The Full GospelSample

By This Gospel You Are Saved // The Gospel According to Corinthians

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. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 NIV

There is only one gospel that has the power to rescue us from sin, repair our relationship with God, and restore our purpose as God’s people. This was the gospel Jesus introduced, and His followers have continued to preach. But what exactly does this gospel entail? In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul tells us the basic elements of the gospel:

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NIV

What is the content of the gospel? Jesus, the Savior King and Son of God, died for us—just like the writings of the prophets predicted. He was buried in a tomb. And on the third day, He rose again, just like the Scriptures promised.

But rising from the dead wasn’t just something “spiritual” His followers believed. The resurrection of Jesus was visible. It actually happened. And a whole bunch of people saw Him and can testify to the truth that Jesus did the impossible: He died and rose again, just like He said He would.

According to 1 Corinthians 15, this miracle was seen by over 500 people, including the apostles and Paul.

At its most basic level, this is what the gospel is. But Paul doesn’t stop there. He goes on to tell us what the gospel does:

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. 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. Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. 1 Corinthians 15:9-11 NIV

What is the effect of the gospel? The gospel is the message that Jesus died and rose again to rescue us from sin. And when someone chooses to believe this message, it transforms them from who they used to be into who they’re meant to be.

Before Paul believed in the good news of Jesus, he was doing whatever he could to put an end to the way of Jesus. But God, by His grace, showed Paul the truth of who Jesus is and what that meant for him. And Paul was never the same.

The grace of God had an effect on him. It shaped him so dramatically that he tells us that he worked harder than every other apostle to spread the message of Jesus.

But Paul wants to make it clear that his work ethic wasn’t something he drummed up in his own strength. It was the result of the empowering presence of God’s Spirit working in him to transform him into the person he was meant to be. It is the message of the gospel that carries the power; not the messenger.

Paul concludes this chapter with these words:

… “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:54-58 NIV

Jesus defeated sin and death by living, dying, and rising again. If He didn’t die, then we could say He avoided or escaped death. But, because He stepped into the ring with death itself and came out the other side victorious, we can say with confidence that love really does conquer all, even sin and the grave.

And we get to share in His victory, not simply theoretically, but practically. How? By following Jesus’ journey through the grave and to the other side. This is why, we too, have to die. So that, like Jesus, we can rise again and overcome death itself.

So, what do we do now? We work hard at following Jesus, knowing that nothing we do is in vain. There will come a day when He returns to finish what He started. But until He does, we have a job to do: to preach the gospel, disciple the found, and push back the darkness.