Do You Stand Upon the Gospel?

We all deserve eternal death. That is the reality of sinful humanity apart from Christ and it’s also the necessity of the gospel. Anything a person receives above and beyond the gift of salvation should be received with extreme gratitude. It’s the love and grace of God that sustains life and grants eternal life. At the center of the gospel is Jesus Christ and the good news is that He came to save the world from sin (John 3:16).

Beginning with Cain and Abel offerings and sacrifices have perpetually been made to please God. Through the institution of the Law, God provided the Jews with an extensive sacrificial system of offerings to temporarily atone for sin. However, whether it was a sin offering, a trespass offering, or one of the other voluntary offerings, all offerings pointed to Christ and all were fulfilled in Christ. The true significance of every Old Testament sacrifice can be found in the sacrificial death of Jesus. He was the “Lamb of God” who had come to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). His blood would secure the salvation for all who would come to believe, even for the Old Testament saints who lived prior (Hebrews 11:40).

The gospel is truth that never loses its power, unless you have never believed or have “believed in vain.” Paul wrote to the Corinthians “…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,…unless you believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:1, 2).

“Believed in vain?” What did Paul mean by this statement? Obviously, Paul recognized that many of these Corinthians had a superficial faith or a non-saving faith (Matthew 7:13). Some most likely believed as the demons believed (James 2:19). Like many, they heard the gospel preached by Paul and perhaps were convinced that the gospel was true, but they didn’t love Jesus or follow Him. Translation, they had “believed in vain.” They had not “held firmly” to the gospel message.

When a person doesn’t “hold firmly” and “stand fast” upon the gospel (the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for the forgiveness of sins) he or she is not a true believer. Thus, they are easily swayed by other messages, worldly desires, and false gospels. The gospel must be professed and possessed, otherwise a person will never stand upon.

If you want to have complete assurance of your salvation then examine yourself against God’s Word. If your belief doesn’t match what you read in scripture, then it’s not belief at all. Your faith might be worthless. Don’t be a person who “believed in vain.” The consequences are eternal!