We Need It and We Have It
Now I would remind you 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.* (1Cor 15:1-2)
Perhaps you were young, or not-so young. Perhaps you were very confused about your life and with no sense of God. Or you’d been raised religious. Or somewhere in between.
But then, by God’s grace, you heard things said about Jesus that clicked into a place in your heart that needed exactly that message.
And if these things about Jesus were true—if He really is God, if He really is like the Bible says He is, if He really did die for your sins because He loves you, if He really did rise from the dead to give us hope—then this changes everything. Shame, washed away. Guilt, expunged. Despair, swallowed up. Every broken thing, redeemable. And so much hope.
By God’s grace, you hear and you believe. You say in your soul, Okay. Yes. I do believe that these things are true. I need them. I will trust in Jesus, in what He’s done, in what He says. I will entrust to Him all I’ve done, all my life, all my hope.
Then, having put your faith in Jesus, the Bible says that you are saved. You are made right with God, your sins forgiven. You are His; He is yours. Welcome home. Forever.
Now what?
What do I do with these truths about Jesus? I have believed the Gospel message. I do believe the Gospel. But what is my relationship with the Gospel supposed to be like today?
Paul writes 1Corinthians 15:1-2 to remind us that the Gospel continues to apply to every believer, every day. How we interact with these truths will shape our spiritual growth.
Throughout history, the believer’s spiritual journey has been compared to a walk through sometimes treacherous woods—from John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and back to Psalm 119:105, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” That is, we daily come upon obstacles, pitfalls, turnabouts. We regularly wonder if we’re lost, which way to go, and whether it’s worth trying to continue.
The Spirit reminds us in 1Corinthians 15:1-2 that what we need for all those situations is contained within the truths of the Gospel. Those same truths that had once upon a time burst into our hearts like light and life and hope—well, who doesn’t still need those pretty much every day?
Paul says, “Friend, and you have them. Remember to use them.”
Don’t start relying on money, class, possessions, education, skills, personality, experiences, connections, grief, loss, shame, failures, to tell you who you are, where you are, or what to do next.
And if you do lose your way… that does happen. Don’t be afraid. Don’t get upset. You have what you need to recover, to keep going, to continue growing. You have the Gospel.
Remember: we have the Gospel. Remember: we need the Gospel.
What truth about Jesus most recently quieted your unsettled spirit, or turned you back onto the path, or filled you with gratitude and hope?
What’s going on in your life that’s extra challenging? What are some truths about Jesus and what He’s done that might be relevant for you and those situations?
Through these truths, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus meets us, walks with us, helps us. Lean on Jesus; lean into these truths.
It's good to remember. These truths make a difference.
These truths make a difference. It’s good to remember.
Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash