I get gospel-amnesia. Even though I talk about it a
lot, I need to be regularly reminded of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so that is what the Apostle Paul is doing
in I Cor 15.
“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 ESV )
Paul points directly to the events of the cross and
resurrection of Christ. He is not concerned with just any gospel, but with the
only gospel that saves. This is “the gospel I preached to you,”
Paul writes with urgency about the
truths that are “as of first importance.” All revealed truth is vital,
invaluable, life-changing truth to which every disciple of Christ is fully
accountable. But certain truths are of highest importance, and that is the
language Paul uses.
And what is of first importance? “That Christ died for our
sins in accordance with the Scriptures,” and “that he was raised on the third
day in accordance with the Scriptures.” The cross and the empty tomb stand at
the center of the Christian faith. Without these, there is no good news — no
salvation. The gospel is at the center of our faith, and the cross and the empty
tomb are at the center of the gospel.
Paul, who wrote 75% of the New Testament, “Of everything I
wrote, of everything I talked about, of everything I unpacked for you, let me
give you what’s of first importance. Let me give you what you can’t mess up. If
you mess this up, everything else is off. Even if it’s right, you’re off in how
you operate in it. You’ve got to get this right.”
“So we preach, and so you
believed,” Paul encourages us. [1 Cor. 15:11]
A great daily reminder
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