Here is the Gospel...
"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:" (
1Co 15:1-4)
Why did you stop at verse 4?
Paul was teaching them from the scriptures as well as testifying that he saw the risen Christ, that he was resurrected from the dead, along with the other apostles.
The context of this chapter deals with the resurrection.
His point he is making is they must
continue to believe, hold fast to the Gospel message or their initial believing was done in vain.
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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,
and that He was seen by Cephas,
then by the twelve.
After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
After that He was seen by James,
then by all the apostles.
Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
We know for sure that Jesus sent Paul to preach the same Gospel Jesus preached, because Paul recounts his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, and testifies what Jesus told him, as it is recorded for us.
Words of Christ in red —
But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ “
Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles,
that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. Acts 26:16-20
The Gospel must contain the word repent, which means turn to God s submission to Him as Lord.
IOW, if we are called to turn to God, then by default we are called to turn away from Satan as our lord.
The way we do this is by confessing Jesus Christ as Lord.
We believe Jesus Is Lord BECAUSE He was raised from the dead....
Therefore we believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, and we confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord.
Confessing Jesus is Lord is the action of faith that brings about our salvation.
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:10
Confessing Jesus is Lord is how we repent.
Repenting is how we are delivered from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of God.
The Gospel must contain the word repent.
Then Peter said to them, “
Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38
Jesus said this Gospel of the kingdom, the gospel that was preached in His day, will be preached in all the world in the last days, then the end will come.
Repent is the command of the Gospel that must be obeyed.
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:14-17
For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those
who do not obey the gospel of God? 1 Peter 4:17
in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those
who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:8
There’s more I want to share about this but getting to long.
JLB
