1 Corinthians 15:1

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received and wherein you stand, by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. He was seen of Peter, and then of the twelve. After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some have fallen asleep or died. After that, He was seen of James, and then of all the apostles. And last of all, He was seen of me also, as one born out of due time.

Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for the surety of our faith, Lord, the surety of our salvation, because You are alive and have raised from the dead. Lord, we thank You that what we just sang is true based on Your resurrection, that we will be with You eternally in Your presence, worshiping You, and we look forward to that.

So, Father, now as we look to Your Word, we pray that You would kindle within us that expectation, looking forward to the day when we'll see You face to face. At the same time, Lord, help us recognize the calling wherewith we've been called, and that we would walk worthy as Your people, shining Your light in a dark world. Lord, give us insight to this passage, transform our minds, and renew us. We pray and ask in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

The word "moreover" that opens chapter 15 is the beginning of a new section in 1 Corinthians. It is not a continuation of what Paul has been speaking about regarding spiritual gifts, but rather it brings us into something new. The word could also be translated as "and now."

He says, "And now, brethren." It is important to recognize that Paul calls them "brethren" and notes in these first two verses that they have been saved, having received the gospel and continuing to stand in the gospel. They are saved. However, after calling them "brethren" and acknowledging their salvation, he states, "I declare unto you the gospel." This should remind us, or at least instruct us, that even once saved, it is important for us to remain in the gospel, to continue steadfastly in it, and to routinely consider and be reminded of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul emphasizes, "I declare unto you the gospel that I preach." They are saved, they are standing in the gospel, and yet he insists on declaring it to them once again. The word "declare," in the Greek, means to make known or to bring to a thorough knowledge of. What is implied if Paul says to them, "I'm going to bring you into a thorough knowledge of the gospel"? Clearly, it implies that they did not fully comprehend or understand the gospel in some sense. This is evidenced by the fact that the church at Corinth had all kinds of major problems and issues, much like the churches of our day.

There is no perfect church. If you come here thinking you have found a perfect church, well, you have ruined it. We are not a perfect church. None of us are. Why? Because none of us are perfect people. We are so thankful that the Lord has redeemed us, as imperfect as we are, and continues to sanctify us. However, we should at least acknowledge our imperfection. If you have a hard time acknowledging your imperfection, your spouse, if you are sitting next to them today, will be very good at pointing it out to you, which is not a bad thing; it is just hard for us to take. But we are imperfect. Yet, he says, "You are brethren." I want to bring you into a more thorough knowledge of the gospel.

And so they had all kinds of problems and issues. Paul, in First Corinthians chapter 15, addresses an issue regarding the resurrection. The church at Corinth, in some way, did not fully comprehend the implications of the resurrection if Jesus was raised from the dead. Chapter 15 ultimately answers the question: What does the resurrection of Christ mean for us? If Christ is raised from the dead, then what follows from that?

He also examines it from the negative perspective. If Christ is not raised, what does that mean? The implications are significant because, if Christ is not raised, then none of this is true. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the hinge upon which the gospel hangs. Therefore, we must recognize the importance of this chapter. This chapter, probably more than any other in this letter, can stand on its own.

Paul states that he wants to declare the gospel and make it very clear. This is extremely helpful because there is a lack of clarity. Even today, 2,000 years later, there is a lack of clarity concerning the gospel. Many people put forth different ideas about what the gospel means. What is it really about? As we go through this, we will see that it is very clearly about Jesus. Jesus is the gospel; He is the good news. The gospel is not just a story about what Jesus came and did for our salvation; He is the good news. He is the gospel.

When we are gospelling, when we are declaring the good news, we are sharing Jesus. This is vital because, often, especially in the modern evangelical movement, when we want to share our faith, we tend to personalize it. We talk quite a bit more about our personal story, our testimony, and our experience. While all of that is good and, in some ways, validates the truth of the gospel, the gospel stands alone apart from our personal story.

If you have talked with people in our culture, you know that everyone has a personal story. In this relativistic sphere in which we live, everyone’s personal story is considered equally valid. However, there is a problem with that because there can only be one truth.

