1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11 / BLOG

There are so many things that can become entangled with the gospel. This is largely because the message contained within it is an open call and doorway for all to enter into God’s blessings through Christ’s sacrifice. But many things come into it that don’t belong. John reveals to us that things will one day be expunged from our faith, & Paul admonishes us to begin the process now because there will be an element of shame attached to it. How we interact in the church is also indicative of what we’ve brought into it. Is our faith a self-help gospel? Then perhaps we’re still holding on to feelings of inadequacy. Is it an exclusionary gospel? Then perhaps we’ve brought into our faith our youthful biases? Is our gospel inward-oriented, hoping to keep bad things out, or does it seek to bring others in, relying on God to discern what should stay and what will go? Paul cuts to the quick. He restates the simple truths. The gospel is the free promise of our resurrection & reconciliation with God, through the fact of Jesus’. When we add other things or try to manufacture additional “necessary elements,” we damage its power and its primary function. This is often the source of our conflicts and disunity.