Sunday Devotional: 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

¹ But I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, ² and through which you are saved, if you hold fast to that word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

In chapter 15 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, it seems the apostle is anxious to counter teaching going around the church that there is no resurrection. This is especially clear from verse 12 onwards. The attention Paul gives to this demonstrates how important he believed the doctrine of the resurrection to be–and not just the resurrection of Christ, but the resurrection of all believers on the Last Day, too. His opening words here tell us that for Paul–and if we believe this is the inspired word of God, then for us too–the resurrection is central to the very gospel itself. I’d like to take a few weeks to go through the gospel message Paul presents here, in the hope that it will cause us to reflect on what it is we believe about this most crucial aspect of Christian theology.

I think the sense of “make known” in verse 1 is that of reminding, since he says he already preached the gospel to them. It’s as if he’s saying, “you should know how off-base this anti-resurrection teaching is, if you’d just remember the gospel!” But since some are getting sucked into this teaching, he feels he has to remind them of what he’s already said. In both instances in these two verses, the verb I’ve translated “preached” is from the Greek word euangelizomai, meaning more than just preaching or proclaiming, but “to preach the good news,” or “to preach the gospel.” In fact, our English verb “to evangelize” comes from this word, and really sums up the meaning. I would have preferred to translate this, “the gospel which I evangelized to you,” but that’s not very good English, unfortunately.

The gospel is the message which Paul preached to the Corinthians, and they received it. That is to say, they embraced this message, which is why they are Paul’s brethren, and form the church in Corinth. This is important for Paul’s argument, because he’s saying that the gospel–and the doctrine of the resurrection–is something they have accepted as true, so it makes no sense for them to now embrace the opposite teaching.

More than just accepting the gospel, they stand on it: it is the foundation of their lives, their worldview, and it is their defense against sin and the world. As long as they are firm on the gospel truths, they will remain unassailable in their faith.

It is by the gospel message that they are saved. Yes, it’s true that salvation comes through Christ alone, but it is in the gospel message that Christ’s saving work is proclaimed. It is when we believe that message, and turn in repentance to the Lord that we become children of God, born again, and recipients of the salvation that Christ purchased for us on the cross. Could Paul express the significance of the gospel message any more clearly?

If this gospel really is true, it’s worth holding on to for dear life. The only reason to reject it is if the claims of Christ are empty and the entire message of the cross is false, in which case their faith is in vain. I think Paul is essentially saying, “What’s the point of even claiming to be a Christian if you’re going to deny the resurrection? Faith in Christ without belief in this core element is a waste of time.”

Especially as we mature in the faith, and perhaps study theology and doctrine, we can often lose sight of “first principles.” The gospel is the foundation upon which we build our understanding of God, life, faith, everything. Even those of us who have been Christians for many years and have heard the gospel a thousand times need to take time every now and again to reflect upon that message. We need to remind ourselves of that precious truth, and consider its simplicity, and its weight. I hope this, and the next few devotions will help us do just that.

Have a great week!