The Proper Gospel

2013-12-30

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

This portion of the Scriptures is often quoted because it specifically defines what the Gospel is. There often is some confusion on this because many well-meaning people inadvertently leave out parts of the Gospel. Telling people to ask Jesus into their lives, to repent of their sins, to make him Lord of their lives, and so on do not constitute the Gospel of Jesus Christ and have no power to salvation in their lives.

When we declare the good news of Jesus Christ, we declare that he died for our sins and rose from the dead. It is the completed action of Jesus Christ that saves us. He did everything himself; it is only left to us to believe it or not.