While our personal stories are good, we all must come to the point where we are very clearly presenting the story of Jesus to non-believers. That's what we're called to do. We are called to declare the gospel, not just those who stand before the body of Christ week after week, like myself. Not just those who are called, like Paul, an apostle, or one who has sinned. The entire body of Christ, all disciples of Christ, are given this task: preaching the good news about Jesus and who He is.

In Mark chapter 16, verse 16, Jesus tells His disciples, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creatures." He is talking to disciples, and I am assuming, perhaps wrongly, that most of you here today are disciples of Christ. You are followers of Christ, and therefore, we are all gospel preachers. The gospel, Paul says, which I preach.

In our next study of 1 Corinthians 15, we will consider the content of the gospel that Paul preached in more depth. We are not going to get very far today; only two verses. There are 58 verses here, so we could be here for a very long time. But we should note at this point that Paul's focus was the preaching of the gospel.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 17, he made this very clear. He said, "Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel." He recognized that his apostleship was one of being sent to preach. More than any other thing, Paul identified himself as a preacher of Jesus, a preacher of the gospel. Some may argue that he identifies himself more as an apostle, but his apostleship—derived from the Greek word "apostolos," meaning one who is sent—was for the purpose of preaching the gospel. He states, "I didn't come to baptize; I came to preach."

Not just in 1 Corinthians, but in some of his other letters to Timothy, Paul emphasizes this. In 1 Timothy chapter 2, verse 6, he writes, "Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all." This speaks about what Jesus did in the gospel. He gave Himself as a ransom for all to be testified in due time, for which I am ordained a preacher. Jesus came and died, and that is to be professed to all, and I have been set apart and called.

To this task, to preach, says Paul. Again, in 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 10, it says very much the same thing. Jesus is manifested; He appears. He is the Savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. In verse 11 of 2 Timothy chapter 1, Paul states, "Whereunto I am appointed a preacher." Paul was called to be a follower of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, called to be a disciple, and then he was appointed to the task of preaching. We have that same appointment because we have been commissioned by the Lord to go into all the world and preach the gospel.

In the book of Ephesians, Paul says in chapter 3, verse 7, "Whereof I was made a minister according to the gift of grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power." He continues, "Unto me, who am the least, or less than the least, of all the saints, is this grace given that I should preach." He emphasizes that he has been saved by grace through faith so that he would preach and declare the gospel.

Paul was converted, as you may know if you've been following along with us in the New Testament. In Acts chapter 9, Paul was converted on the road to Damascus when he was a Jewish Pharisee. He was on his way to persecute believers in Jesus Christ when the risen Lord appeared to him and spoke to him. As Paul encountered this blinding light of the Lord on the road to Damascus, he was blinded and taken into the city, unable to see. For the next three days, he was working out everything he thought he knew about God.

On the third day, while still blind and with scales upon his eyes, God spoke to another disciple of Christ in the city. He instructed Ananias to go to Saul and pray for him. Ananias objected, saying he had heard of Saul and knew he was a persecutor of believers. God responded to him in Acts chapter 9, verse 15, saying, "Go your way, for Saul is a chosen vessel unto me." What was Saul chosen for? To bear God's name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. Saul was a chosen vessel to carry God's name, and I would say that we are that as well. This is why, when we are saved, when we put our faith in Christ Jesus for salvation, He...

Doesn't immediately take us home like sometimes we would like. Maybe we pray the sinner's prayer, we receive Christ Jesus as Lord, and we say, "I'm ready to go." He says, "No, you're not, because I have chosen you to bear my name."

So, Paul was ordained to preach. We see that clearly in 1 Corinthians, 2 Timothy, and Ephesians. He therefore prepared himself to be ready to preach. In Romans chapter 1, verse 15, he says, "I am ready to preach the gospel unto you." He labored to preach; Romans chapter 15, verse 20 makes it very clear that he worked to bring the gospel to those who had not received it. He felt compelled to preach, and he took no earthly reward for his preaching, as stated in 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verses 16 through 18.

Now, this word "preach" in Galitzo in the Greek means to bring, to announce, to proclaim good news. The gospel is good news, and we are preaching that good news. We are heralding it; we are declaring it. Else, how shall they hear without a preacher? Romans chapter 10 says this is of the utmost importance—the carrying of the name of Jesus Christ, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby men must be saved.

