“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” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2 ESV).
“The gospel is not just the ABCs but the A to Z of the Christian life. It is inaccurate to think the gospel is what saves non-Christians, and then Christians mature by trying hard to live according to biblical principles. It is more accurate to say that we are saved by believing the gospel, and then we are transformed in every part of our minds, hearts, and lives by believing the gospel more and more deeply as life goes on” (Tim Keller, Center Church).
Who needs the gospel? Most believers agree that every person that is far from God needs to hear the gospel. But what about those who already believe? Isn’t the gospel just the basic “ABCs” of believing? Sure, we want the preacher to talk about it at the end of every sermon for the benefit of the lost in the audience. And we want to learn the gospel, so that we can share it with others. But we tend to think that we’re ready to move on from the basics of the gospel to deeper truths when it comes to our own spiritual growth.
But this is a terrible misunderstanding of the gospel. The truth is that we need to be constantly “reminded” of the gospel. This is why the apostle Paul “reminded” the believers at Corinth. They had already slipped into false understandings of the gospel. Paul wanted them to be constantly reminded of:
- How they had first “received” the the free gift of the gospel.
- How they could depend on the gospel’s power and not their own to “stand.”
- How their future hope rested in the gospel by which they “are being saved.”
The gospel is about receiving, not earning. A gift is not earned, it is received. Most of us understand that this is how we first received the gospel. But then, we default to our old economy of earning. We understand that it is the free gift of God’s grace that saved us, but we fail to see that it is this same grace that works in us and sustains us, even keeping us unto Him for eternity. We know we need the gospel to get saved. But we forget that we need the gospel to live.
The gospel is the gift that keeps on giving! And we need to keep on receiving its power and focus. It is not just a set of truths to believe. It is like a powerful lens that continually affects our entire worldview and way of life. As Lesslie Newbigin has said, “The Christian story provides us with such a set of lenses, not something for us to look at, but for us to look through.” We must constantly put on our gospel glasses to rightly and clearly see our true selves and the world through God’s eyes.
So, who needs the gospel? Everyone everywhere, all the time.