1 Corinthians 15:1-11 | “The Gospel” [ Communion ]
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· 26 views“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 (ESV) Sunday, December 28, 2025. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 | “The Gospel.” Preached to Heritage Bible Chapel in Princeton, MA.
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I. The Reading
I. The Reading
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
II. The Exhortation
II. The Exhortation
At the end of this reading, in verse 11, that there are two movements associated with the gospel that is being made known.
11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
The gospel is preached, that is, it is passed on, it is proclaimed, it is preached, it is delivered.
And the gospel is also believed.
These are two Christians movements associated with the gospel.
And verse 2 comes with a warning, that it’s not enough just to believe the Gospel, but we want to believe the gospel with a belief that is not in vain.
We want to believe as those who experience the Gospel’s saving power.
Imagine with me that you have only a few moments to communicate the gospel to someone else — the powerful gospel that is able to save their soul.
What are you going to say to communicate the gospel to them?
What gets included in your presentation? And what gets left out?
— Maybe you are speaking to a person who is dying in a hospital and these are their last moments on earth? What will you say?
— Maybe you are speaking to your whole family who is gathered together for a holiday meal, and that rarely happens, and you want to share the gospel? What will you say?
— Maybe you are speaking to your son or daughter who asks you what they must believe to be saved? What will you say?
— Maybe your neighbor finds out you are a Christian and you have one conversation, standing by the mailbox in the cold, to explain what that means. What will you say?
I know that before baptisms in the church, we give baptism candidates an opportunity to share their testimony.
And some people are anxious about that.
Also before joining the church in membership, we ask for a testimony.
Well, what makes a testimony a GOSPEL testimony?
What about sermons?
We want to preach the gospel in every sermon.
But what does that mean?
What should I be listening for?
What makes a sermon gospel preaching?
There isn’t time and there isn’t need for words of eloquent wisdom (1 Cor 1:17).
There isn’t time and there isn’t a need for lofty speech (1 Cor 2:1).
The question is NOT merely “what will we say” when we present the gospel.
The question is what MUST we say to be faithful gospel proclaimers?
This may sound like a difficult task for some of us, but I do want us to be encouraged.
While there is a richness to the Gospel — the Gospel is not complicated.
As believers, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are more equipped than we may think we are, to PASS ON the Gospel, provided we BELIEVE the gospel (and we haven’t believed in vain).
So let’s begin, as our text does, with a reminder first, of the Gospel we believe.
III. The Teaching
III. The Teaching
The Gospel we BELIEVE.
The Gospel we BELIEVE.
1 Corinthians 15:1 begins in this way —
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you …
Notice in this verse, the connection that is drawn, between what was preached in past, and what is being made known again, in the present.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you …
This is the same gospel message.
The Gospel does not change.
The Gospel is not affected by culture.
Nearly 2000 years later, after the writing of 1 Corinthians, and we are STILL being reminded today of this same Gospel, and we are STILL proclaiming this same Gospel.
The Gospel message is a timeless message.
It is old news that never gets old!
And as believers, even though we know the Gospel — we need to continue knowing it.
The Gospel is not a message that we hear one time, and don’t need to hear again, as we will learn in a moment.
Rather, the Gospel is a message we need to hear regularly.
As believers gathering together as a church every Sunday, we should come with the expectation that we will hear, without exception, the Gospel!
I want to hear the Gospel preached.
I want to sing the Gospel.
I want to see the Gospel at work in our lives, and be encouraged to continue believing!
The Gospel is a message we need to hear regularly.
Think of airplane pilots.
Airplane pilots learn in flight school how to inspect a plane, how to start the engines, how to taxi, how to take off, how to land …
But even though they learn how to perform these procedures in flight school, pilots are still required to use checklists for critical stages of every flight.
Why? —
Because a pilot may forget.
A pilot may overlook something.
And the consequences of forgetting or overlooking are too great.
The consequences are matters of life and death!
In a similar way, the gospel is a message that we, as believers, hear at some point for the first time, and it is a message that we then repeat often, every week - even every day.
It is a message that we rehearse, that we REMIND one another about.
Because we forget.
We overlook.
And consequences of forgetting or overlooking the Gospel are too great — they are matters of life and death.
Now, often it is the simplest presentations of the Gospel that are the most powerful.
So let’s not undervalue our ability to help a brother or sister by simply reminding them of the Gospel we believe!
Not everyone needs formal counseling when facing struggles in life, although it is a privilege to minister to people through biblical counseling.
Not everyone needs to go see the pastors to work out their problems, although it is a privilege to minister the word and pray for you when you are struggling in faith.
