus has indeed risen from the dead. We see the effect of Jesus' grace on the lives of Christians. At the spring Bible conference a couple weeks ago, we heard clear testimonies of people who had been changed after meeting Jesus in person. The fact is that Jesus' grace is never without effect. Whenever anyone experiences the grace of God, that grace is evident in how people live their lives. 

Unfortunately, however, it seems that many of the Corinthians had, to some extent, forgotten God's grace to them. Their faith in Jesus became theoretical, and they forgot how they were before. Paul reminded them of God's grace on his life so that they could also remember God's grace to them. 

Look at verse 11:

"Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed." The basic gospel message was what Paul, and the other Apostles, preached; it was what the Corinthians believed. Yet, somehow, they needed to be reminded of it. 

From this passage, we see how important it is to remember the essential gospel message. It may seem obvious that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead, but the real measure of our faith in this message is to look at what effect it has on our lives. Do we, like Paul, work hard for the gospel? Or have we loosened our grip on the gospel and become concerned more with the affairs of this world? Personally, I find it more and more difficult to hold firmly to the gospel because the concerns of everyday life. 

I am thankful, however, for the Apostle Paul who took the time to remind the Corinthians of the gospel message. I am thankful for the reminder that what matters most is holding firmly to the basic message that I heard at first and on which I first took my stand. Life can seem complicated, but the gospel message is simple and clear. By this gospel we are saved. 

May God help us to hold firmly to this gospel.

One word: by this gospel you are saved. 

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