As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
Summary: Repetition is a teaching tool, and Paul is a teacher. He wants us to understand a very important truth. The essence of Christ’s gospel is not up for discussion.
It isn’t often you see the Bible text repeating itself, but when it does, it is generally a good sign that whatever you are reading is important. In this passage, Paul repeats what he just said and leaves no doubt that he is dead serious about this.
Why is this so important?
Jesus said, “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6)
Later, Jesus’ brother, James, would write, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1)
(This is why I don’t set myself up as a “teacher,” but instead enjoy walking through scripture with friends and sharing what I see.)
Jesus himself takes this very seriously. What we teach others matters. The example we set matters. How we live our lives matters as much as what we say.
Given that nobody is perfect (Romans 3:10), I see us breaking out into two camps on this issue. In one camp are the people who earnestly seek to know God. In the other camp are those who want to be in control. The hallmark of the first group is humility. The hallmark of the second is being self-serving.
Is there a clear line of demarcation between the two camps?
Unfortunately, no. In his letter to the Roman church (Romans 7: 7-25), Paul writes about his wrestling match with the two sides of himself that are constantly at war with each other. Yet, even while he struggles with his inner selves, he remains true to the gospel revealed to him by Jesus Christ.
And so should we.
Application: Stick with the gospel as Paul teaches it.
Food for Thought: How would you summarize Paul’s gospel?
How would you summarize Paul’s gospel?
Word of God and should be followed.
Amen, Tim!
Simple and concise. 🙂
That Christ, the promised Messiah, came to Earth from Heaven, lived a sinless life, bore our sins, died, was resurrected by God, and still lives. That through His sacrifice we can have faith in Him, and that our sins are washed away, enabling us to be in the presence of God, to love Him and to serve Him. Just as Christ is resurrected, we too can be resurrected from death by faith and obedience.
Romans 1:1–6
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:1–4
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.
Chris,
Thank you! Great passages! Your summary is excellent. My favorite line is, “Just as Christ is resurrected, we too can be resurrected from death by faith and obedience.” That is a powerful summation.
I think the easiest, simplest version is mentioned by CH above and comes straight from the mouth (or pen) of Paul. 1 Corinthians 15: 1 – 8.
12-19-2023, How would you summarize Paul’s gospel?
Well written above.
“The Gospel of God”, as received by Paul and conveyed to all as the highest priority for life. That according to previous foretold, inspired scriptures, Christ died for, paid the price for all sins of all mankind. He was buried and He was raised on the third day according to Old Testament Scriptures which He fulfilled.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4, For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
More than 300 Old Testament scriptures were fulfilled by Jesus Christ as He lived, ministered and gave His life for all sins on earth. A sample is listed below.
Psalm 22:16-18, Psalm 45:6-7, Daniel 2:44, Psalm 69:8, Isaiah 53:3, Psalm 2:7, Isaiah 11:1, Psalm 78:2-4, Isaiah 6:9-10, Psalm 110:4, Psalm 2:6, Zechariah 9:9, Zechariah 11:12, Zechariah 11:12-13, Psalm 35:11, Isaiah 50:6, Isaiah 53:12, Zechariah 12:10, Psalm 16:10, Psalm 49:15, Psalm 24:7-10, Psalm 68:18 Psalm 110:1, Isaiah 53:5-12,
Daniel 7:13-14
The “Gospel of God” is good news because it is a gift of God, impossible to be earned by penance or by self-improvement.
John 3:16; Romans 5:8–11; 2 Corinthians 5:14–19; Titus 2:11–14
Ron,
Thank you. You make a great point — that all of the things that happen to Jesus were prophesied about in the Old Testament.
It is an interesting thought experiment to imagine what the Gospel would be like without the Old Testament prophesies. If there were no Jews, if Jesus had just appeared, been crucified and then resurrected, how would it make any sense without the Old Testament?
(I’ve put a link to your reference list here.)