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Tim Porter

Hold Fast to the Word (1 Corinthians 15:1-3)


[Now] I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ²and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. ³For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, —1 Corinthians 15:1-3

The heart of the gospel is that Jesus died for our sins and rose again according to the Scriptures. This is the good news of salvation. Our sins are forgiven and paid for, and our resurrection is secured by Jesus, our Lord!


Because of the gospel we stand and we are being saved. What a gift! What grace! What hope! Pause and marvel over what God has done for you. Worship the Living God for who He is and what He has done. Your two biggest problems in life—your own sin and your coming death—have been remedied by God in Christ Jesus.


The gospel answers our two biggest problems and is the truth in which we stand. We must live all of life based upon it. And yet, although we have received this gospel, we must continually be reminded of it and called back to it from false and competing gospels, lest we believe in vain.


Paul's letter to the Corinthians is a good example of how to be reminded of the hope and truth of the gospel. In his letter, Paul says the Corinthians need to be reminded of the gospel to quell factions (chs. 1-4); discipline overt sin (ch. 5); flee perverted sexual activity (ch. 6); understand marriage, singleness, and divorce (ch. 7); flee from idolatry (chs. 8-10), and humbly serve one another with gifts of the Spirit (chs. 11-14).


All the topics that Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians are an outworking of the gospel of Jesus. As the Corinthians received the gospel of Jesus, they must remain in it as they encounter the complexities of daily life in a corrupt city, forsaking previous ways of living, and standing firm in the gospel.


This raises a question. What about you? Are you remaining in the gospel of Jesus? Are you handling conflict with the gospel? Are you turning from sin with the gospel? Are your sexual ethics an outworking of the gospel? Do you share your spiritual gifts in humility because of the gospel? Are you seeking marriage, or remaining single, because of the gospel?


The gospel of Jesus’ death for our sins and resurrection according to the Scriptures touches every aspect of life. Are you building all of your life upon it?

 

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