There are truths you find interesting.
And there are truths you build your life on.
Paul makes it clear. The gospel is not one truth among many. It is the truth above all.
“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.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…” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
The gospel is of first importance because it speaks to our greatest need. Not improvement. Not inspiration. Redemption.
We needed forgiveness. We needed restoration. We needed a way back to God that we could never create on our own. And God sent that when He sent His Son.
Our greatest need was answered by God’s greatest gift in the Gospel.
Paul gives the reminder, because even in the early church, the message was already being distorted. Other ideas began to creep in. Subtle changes. Small compromises. Before long, the truth was diluted. And a watered-down gospel is no gospel at all (see Galatians 1:6-9). It is a warning of a reality in the early church and sadly a reality in our day.
We may not think of it consciously every day. Yet it is of first importance. If you have received it, you should guard it. Guard it in your heart. Guard it in your mind. Stand on it, live by, but don’t take it for granted. Let it transform you. Invite those around you into it.
The Gospel that was prophesied before Jesus came is the same Gospel that has been passed on in the Scriptures. We cannot deny any part of it.
Our greatest need, forgiveness for sin and reconciliation with God.
God’s gift of grace, the Gospel is the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
On this we have believed. On this we live. On this is true salvation.
Christ died.
Christ died for our sins.
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures (see Isaiah 52-53 for example).
Christ was buried.
Christ was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
Others, many others were witnesses to this. It is true. The reality of the message is to be of first importance. A message of first importance is worth sharing. So invite others into this salvation.
Any message that removes the cross, ignores its purpose, minimizes the burial, or denies the resurrection is not the Gospel. It may sound appealing. It may feel comfortable. But it cannot save.
The real gospel does more than inform. It transforms.
Live the Gospel. Love the Gospel. Find joy in the Gospel. Let it transform you into the likeness of the One Who is the Gospel. Jesus.
As we rush toward the resurrection, let us not forget that our greatest need was nailed to the cross.
It is finished. The victory is ours if we hold firmly to it.
Our greatest need was answered by God’s greatest gift in the Gospel.
Rev. Kari Howard
Interim Conference Superintendent