We are those who will carry the name of Christ to this world and share the gospel. The gospel is not a what; it is a who. It is Jesus. Paul says to the Corinthians, "I’m going to declare unto you this gospel once again so that you would thoroughly grasp it." It is not just for salvation, but throughout our lives, we constantly need to return to the truth of the gospel.

Paul declared it to them previously; he preached it unto them, and they received it, which also they received, as Paul says. First and foremost, Paul was a preacher, and he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the people at Corinth received it.

In Galatians chapter 1, verses 11 and 12, Paul tells us that the gospel he preached he received from the Lord. He was not instructed about the gospel by men; he was not taught it by men, but he received it from the Lord. Now, having received it from the Lord, he declares it to others, and those he declares it to, they received it—at least there in Corinth, they did.

We know that not all do. In fact, there are many who reject the gospel. There may even be some here today who, up to this point, have rejected the gospel. However, we must receive it if we are to be saved, as Paul is going to talk about in a moment.

The word "receive" means to take to oneself or to join to oneself, to incorporate it into your life so that it becomes a part of you and essentially becomes who you are all about. Paul commended the church at Thessalonica for their reception of the gospel. In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, he says, "For this cause also we thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God, which effectively works in us that believe." So, God's gospel effectively works in those who receive it.

The church at Corinth received it, and the church at Galatia received it as well. Yet, there was a problem with the church at Galatia. As we see in Galatians 1, Paul says to the church at Corinth, "You received the gospel and wherein you stand," but the church at Galatia received it and was having a problem in this area of standing firm in it.

Not only do we need to receive the gospel, but we also need to continue in the gospel, unmoved from it. Paul says to the Corinthians that they have done that, but to the Galatians, he expresses concern. In Galatians 1:6, you can sense the sadness in Paul as he addresses the church, one of the first churches he planted in the region of Galatia. He says, "I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel." He is absolutely startled that they have so quickly moved away from the gospel to another good news, which he goes on to say isn't even really good news.

They have shifted; they have been moved. They have not stood firm. Why is steadfastness in the gospel important? Why is it crucial that someone remains steadfast in their holding?

Of the gospel, I would answer this by saying that genuine saving faith is revealed by a continuance in the gospel. In 1st John, chapter 2, let me read to you from verse 19. You may want to note it in your notes or turn there to make sure it's still there.

1st John 2:19 states, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." There are a lot of things going on in that verse, but I think it reveals this truth: genuine saving faith is revealed by a continuance in the gospel.

I believe that 1st John 2:19 is best explained by illustration. If I gave you a ticket or told you that I had purchased a ticket for you for the Charger game next Thursday against the 49ers, and then next Thursday, I go to the stadium because I also have a ticket, I would see you standing in line to buy a ticket. You are not at will call; you are standing in line to buy a ticket.

I would approach you and ask, "Why are you standing in line to buy a ticket? I secured a ticket for you; it's at will call under your name, and it's for you." You might respond, "Well, I didn't know for sure if you would actually do that, so I'm just going to buy a ticket just to be safe, so that I can make sure I can get in."

What would I know? I would know that you didn't trust that what I said I did, I really did. It would be manifestly clear to me that you did not trust; you had not put your whole confidence in what I had said I had done, in my promise.

In the same way, if you put your trust in Jesus for salvation and then turn to the works of the law, like the Galatians, or return to the sacrificial system, like those to whom the author of the book of Hebrews writes, in an attempt to secure more firmly the foundation of your salvation, then you have not fully put your confidence in Christ for salvation. You have not stood steadfast in Him and in the gospel.

However, Paul commends the church at Corinth, saying, "I preached unto..."

You received it, and you continue to stand there. Then he says in verse two, "By which also you are saved." There are two very important truths in these six words. First, the gospel received and held on to is that which brings salvation. Therefore, the gospel is powerful.

