1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-5 – Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
THEME OF THE DAY. OF DAILY IMPORTANCE. Today’s scripture is the clearest definition of the Gospel found in the scriptures. It details why Christ came into the world, what He did while in the world, and then gives irrefutable evidence of these truths by His appearance after His resurrection. In these verses are the only hope for lost sinners far from God – the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the only hope for a godless world – the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and the only source of daily power in the Christian life – the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Did we get the last statement? The Gospel is for Christians. Do we think about that much? Or is our understanding and application of the Gospel of Jesus Christ only for salvation? If so, then we are failing to apply the only way to do daily battle against the accusations of our conscience and the barrage of lies hurled at us by the devil. Yes, the Apostle Paul would proclaim the Gospel of the Lord Jesus is “of first importance” and that is correct, but it is also “of daily importance” to the Christian. Without a conscious application of the Gospel when we sin and are confronted by the attacks of the devil, we will walk in near constant defeat by these spiritual foes. Milton Vincent in his excellent little book titled A Gospel Primer for Christians wrote, “The Gospel is so foolish according to my natural wisdom, so scandalous according to my conscience, and so incredible according to my timid heart, that it is a daily battle to believe the full scope of it as I should. There is simply no other way to compete with the forebodings of my conscience, the condemnings of my heart, and the lies of the world and devil than to overwhelm such things with the daily rehearsings of the Gospel” (1 Corinthians 1:21-25; 1 John 3:19; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:10). Such warfare demands the Gospel be mulled over in our heart and mind on a daily basis.
First, remembering the Gospel always tells us “there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Yes, we sin. Yes, we fail to live holy lives. Yes, we succumb to worldliness but the Gospel always brings us back to our position in Christ, not our practice to living for Christ which always falls short. When confronted by our many failings, send those accusatory words to the Gospel. They cannot overcome its power.
Another reason for applying the Gospel of the Lord Jesus daily is it reminds us He who is the Gospel is alive, living within us, and walking with us. Jesus told His disciples and us, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b). The Gospel includes the resurrection of Christ and that means an always Present Christ. And the One always present is always for us. Through the Gospel remembered, we live aware of this staggering truth and appropriate His power to defeat all our spiritual foes.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is of first importance AND of daily importance. It is the way not only to salvation but joyful Christian living.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to cling to and preach the Gospel of Your Son to myself in all the spiritual battles I face.”
QUOTE: “The Gospel not only saves us but it is the only way for Christians to slay the lies and accusations of the devil.”