But I suggest, that MOST of the time, what is needed and what is effective is a believer simply reminding another believer of the gospel that they believe!
… And then encouraging that believer to live it out and to pass it on!
And so one way that pastors can equip the saints for ministry, is to make sure that we have a solid grasp of not only the message of the gospel, but what the gospel means for our lives and faith.
And this is why we preach the gospel.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you …
The word “Gospel” is a word that means and refers to good news.
As Paul writes here that he “preached” it to the Corinthians.
It’s worth pointing out that the word translated as “preached” here in verse 1, and the same word again in verse 2, is a different word from the word “preach” in verse 11.
The word “preached” in verses 1 and 2 is the Greek word “εὐαγγελίζω” (it’s our word for “evangelize.”)
The word “preach” in verse 11 is the Greek word “κηρύσσω.”
To preach, as in verse 11 — “κηρύσσω”, is to make a public declaration, it speaks more of the method of making news known — it is a message that is publically proclaimed, and usually proclaimed with some kind of authority.
But the word preach in verses 1 & 2, to “evangelize,” explains not so much the method, but the content of the message being made known — and that content is the gospel.
So when we are making the gospel known, we are evangelizing.
And while not every one of us can or should preach in an official sense, every one of us can and should evangelize!
Verse 1 could read this way:
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I [ gospelized ] to you …
When the true Gospel is made known, the presentation of the message, takes on the characteristics of that message.
It’s not demanding. It’s not compulsive. It’s not burdensome.
When the true Gospel is communicated, it does not draw attention to human words or wisdom, or even the preacher, but it draws attention to God’s word and God’s wisdom — to the cross and its power.
And the gospel will not leave a believer condemned.
It will be good news in both the content and the communication of the gospel message.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received …
This is where this text begins to explain the Gospel we BELIEVE.
That is,
What does it mean to believe the gospel (and not to believe in vain)?
What does it mean to believe the gospel (and not to believe in vain)?
Well first, to believe the gospel means to receive the gospel.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BELIEVE?
It means that we have received the gospel.
It means that we have received it.
It means that we have received it.
(aorist, active, indicative)
To receive something can mean to take it over — to make something mine.
But sometimes the emphasis on receiving is not on taking something over, but on agreeing with it. Approving it. Accepting it. [ BDAG ]
That’s the idea here.
If we are to believe the gospel, and not believe in vain, then we don’t just acknowledge the gospel, but we accept the gospel, and we agree with it.
The Bible gives a great example of this when speaking about the Thessalonian believers in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 —
13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
This receiving of the Gospel, for the Corinthians, took place in the past.
And the same is true of us as well, who truly believe.
There was a point in which we not only heard the gospel, but we accepted it and approved it.
For me, I was a young child.
I heard the gospel many times preached and taught in church and that impacted me.
This is why it is so important, again to Fathers — that we make church a regular priority for our households.
I remember sitting, as a young child, in the worship service with my parents hearing our pastor preach.
And through that preaching, I heard the gospel message proclaimed multiple times.
And beyond preaching, our church had Awana, much like Heritage did at one time, and I heard the gospel presented many times as we participated in that discipleship program and as I memorized Scripture.
But hearing the gospel and recognizing the gospel and acknowledging the gospel did not mean that I believed the gospel.
Until one evening, when the gospel became more than a message that was preached TO me, but it became a message for ME.
I accepted it as what Jesus had done for ME.
I received the Gospel.
For all of us who believe, we have an experience of receiving the gospel — accepting it as good news for me.
And we don’t receive it again and again, but once we receive the gospel, we do something else — as evidence of our believing.
Look with me at verse 1 again —
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
If receiving the gospel is something that happens in the past, where we accept the good news as good news for me, then STANDING in the gospel is something that we do from that moment onward, even in the present.
The song we sang earlier, “There Is One Gospel,” captures this idea well — it says:
“There is one Gospel on which I stand
For all eternity
It is my story, my Father’s plan
The Son has rescued me.”
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BELIEVE?
It means that we have received the gospel.
It means that we stand in the gospel.
That is, we ARE standing in the gospel.
We “continue firmly,” we are “well established.” We remain [ BDAG ].
We are not easily moved!
This in no way means that that standing in the gospel is easy - it is not!
We will face many temptations, many trials, many tribulations — aimed at making us fall.
But God is able to make us stand (Rom 14:4).
And those who are standing now, are those who have received and believed the Gospel.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BELIEVE?
It means that we have received the gospel.
It means that we stand in the gospel.
These are both actions that we as believers take in response to our belief.