Paul says this in Romans chapter 1, verse 16: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'" So, the gospel is powerful; it is powerful to save. It is not the strength of our determination in our faith; it is the strength of the gospel. As long as the gospel is strong, we may lay hold on it with very little faith. The Lord increases our faith as we follow along with Him, for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. But the gospel is powerful; the gospel is strong.

Secondly, Paul says, "You are saved." This is a simple statement of fact. That fact is in the indicative mood in Greek, and the indicative in Greek is the same as the indicative in English. It indicates a fact; it is saying you are positionally saved. This is an awesome truth because no other faith, no other worldview, no other religion in all the world guarantees such assurance. But in Christ, because of the strength of the gospel, the strength of what Jesus has done, and the strength of who Jesus is, we can have absolute assurance of eternal salvation with Him. No other faith has this.

This is why you will see people come to your door on a Saturday morning with a magazine from the Watchtower Society. They want to share with you about what they believe. I have asked some of them, not just them but also the elders from the Latter-day Saints, when they've come to my door: "Are you coming to my door because of your genuine concern for my lostness and because you love me and want me to know the gospel, or are you coming to my door because..."

You're concerned about your lostness and you're not sure that you're really going to get to heaven. In reality, you're actually here for a selfish motive. Now, that stops them; they generally don't really like the reality of that. But if they're honest, they'll have to confess that at the end of the day, they're there because of their lack of assurance and not because of genuine concern for your lostness.

The Christian, the one who has put their faith and confidence in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross for their salvation, justification, and entrance into the kingdom of God, shares their faith. They evangelize; they preach the gospel because of their genuine concern for the lostness of man and their love for all humanity. That should be the motivation. Yes, the glory of God is there, but we're preaching out of a genuine concern for the lostness of man.

So, we can know that we are saved. The question then is, what does it mean to be saved? As we consider the idea of salvation or being saved, we find that the New Testament talks a lot about it. The tense of the word in the language is extremely important, and along with its importance, it can be somewhat confusing as you read the New Testament.

As you read through the New Testament, you'll see that the Greek word "sozo," which is translated as "saved," is used at times in the past tense, in the present tense, and in the future tense. You can be reading a writing to believers where you read, "You are saved," like we see here in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Or you can jump over to another passage, like Romans chapter 5, where it says, "You are being saved." You might think, "Well, wait a minute, I thought I was saved, but now I'm being saved."

Then you look at another passage, like what Peter writes when he says, "You shall be saved." You may wonder, "What's the deal here? Do I have assurance or don't I have assurance? Do I know for certain that I am saved, or am I in a process of being saved? Is it that someday I might actually achieve it?" Well, again, the tense is important, and salvation is seen in these three tenses in the New Testament.

First, it is seen in the past tense, as it is here in 1st Corinthians chapter 15, where Paul says, "You are saved." It's in the present indicative tense; it speaks of something that is true right now. You have been saved in the past; therefore, you are now saved. This is what we call justification, a theological term that speaks about us being positionally saved. It deals with the punishment for our sin.

Now, I think it is important at this point to step back for a moment and consider what exactly sin is. I asked the question at the Bible college this last week: What is sin? The first answer that came back was, "Sin is missing the mark." That is a great definition of the English word "sin." Sin is missing the mark, and that came from an archery game that was played in the Middle Ages, wherein they would have a target. If you missed the mark on the target, you were called a sinner. But that's just explaining the English idea of what sin is. What is the biblical definition of sin?

I think the most clear definition given in the Scriptures is provided by John in 1st John chapter 3, where he says in verse 4, "Whosoever commits sin transgresses against the law, for sin is transgression of the law." In the New King James Version, he says, "Sin is lawlessness." So we can easily define sin as lawlessness—lawlessness against whose law? God's law. He is the great lawgiver. Therefore, sin is breaking God's law.

God, who is holy, just, and righteous, must, in accordance with His character, judge and punish sin. He is bound by His perfect character to judge and punish sin. This is a very serious reality, isn't it? The recognition that, as Paul says in Romans, all have sinned. We all have broken God's law. We all are lacking where God's glory is concerned; we've come short of the glory of God. Therefore, we are in very serious danger because God, who is righteous, will judge sin.

