Utumishi Blog

If you’re looking for a definition of the gospel, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 is a great candidate. “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel…”  (v1). But before we get the gospel condensed in six verses, Paul first explains why we need a reminder:

• “in which you stand and by which you are being saved” (v1-2). The gospel is not a springboard – it’s an ark.  You don’t step onto it and bounce off it into something else – it’s like Noah’s ark that you stand in – it is your salvation – if you move on from it you’re in the water with the sharks.
• “of first importance”(v3). He’s just been discussing spiritual gifts and church order (1 Cor. 14) but now this is The Big One. The non-negotiable, essential, paramount, vital core. Why? (a) our eternal salvation hangs on it (1 Cor. 15:2); (b) the glory of God hangs on it (1 Cor. 1:19-31); (c) the transformation of lives and churches hangs on it (e.g. 1 Cor. 5, 6, 8).

So what is it?

Jesus – “Christ died… he was buried… he was raised… he appeared… he… he… he…” We don’t have a theory we have a person. And he is not a dead person he is living – we can have him, be one flesh with him (1 Cor. 6:15-17).

History – “I delivered to you… what I also received” (1 Cor. 15:3). It’s not a new message. It wasn’t even new to Paul. It’s history. “Christ died… he was buried… he was raised… he appeared” – all past tenses. When did all that stuff happen? 1,980 years ago. It is ancient history. 

Maybe that sounds boring. History lessons can be very boring. And I have often found this passage a bit boring. But I’m starting to realise that this is absolutely brilliant.

• For me, before I was born. “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures”. It’s very personal – “our sins” – your sins and my sins – but it completely does not depend on me. Before the world was created the Father decided to send the Son to earth for me.  Three and a half thousand years ago Moses wrote about the serpent crusher, the sacrifice, the one lifted up on a pole for me. Then two thousand years ago the Word became flesh, walked to the cross, went through hell and cried out “It is finished” for me. By the time I was born in 1978 it was all long done. So it doesn’t depend on me, my faithfulness, my sincerity, my devotion.  If I wake up in the middle of the night worrying “I’m such a sinner, am I really saved?” I can tell myself, “Christ died for my sins 1,980 years ago.”
• Public Truth. “he was raised on the third day… he appeared… Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive…” go and ask them.  The gospel is not a floaty philosophy or myth (like in a lot of the Eastern religions). It is about stuff that really happened in time and space. And it didn’t happen in a corner or a cave witnessed by only one or two people (like the founding of many of the cults). This happened at the conjunction of the continents, in a time of easy communication, in broad daylight. Hundreds of people saw a Jewish man publicly executed. Hundreds of people saw that same man a few days later and touched him and saw him eat and drink and speak with them for over a month. So the gospel is not postmodern ‘truth’ as in ‘if it’s true for you that’s cool’ – this is True Truth – rock solid public truth. If I wake up in the middle of the night doubting “Is it really true? Am I wasting my life on a religious delusion?” I can tell myself, “He appeared to more than five hundred people – historical fact.”

So it’s actually brilliant that the gospel is history.  Applications:

• Hard work – “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (v10). We naturally think if we preach grace, that it’s nothing to do with what we do, Christ has done it all, then that will lead to laziness. But actually grace led Paul to work harder than anyone. If I think God is a harsh master, reaping what he did not sow, then I will bury my talent in the ground, or just do the bare minimum to get Him off my back. But if I know a God of Grace who has forgiven me and justified me and is for me and with me and carrying me and working through me then I’m freed to give and invest my all for the kingdom.
• Preaching the historic gospel – “Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believe” (v11). The gospel is about Jesus and specifically the history of Jesus – what Jesus did 2000 years ago – his crucifixion and his resurrection. That is the gospel that saves people. It’s great to hear testimonies of what Jesus is doing in people’s lives here and now – bringing transformation and healing and wholeness – that’s great – but transformation is not the gospel.  It’s not what saves people. The gospel that we must preach to ourselves every day and remind one another of every day and preach to the lost world is the historical gospel.  As Dick Lucas once put it, if we stop preaching this historic gospel we have stopped preaching the gospel.

 The gospel was passed to Paul, he passed it to the Corinthians, it’s been passed to us. What will we do with it?