But this next action is not one that we take, but is one that is taken upon us.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
2 and by which you are being saved …
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BELIEVE?
It means that we have received the gospel.
It means that we stand in the gospel.
It means that we are being saved by the gospel.
This is an ongoing, present work of the gospel in our lives as believers.
It’s not just that we are standing in the gospel, but the gospel is working in us!
The Bible explains what “being saved” means — and this is sometimes called “progressive sanctification.”
It simply means, we are progressing in holiness, the longer we walk with the Lord.
We are growing in holiness, we are growing in the fear of the Lord, we are growing in the knowledge of Jesus, we are becoming more like Him, because God not only has saved us, but God is saving us, and God will save us!
If you want to know if someone truly believes the Gospel — there will be signs (as it is commonly said)!
That believer’s testimony will tell that they have received the gospel.
That believer’s presence and resolve, especially when their faith is tested, will tell that they stand in the gospel.
And then that believer’s growth in the gospel will be evident in a myriad of ways because the gospel is at work in them.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
Now this may make some of us uncomfortable — but you can take this up with the Lord. I’m just the messenger!
But if I’m a faithful messenger, I’m going to point out what the text says, even if it is uncomfortable.
So here it is — notice the conjunction “If.”
It is conditional.
We don’t like to think of our salvation with an “If” attached, or as conditional on anything that we do.
But here it is, in black and white, right here on the page.
And we are not going to scratch it out, skip over it, erase it, or try to explain it away.
There is a condition placed on believing the gospel — and this condition will separate those that believe with purpose, from those that believe in vain.
The Bible says —
2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
What does it mean to “hold fast” to the word?
The word is referring to the Gospel but it is also helping us to understand how we hold fast to the Gospel — by obeying God’s Word.
To hold fast means that we don’t let it go.
We don’t give up.
We keep the gospel in our memory.
We continue to believe it.
And we act in accordance with our belief. [ BDAG and LN ].
Otherwise, we believe in vain — that is, we believe to no purpose, or with no result.
The Bible says in 1 Jn 2:
18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.
Not everyone who believes, believes with purpose.
The Bible teaches here and in other places, like Matthew 7:21-23, that some people who believe, actually believe in vain.
So this is how we know that we BELIEVE the Gospel (and that we don’t believe in vain), and this is what Paul is writing to remind the Corinthians:
It means that we have received the gospel.
It means that we stand in the gospel.
It means that we are being saved by the gospel.
It means that we hold fast to the gospel.
If we are not holding fast to the word, then we are not being saved by the gospel.
If we are not being saved by the gospel, then we are not standing in the gospel.
And if we are not standing in the gospel, we can be sure that we have not received the gospel.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
This is the first movement, the Gospel we Believe.
And as I said before, if we truly believe the Gospel, we are more equipped to pass it on than we may realize, because our lives are affected in every way, past, present, and future, by that Gospel in which we stand.
So, believing the Gospel is much more than acknowledging a message, but it is living that message, because that message is living in us.
Some Christians really struggle with answering the question of whether they believe because they can’t point to a “spiritual birthday” — a specific date and time that they believed.
And so they figure, if they don’t have a moment they can point to where they believed, they must not be saved.
And while it is true that some people have a testimony like that, not everyone does.
I find Adrian Rogers is helpful on this — he points out that it doesn’t matter WHEN you believed.
In fact, the Bible nowhere tells us to discern whether we are saved by an experience or decision or moment in the past.
It doesn’t matter WHEN you believed, it matters IF you believe right now.
If you believe right now, it is evidence that you have believed.
And so that’s the question before us — as we are thinking about the Gospel we Believe —
Is not Did I believe the Gospel…but DO I believe the Gospel?
Do you believe the Gospel, right now?
And that raises a natural question — what is the gospel we believe?
… That we receive, stand in, are being saved by, and hold fast to?
Since Paul is writing to believers who already believe, he’s reminding them of what they already know by first pointing out the effect the Gospel has on them.
But he now he tells them what the gospel message is, in its simplest form.
This is the second movement of this text and sermon:
The Gospel we PASS ON.
The Gospel we PASS ON.
Let’s continue on to verses 3 and 4:
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
Remember the scenario we began this sermon with — where you have only a few moments to share the gospel with someone.
What will you include in that gospel presentation — for it to be the gospel?
What will you leave out?
In these two verses, the Bible gives us the simple, basic, and totally sufficient facts of the Gospel.
If you have this, and nothing else, you have everything you need in a gospel presentation.
The first point of the Gospel is Christ.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
The Gospel message, the good news, is about the person and work of Christ.