Although we are going to consider more fully in our next study in 1st Corinthians how this justification was accomplished, we can't help but quickly consider what took place so that we can be right before a holy God.

In 1 Corinthians 15:3, the very next verse states, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." Would you lean over and circle "for our sins" in your neighbor's Bible? I'm sure they'll let you. Christ died for our sins; therefore, we can be with certainty saved. Justification is that finished work whereby our sin is dealt with, and we are declared righteous. We are declared right before a holy God because Jesus bore our punishment on the cross. As a result, we are as if we had never sinned. Our slate is wiped clean; our sins are completely removed, as far as the East is from the West.

This was foretold and looked forward to in the Old Testament. Jeremiah speaks about it in Jeremiah 31:33 and chapter 50. Isaiah also addresses it in Isaiah 43 and 44, discussing the fact that God will remember our sins no longer and will forgive our iniquity. The Old Testament looked forward to the fact of justification, while the New Testament reveals justification in Christ Jesus.

Not only is salvation seen in the past tense—"you are saved"—but it is also seen in the present tense as a work being accomplished in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 1:18, we see that "the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are being saved, it is the power of God." So, are we saved or are we being saved? Yes.

When we look at this in the present tense in the sense of being saved, we are speaking of sanctification, another theological term. In sanctification, God is saving us from the prevailing power of sin. Justification saves us from the punishment of sin, while sanctification continues the work of salvation in our lives.

Jesus saves us from the prevailing power of sin in our lives. The same work that accomplished our justification also accomplishes our sanctification. In Hebrews chapter 13, verse 12, the author of the book of Hebrews states, "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the city, outside the gate."

Jesus's death on the cross takes care of the punishment for our sin. In Christ, He is punished for us. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might receive His righteousness. We are declared righteous; we are justified. However, the work that Jesus did on the cross is also sufficient to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He is dealing with the power of sin in our lives.

I'm sure you've noticed that since you were saved, you still sin. Any takers on that one? Yes, it's me. We see salvation in the past tense, but the Scriptures also speak in the present tense and the future about salvation. In Romans chapter 5, verse 8, God demonstrates His love towards us, that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.

What does His death accomplish? It accomplishes our justification, dealing with the punishment of sin. It also accomplishes our sanctification, dealing with the power of sin in our lives. What else does it accomplish? In Romans chapter 5, verse 9, it states, "Much more than being justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath through Him."

What wrath? God, who is holy, will execute judgment and righteous indignation upon all unrighteousness. Romans chapter 1 and many other passages clearly show this to us. The wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness, as Paul states in Romans chapter 1, verse 18. The righteous wrath of God will be poured out upon a Christ-rejecting and sinful world—a world that has been in lawless rebellion against the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the great lawgiver.

Yet, God says that in Christ we can be justified, that is, declared righteous, so that we shall also be saved, which means glorified.

From the presence of sin eternally in Christ, I am sure that there is not a single person here today among those who have put their faith in Christ Jesus who is not looking forward to glorification. With each passing day, that anticipation should grow even more.

In Romans chapter 8, verse 23, speaking about this world breaking down, Paul says that we are waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our bodies. We are looking forward to that resurrection; we are looking forward to that glorification. This last week, I have been looking forward to it all the more since two weeks ago when I decided to try P90X and injured my back. Now, all the more, I think, "Wow, glorification is looking good!"

First Corinthians 15 tells us that this corruption will put on incorruption, and this mortality will put on immortality. How exactly will it work out? What exactly does it look like? Paul tries to explain it in terms that we will understand, but it is still, in some ways, a mystery to us. When we see Him, Jesus, we will be like Him, and we will be transformed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.

We are looking forward to this. Peter says in First Peter 1:9 that we are looking forward to receiving the end of our faith, the goal of our faith, even the salvation of our souls. We are looking forward to that, but we are yet to be saved in that sense; we shall be saved.

Salvation, the Greek word "sozo," is found in the past, present, and future tenses in the New Testament. It speaks of the fact that we have been saved in Christ from the punishment of sin, are being saved from the power of sin in our lives, and shall be saved from the presence of sin. Oh, we look forward to that day! Because of the power of who Jesus is, we can be certain that this will come to pass.

