Previously, we discussed faith, repentance, and baptism.
These first two are principles, and baptism is an ordinance, or ritual; but I didn't cover what the gospel is.
Paul defines the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
In simple terms, it is the gospel by which we are saved. In other words, we are saved by Christ.
The gospel is Christ dying for us, and him rising again. This is the good news. He suffered and died so that we may live.
Unfortunately, this ignores the horrible agony in Gethsemane, but it is included in dying. All of the prophets pointed to this event, but I'll mention only 1.
Moses lifted up the brazen serpent on a pole or cross and those who would look upon it would live. Brazen means unashamed. The serpent is the symbol for sin. Christ was unashamed on the cross because he committed no sin, yet he became sin for us to become sinless. Christ was no serpent, he had no forked tongue.
Those that exercise faith to look to Christ, will be saved. Those that have this faith will seek to overcome their own sin, and they will desire to show their devotion publicly by baptism.
What is significant about the thousands that saw our risen Lord? Why does Paul include their witness? Does that add validity to his claim that Jesus rose from the grave?
Next up, what does "born of the spirit" mean?