There is no Gospel without Jesus Christ.
And that seems obvious, but it needs to be said.
With each of these points of the gospel message, there are false gospels that attempt to undermine it.
There are Christ-less gospels that focus on self-improvement and well being, having nothing to do with Jesus and His cross.
The title “Christ” refers to the Messiah of the Old Testament, the Anointed One.
It is referring to Jesus, the Son of God, the Word became flesh.
There is no good news if God did not send His only Son into the world so that we will not perish, but have everlasting life!
When we pass on the Gospel - we must proclaim Christ.
But Christ coming into the world is not good news by itself.
The person of Christ alone is not the Gospel, but also includes His work for us.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
When we pass on the Gospel - we must proclaim sin and death.
Now this is what makes the Gospel good news!
For the Gospel to be good news, there must be bad news.
And the bad news is that WE have sinned.
Every one of us has sinned, and as a result of one of us deserves death.
That means we have disobeyed God.
We have broken God’s law.
We have lied, we have stolen, we have taken God’s name in vain, we have failed to honor our fathers and mothers, we have coveted what belongs to our neighbors, and so on.
And if we think that we have kept all the commandments, then consider - who of us have loved God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and have loved our neighbors as ourselves?
None of us are sinless.
But notice, none of these failings apply to Christ.
Christ did not die for HIS sins.
He was without sin.
But Christ died for OUR sins.
For every evil act, for every disobedience, for every offense that we have committed or will ever commit.
And this is why the gospel is not for the proud, who continue to justify themselves, but the gospel is for the humble, whose hearts are broken by the law of God and broken by our sin.
It is the gospel that heals the humble heart.
With His death, Jesus satisfied the justice of God, by bearing the punishment (the wrath of God) that we deserve and that our sin requires.
With these few words “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” — we can explain the entire doctrine of penal, substitutionary atonement.
It is because Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that we are made right with God through Him.
Our sins are washed away and no longer condemn us.
There is no Gospel message without speaking about Christ — and not just His death — but His death for OUR SINS.
Christ’s death was not a haphazard response, but what God’ s gracious plan and provision from the beginning, as told in the Scriptures.
The words “according to the scriptures” are words that tell us that this was God’s will.
The Gospel we pass on is that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried …
When we pass on the Gospel - we must include Christ’s burial and the grave.
Jesus did not only experience death, but Jesus also experienced the grave.
The finality of death.
There are false gospels that suggest Jesus did not actually die.
But the true Gospel includes Christ’s burial is an important part of the Gospel message because it confirms that he died.
His death was real.
But also, that Christ was buried shows what happens to our sins that Christ died for.
God put our sins as one pastor says, “in the grave of God’s forgetfulness” — God buries them with Christ— meaning He remembers them no more.
Our old self is buried with Christ.
And if Christ’s burial wasn’t part of the Gospel, then we would have to live with our old selves and our old nature forever.
But that’s not the case, because Christ was buried.
And for the believer, Christ’s burial reminds us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!
We are raised to walk in newness of life as new creations in Christ.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
The resurrection is really what 1 Corinthians is going to expound in the verses that follow.
But concerning the gospel, there can be no resurrection without first a death.
That Christ died, that Christ was buried - those happened in the past. They are not going to happen again.
Those were “once for all” activities.
But in the Greek language, "he was raised” is in the “perfect” tense.
Meaning, this is something that happened in the past, but continues on in the present.
Jesus is alive now in the present, and Jesus is alive forevermore (Bruce, 139)!
And this is why the Gospel is such good news!
When we pass on the Gospel - we must include Christ’s resurrection and victory over sin, death, and the grave!
And Jesus being raised and being alive today is why we are able to hold fast to the word and stand in the gospel.
Because it is Jesus who is alive, who is holding on to us, and who is making us stand!
Jesus being raised from the dead gives purpose to our lives and our faith as believers.
There are false gospels that deny a bodily resurrection of Jesus.
This is why Paul emphasizes how the risen Christ actually appeared to so many.
Because without the resurrection, there is no gospel.
Without the resurrection we have no faith.
Without the resurrection we have no victory in this life or the next.
When we pass on the Gospel:
We proclaim Christ.
We proclaim Christ’s death for our sins.
We proclaim Christ’s burial.
We proclaim Christ’s resurrection.
This is the Gospel that we receive, in which we stand, by which we are being saved, and that we hold fast to.
This is the Gospel that we believe and that changes our lives.
There is so much more that can be said, and the is said.
But for today, we have opportunity to remind ourselves of the gospel not only in our hearing, but also through the observance of the Lord’s Supper.