Yet, there is this very difficult thing that Paul says in the very next statement in First Corinthians 15, verse 2: "by which you are saved, if..." "If" is a conditional word, and it is one of those words that causes us great pause when we come to it in a section such as this. So lean over and highlight it in your neighbor's Bible. Wait a minute! I thought I could have absolute certainty. What do you mean, "if"? If you keep in...

Memory is that which I preached unto you. We don't typically like conditional statements like that, do we? We like assurance; we like certainty. We don't like the condition, "if you keep in memory what I preached to you."

You and I are saved by the power of the gospel, not by any work that we have done. Ephesians chapter 2, verses 8 and 9 tell us very clearly that we could not earn our salvation. It is by grace through faith, not of ourselves, lest anyone should boast. Salvation is a free gift of God's grace; He extends it graciously to us. We lay hold of it by just trust and faith. God has done all the work for salvation, and yet Paul indicates that there is some responsibility on our part to hold fast to the simplicity that is in Christ.

There will be some who say, "Well, see right there, it's a work. It's works-based. You're telling me that I can have absolute certainty that I will be with the Lord eternally because of what He did, but then you say I have to do something. That doesn't sound like grace." So, clearly, we should try to understand what Paul is saying when he says, "if we keep in memory what he preached."

You could take that word "memory" right out of there and just read it as "if you keep what I preached." This exact word in this exact form is found in two other places in Hebrews that are incredibly important and I think give us the full understanding of what Paul is saying here.

So, turn in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 3. If Ephesians 2 is correct and salvation is not of works, then this cannot contradict that. So, what is Paul saying? In Hebrews chapter 3, the word "keep" in 1 Corinthians 15:2 can also be translated as "hold fast to," and the idea in the word is that if you are on a boat in the middle of a great storm and you're taking on water, you need to get rid of all the cargo.

So that you sit a little higher in the water, you don't take on any more water. Yet, there's something of such great value on board that you take it and say, "I'm holding fast to this. Everything else can go, but we're going to hold fast to this. We're going to bind it to the mast, and we're not going to let this go, or else we're all lost."

Hebrews chapter 3, verse 13 states, "But exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end." While it is said, "Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation."

The idea here is that we need to maintain our faith in Him alone. We need to keep our faith on Him alone and let it not shift to any other thing. Our faith in Him, what He did, and who He is, is sufficient for our salvation. We cannot let our faith slide to anything else because nothing else is sufficient. He is the only way.

Now, why would the author of the book of Hebrews be saying this to the Hebrew Christians? This was a group of people who had come to believe in Jesus Christ. They had laid hold on Him, believing that what He did on the cross is sufficient for their salvation. Yet, they still sinned. Can anybody identify with that? I should see more hands. We all still sin. We put our faith in Jesus Christ for our justification, and then we find that we still sin.

These Hebrew Christians put their faith in Christ, but they still sinned. They felt a conscious recognition that they had to do something about their continued sin. So, what did they do? They returned to sacrifice. What they were basically saying is that what Jesus did is not sufficient; they needed something more. They were holding on to Him, but their faith was lacking. They said, "He's good, but I need this as well."

Hebrews chapter 10, verse 23, speaks to Hebrew Christians. It says, "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering." What is the profession of our faith? It is Jesus—what He did and who He is, sufficient for my salvation. We must keep that without being tossed to and fro in the midst of this great storm. We need to hold on to that because He is faithful who promised. His promises are steadfast; His promises are sure. He is the faithful one, and we are just going to hold on to Him.

Let us consider one another, just like we saw in chapter 3, to stir one another up, to provoke one another to love and good works. We should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhort one another. This is especially important as we see the day approaching—the day of our glorification, the day when our salvation is fulfilled: justification, sanctification, glorification. Keep holding on to Him alone.

In verse 26, it states, "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth," the truth that He is sufficient, "there remains no sacrifice for sin." So, what is being said here? You've laid hold of Christ, and yet you still sin. There is the temptation to say, "Yes, clearly He has dealt with my punishment for sin, but there is still a problem: the power of sin. I have to deal with this on my own." This implies that what He did is not sufficient for my whole salvation.

