One Gospel

By Will Buschmann, Youth Pastor at Rio Vista Community Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”—1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (ESV)

The letter we call 1 Corinthians was written by the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. This is a city of believers who knew the story of the gospel, who knew the life-changing power of this good news, and who truly believed it. Paul wrote them this letter though, because word had reached him that the Corinthians were not living in a manner that reflected the truth of the gospel; their walk didn’t match their talk. 

So, what was happening? Well, it seems different ideas from the culture of their time had started to creep into their beliefs. These believers were interpreting the gospel and the Word of God through the lens of their culture. They were divided, they were stuck in sexual sin, they were suing each other, they were confused about food sacrificed to idols, and the list goes on and on. 

Paul knew what they needed, though: The believers at Corinth needed to be brought back to the one gospel that they were given and believed in originally. He reminded them what that one gospel was and what it rests on. 

This is the one gospel: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, left heaven and came to earth. He lived a perfect life, was arrested, and charged with a crime He did not commit. He was sacrificed on a cross in His perfection, but on the third day He rose from the dead, just like the Scriptures said He would. Jesus did all of this for broken sinners like you and me. Because we were powerless to save ourselves from sin and death, because we were hopeless and helpless in our sinfulness . . . because God loves us so much that He purposed to make a way for us to be made with Him, redeemed, adopted, and accepted. And just like the Corinthians 2,000 years ago needed to be reminded of this gospel in the face of a culture that sought to divide them and lead them away from the truth of God, we need to be reminded of it every single day as well. Because left to ourselves, we will add to the gospel and seek to interpret it through the lens of our culture and our experiences and our presuppositions—assumptions we come in with.

What are some of the things you’ve found yourself adding to the gospel? Maybe, it’s this idea that Jesus can’t love you until you’re perfect. So, you need to clean yourself up and then come to Him. Maybe it’s the opposite . . . Maybe you believe that Jesus is the Savior and you’ve accepted Him into your heart, but nothing has changed in your life. Your life looks the exact same as it did before, you do the same things you did before you believed. Or maybe you’ve allowed the narratives of politics, the media, influencers, or post-Christian philosophy warp the way you view the world and the gospel message.

Today, focus simply and fully on what Paul said. Return to the gospel that the Scriptures give us. That you are so loved by God that He sent His Son to die a death that you deserved. On that day thousands of years ago, your sins were crucified with Him. In light of this, you are made clean based not on what you’ve done, but on what He has done! Sit in that for a minute today, knowing you are a deeply and fully loved child of God today and every day!