Is The Gospel Worth Dying For?
Life Lessons from 1 Corinthians, Chapter 15
I remember someone telling me they would stop at nothing to save the life of their grandchildren. They were so special and so loved this person considered them worth dying for. I can completely understand her sentiment and devotion now that I am a grandmother. Most of us would give our life for those we love so dearly.
Throughout 1 Corinthians, Paul corrected and admonished the Corinthians for wrong behavior and thinking. In Chapter 15, Paul corrects their misunderstanding of the truth of the Gospel. Some denied the resurrection of the dead. God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and His power would raise those who, through faith believed in Him too.
Paul took the Corinthians back to the Gospel because it meant everything to him. He loved and believed the Good News and risked his life preaching it. Paul was relentless in sharing the Gospel despite being flogged, near death, shipwrecked, threatened, hated, without sleep, hungry and thirsty. Why would he face hardship, suffer, risk his life, and be willing to die for something that wasn’t true?
“And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.”1 Corinthians 15:30-31
That’s a question we must all ask ourselves. Do we believe the Good News of the Gospel? If so, are we willing to suffer and die for it? Do we believe that God sent His Son, Jesus, to take the penalty for our sins on himself, dying on the cross to save us? Do we believe that anyone who, through faith in Jesus’ atonement for their sin and his resurrection, will have eternal life, and those who reject the truth of the Gospel will spend eternity in Hell?
The truth of the Gospel should so move us that we are willing to risk
EVERYTHING to share its message with others.
In today’s culture, believers are likely shunned and condemned for speaking the truth about sin and its consequences. We may be ridiculed and called intolerant if we speak the truth that Jesus is the ONLY way to God the Father in heaven. We may be labeled crazy if we speak the words repent and believe! But we, like Paul, must firmly believe that the Gospel is worth the hardship we may face and share it with urgency.
The Gospel is worth dying for! With whom will you share the Good News today?
© 2022 Robin R King