The author of the book of Hebrews says, "No, that's not the case. Jesus paid it all; all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow." Isaiah says to sinful Judah in his day, "Come, let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." This looks forward to what we now have in Christ.

Paul's next statement in 1 Corinthians 15 makes abundantly clear what he means by this condition.

The last statement of verse 2 emphasizes that you are saved by your reception of the gospel, keeping Jesus as the central focus. You are saved if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. The Galatian churches that Paul and Barnabas planted, to which Paul wrote his first letter, had moved away from the simplicity that is in Christ. Paul was concerned, and his letter of concern was written to them. In his letter, he expresses his fear that he has bestowed labor in vain. He labored to bring the gospel to them, even risking his own life.

When Paul was in Galatia, in the region of Lystra, they sought to kill him. They took him outside the city and stoned him, nearly to death; they thought he was dead. He says, "I risked my life to bring you the gospel, and now you've departed from the simplicity that is in Christ." He wonders if he did all that for nothing and expresses his fear that he has labored in vain.

On the other hand, the Corinthians were standing steadfastly in the gospel, which brought them to salvation, unless, Paul says, your belief is in vain. So, what does it mean to have belief that is vain or empty? I can think of at least two possibilities.

The first possibility is that your personal faith is lacking. Some faith is vain in that it does not go far enough in confident trust. What do I mean by this? Well, there are some who say, "I believe in Jesus." When you probe a little deeper and ask, "What do you mean by that?" they might respond, "I believe that Jesus was a good man." A lot of people believe he was a good man. Others might say, "I believe that Jesus was a good teacher." Many would agree with that. Some might even say, "I believe he's a prophet" or "I believe he's a miracle worker."

However, when you ask, "Do you believe that he was dead, buried, and rose again, and that he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God?" the response may be uncertain. This belief is of extreme importance. In Matthew chapter 16, Jesus said in verse 16, "Upon that I will build..."

My church reflects on what Peter said just before that: "Jesus, you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Jesus responded, "Peter, you didn't come up with that on your own. Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven has revealed that I am the Christ, the anointed Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament, and I am the Son of God. Upon this, I will build my church."

I challenge you to do a study on that statement throughout the New Testament. You will find that it identifies Christians with the confident assurance that Jesus is the foretold Messiah of the Old Testament and that He is the Son of God.

In Acts chapter 8, perhaps the first Gentile convert of the New Evangelical movement of the church in the first century was the Ethiopian eunuch, not Cornelius and his household. Philip is sent by the Lord to meet up with this Ethiopian eunuch, who is reading from the scroll of Isaiah. He doesn't understand what he is reading, although he is reading Isaiah 53. Philip asks him, "Do you understand what you're reading?" The eunuch replies, "No, I don't understand what I'm reading. How shall I understand unless someone explains it to me?"

So, Philip gets up in there and begins to preach Christ. As they are going, they pass a body of water, and the Ethiopian eunuch says to him, "What keeps me from being baptized?" Philip responds, "Nothing, if you believe." The Ethiopian eunuch then states in verse 37, "I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ." They stop the chariot, get down into the water, and the Ethiopian is baptized.

I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. A vain faith is a faith that doesn't go that far. A faith in vain is one that places confidence only partially in the finished work of Jesus Christ and seeks assurance of salvation from other means. For example, people might say, "Yeah, I believe in Jesus," and then they go to a church that says, "It's great you believe in Jesus, but you need to be baptized in our church to be saved."

They add more conditions to it. Others might say, "Yeah, I believe in Jesus, but my church attendance is important because that gets me my salvation. My tithe records are important. My baptism or the keeping of the other sacraments is important." There is a very real possibility that someone would put their faith in Christ and then feel a necessity, like those in the book of Hebrews, to go back to those conditions.

Back to some other means to secure their foundational faith and ensure their salvation, people may say, "I know you bought the ticket for me. I know it's at will call, but I just have to make sure that I actually have a ticket." A faith that is vain can be someone whose personal faith is lacking, or it can be a faith in a gospel that is not true. Therefore, the good news would not be good news if the veracity of the good news is lacking.

