1 Corinthians 15:1-11 | The Unchanging Message

The church has a lot to talk about.

We can talk about what is happening in our country. We can talk about politics, schools, families, morality, culture, finances, programs, buildings, worship styles, and a hundred other things that genuinely matter.

But there is one message we can never allow to get lost in all the noise.

The Gospel.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes to a church that had plenty of problems. There were divisions, moral issues, arguments, confusion over spiritual gifts, problems surrounding worship, and disagreements about doctrine.

Yet Paul eventually brings them back to the foundation:

“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received…” — 1 Corinthians 15:3

First of all.

Of first importance.

Before everything else, Paul says, remember the Gospel.

And then he makes it incredibly clear:

Christ died for our sins.

He was buried.

He rose again.

That is the message.

Christianity isn’t primarily good advice about how to become a better person.

It is good news about what Jesus has already done for sinners who could never save themselves.

And maybe one of the greatest dangers facing the church isn’t that we will completely stop believing the Gospel. Maybe it’s that we will become so passionate about everything surrounding the Gospel that the Gospel itself gets pushed into the background.

We can become known for what we’re against.

Known for our politics.

Known for our positions.

Known for our preferences.

Known for our programs.

And somehow fail to be known for proclaiming Jesus Christ crucified and risen.

Paul reminds us that we didn’t invent this message. We received it.

That means we don’t have the authority to change it, soften it, improve it, or replace it.

We simply have the responsibility to faithfully pass it on.

But I love that Paul doesn’t stop with theology.

After explaining what happened to Jesus, Paul begins talking about what happened to Paul.

He remembers being a persecutor of the church. He remembers who he was before Christ.

Then he says:

“But by the grace of God I am what I am…” — 1 Corinthians 15:10

That’s the Gospel.

Jesus died.

Jesus was buried.

Jesus rose.

And because He did, sinners can be saved and lives can be changed.

Paul could essentially say, “If you want evidence that grace works, look at me.”

Every Christian ought to be able to say the same thing.

Not, “Look how good I’ve become.”

Not, “Look how religious I am.”

Not, “Look how much better I am than everyone else.”

But simply:

“Look what the grace of God has done with me.”

That’s the heart of our Everyday Gospel series.

We don’t have to be theologians with every answer. We don’t have to be polished speakers. We don’t have to win every argument.

We simply need to know the Gospel, believe the Gospel, live in the power of the Gospel, and faithfully share the Gospel.

Because the power has never been in the messenger.

The power has always been in the message.

Christ died for our sins.

He was buried.

He rose again.

And nearly 2,000 years later, that is still the message that changes everything.

Watch "The Unhanging Message" HERE