“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 

 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 

 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. “

1 Corinthians 15 :1-11 

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September 23, 2025

The gospel changes how we see ourselves. It reveals to us our true condition. It holds the light of truth up to who we are including all the parts we’d rather hide. With the gospel, there’s nowhere to hide! There’s nowhere to pretend we are better than we are. In light of the gospel, everything is revealed.  

In the Corinthian church, some members believed they had already achieved spiritual maturity through their own efforts. They were the “just-try-harders,” the achievers, the perfectionists.  

Sadly, I have been all too tempted to join this type of group—and have frequently given in to the temptation! Paul corrects these believers (and us!) by reminding them of the gospel. The gospel reminds me that while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. He defeated sin and death, appeared to His disciples in a resurrected body, and ascended into heaven.  

No matter how many times I mess up, my sins are paid for because Jesus took the punishment for them all. And if that is not incredible enough, I am now being made holy not through my own elbow grease but by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who will continue to work in me, redeeming my humanity until He leads me into a glorious eternity. Because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, I don’t have to search for my identity or root my identity in what people think of me or in my achievements.  

I can find everything I am in God.  

This is what the gospel does.  

Questions for reflection and discussion:  

  • How has the gospel impacted how you see yourself? 
  • How have you seen spiritual growth in your heart?  
  • Have you ever felt that you had to make your spiritual growth happen through your own efforts?  

Church Reading Plan: 2 Samuel 19; 2 Corinthians 12