Look at First Corinthians, chapter 15, verse 14. Paul speaks to this very fact: "If Christ be not risen, then our preaching is vain, and your faith is also empty." It's vain. Look at verse 17: "If Christ be not raised." You see, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is extremely important. Your faith is vain or empty; you are still in your sins. Our faith would be empty faith if the good news about the death, burial, and especially the resurrection of Jesus Christ turned out to be false. Paul says if that's the case, then we are of all men most miserable.

But then he goes on to explain in verses 5 through 8 of chapter 15 that the gospel is not false. I will demonstrate its truth and veracity by this: Look at verse 5 with me. Jesus rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and the risen Lord was seen by eyewitnesses—by Peter, then of the twelve. After that, he was seen by over 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this day, but some are dead.

Paul says, "Listen, this only happened 15 years ago. Jesus raised from the dead. If you want to prove the truth of it, just go ask the eyewitnesses." Over 500 eyewitnesses saw the risen Lord. Not just those 500 eyewitnesses, but also James, the brother of Jesus, and the rest of the Apostles. Last of all, Paul says, "I saw him." Paul, who was formerly a Pharisee and a persecutor of those who followed the way, was in Jerusalem most likely when Jesus was crucified and laid in the tomb dead. Jesus was not laid in the tomb only mostly dead; he was truly dead.

Miracle Max, can you believe it? He came to, and then he was able to break free of the grave clothes. He opened the stone door and fought off the Roman soldiers outside. He conquered death. Some assert foolishly that he was dead. Paul was in the city at the time that he was dead and buried. Then, on the road to Damascus, to persecute those who were following him, claiming that Jesus had been raised from the dead, Paul had an encounter with the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you think his mind was shaken a little bit at that moment? "Wait, what? Who are you?" "I am Jesus, whom you persecute." Speechless, he saw the risen Lord. He says you can prove the truthfulness of this if you like. He mentions that there are still people alive today who witnessed these events. This was 2,000 years ago, but even in our day, those who have sought to defeat the truth claims of the Bible have been struck by the evidence that supports the death, burial, and resurrection of one Jesus of Nazareth.

If he is alive, what are the implications of that? He is who he said he is: the Son of God, the way, the truth, and the life. If that is the case, we can be certain of our eternal salvation, and we can boldly proclaim to a lost and dying world that there is no other way. Amen.

Let us stand and pray. Father, I thank you that you have not left yourself without witness. You have revealed yourself to us, and Lord, I ask that you would continue to do so as we consider your word and draw near to you in worship. Help us to stand strong in our absolute confidence in the work that you did, Jesus, on the cross, and that by that work, you have saved us and brought us into your kingdom. We thank you for the salvation that we have in you.

Now, I recognize that here in...

This room today is filled with as many people gathered as there are. There are some who cannot thank the Lord for their salvation because you have had a faith that is vain. You have not fully put your faith, your confident trust, in the finished work of Jesus for your salvation. Trying some other way to save yourself will not work, and you know who you are right now because the Spirit of God is convicting you.

For many of you, the Spirit of God is encouraging you in your steadfast faith. For some of you, God is convicting you at this very moment that your faith is lacking. God desires that none would perish and that everyone would come to repentance and to a true knowledge of Jesus Christ.

I'm not one to do altar calls, so I'm not going to call you to come up here. But right now, between you and the Lord, you know if He is speaking to your heart. You need to repent and put your full trust in Christ for your salvation. He alone can save you; there is no other name given among men whereby men must be saved.

In the stillness of your own heart, you can call out to God right now and ask Him, "Lord, would You save me? I put my trust and confidence in You. I recognize that I have sinned and fallen short of Your glory. I lack in Your glory, and I deserve all Your wrath, but I desire the free gift of eternal life." If you do that now, then when we close in just a moment, some of the pastors and elders are here to pray with people. I would encourage you to come and share that with me or one of the other guys up here so that we can pray with you and encourage you in your faith.

Lord, we thank You that You are faithful in Your promises. We thank You that we can be certain that we will be with You eternally in Your kingdom because of who You are. Jesus, You are the Christ, the Son of God. We praise You. It's in Your name we pray. Amen.