1 Corinthians 15:1, 2 says...
Today's verses are 1 Corinthians 15:1, 2, which read,
v.1, 2 - Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
Paul is starting to wrap up the letter to the Christians in the church of Corinth after handling many issues that were happening in the church. Chapter 15 will deal with the resurrection of Jesus, all 58 verses.
Paul starts with the phrase in verse 2 of "unless you believed in vain" and ends with the phrase in verse 58 of "knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." He wants to knock being vain out of the church when it comes to the subject of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and its fact in the life of the Christian.
First, it has been made known to them through the telling of gospel which Paul preached to them. Paul publicly told them and they heard it or received it.
Second, they could tell it back to him. They had down the facts of the gospel. It was not a unknown lesson to them. Paul had told them in such a way that they could pass the test if given about the events surrounding the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Third, they stood on the events of the gospel. They made some type of public commitment to it. When asked for the Christians to stand, they identified with them and stood.
Fourth, they entered the salvation of the Lord which is made evident by the fruit of the Spirit. There was a holding fast to the Word of God that Paul had preached to them. Their lives were being transformed to be like Christ and this was evidence that what they heard and received and stood for was genuine.
Fifth, there were some who heard and received and stood but were not saved. They were like the shallow and weedy soils of the parable of the soils. There was no holding fast to the Word of God but a turning back to the ways of the world.
v.1, 2 - Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
Paul is starting to wrap up the letter to the Christians in the church of Corinth after handling many issues that were happening in the church. Chapter 15 will deal with the resurrection of Jesus, all 58 verses.
Paul starts with the phrase in verse 2 of "unless you believed in vain" and ends with the phrase in verse 58 of "knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." He wants to knock being vain out of the church when it comes to the subject of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and its fact in the life of the Christian.
First, it has been made known to them through the telling of gospel which Paul preached to them. Paul publicly told them and they heard it or received it.
Second, they could tell it back to him. They had down the facts of the gospel. It was not a unknown lesson to them. Paul had told them in such a way that they could pass the test if given about the events surrounding the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Third, they stood on the events of the gospel. They made some type of public commitment to it. When asked for the Christians to stand, they identified with them and stood.
Fourth, they entered the salvation of the Lord which is made evident by the fruit of the Spirit. There was a holding fast to the Word of God that Paul had preached to them. Their lives were being transformed to be like Christ and this was evidence that what they heard and received and stood for was genuine.
Fifth, there were some who heard and received and stood but were not saved. They were like the shallow and weedy soils of the parable of the soils. There was no holding fast to the Word of God but a turning back to the ways of the world.
Paul
will take us tomorrow into a retelling of that gospel that he preached
to them in Corinth. So in the Bible, there is a retelling of the gospel
again just like we do many times on Sunday mornings in our worship
services. We do not do it only for those who have never heard it but
also for us who have heard and received and have stood so that we can
hold fast to what we stood to.
Remember that the demons believed in Jesus as the Son of God but we are to believe that Jesus is the Son of God that rose from the grave, the resurrection. This is much more than just saying "Oh yeah, I believe in God." Let's pray that this chapter opens up this fact greater in our lives.
"Lord, such a relief to go from the sin of pride and discontentment and abuses of the spiritual gifts within the body of Christ to focusing on You. May I take that active role of holding fast to what I have stood to that I heard and received through the gospel. May I continue to truly believe and may that belief continue to grow. Amen."
Pastor Adam
Remember that the demons believed in Jesus as the Son of God but we are to believe that Jesus is the Son of God that rose from the grave, the resurrection. This is much more than just saying "Oh yeah, I believe in God." Let's pray that this chapter opens up this fact greater in our lives.
"Lord, such a relief to go from the sin of pride and discontentment and abuses of the spiritual gifts within the body of Christ to focusing on You. May I take that active role of holding fast to what I have stood to that I heard and received through the gospel. May I continue to truly believe and may that belief continue to grow. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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