“I Would Remind You of The Gospel”

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

BIBLE READING: 1 Corinthians 15

“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.” (1 Corinthians 15.1-2)

Our world is full of bad news. A shooter in Minnesota murdered innocent people last week. This world is broken. Sometimes people do selfish, hurtful things. Bad news sometimes exists even among God’s people. Personalities clash and people disagree. Harmony is damaged and destroyed over differences of opinion. There are plenty of things within and without to divide us. Satan wants us to fixate on the bad news and deepen those divides. He wants us to see our problems as “Us vs. Them” and to believe our challenges simply cannot be resolved. He wants us to believe that we are doomed to live with the effects of bad news.

But, as believers, we're not doomed, and sometimes we need to be reminded of the good news. To a Corinthian church facing significant challenges Paul shared the good news about Jesus as of first importance (1 Corinthians 1.4-9; 15.3a). In addressing each issue, he brought their attention to God’s reconciliation efforts through Jesus so they could live at peace with God and one another.

That Jesus died, was buried and raised is GOOD news. It proves God’s faithfulness and power. It offers a way for even enemies of God to find peace with him without retribution (Romans 5). He planned and purposed these things for our good. But it also teaches us how to live in harmony with others as we model the love shown to us (Titus 2.11-14; 1 John 4.19). 

We all feel the effects of our broken world and sometimes it is heavy. We can allow that to kill our joy and sour our attitudes. As the people of God, we need to be reminded of the good news. We are saved by grace through faith to lives of hope and reconciliation (Ephesians 2). This doesn’t mean we are now immune to the challenges of this world, but rather that we are not hopeless to their debilitating effects. Especially in the church, our submission to Jesus will create peace and harmony where it otherwise should not exist.

The gospel is greater than all your failures and mine. God saved us when we didn’t deserve it. May that motivate your thankfulness and your attitude in whatever circumstance you find yourself.

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.” (1 Peter 3.8-11)

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