God’s Gospel for Salvation

"Just follow the directions!" In our lives we are faced with many opportunities to follow the directions. Often the directions are the only way to get a result or to reach a destination. Otherwise "you can’t get there from here." If you leave the yeast out of a bread recipe, the result is failure — flat bread. "Just follow the directions!" How many people have killed a hard drive on a computer because they didn’t read the manual or consult a help menu? Kids, dads, Christmas and toys go together. Unfortunately, the assembly of toys is a part of the program. How many times have toys been assembled, unassembled and then reassembled because Dad didn’t read the directions? There are people who are always late because they don’t follow directions. "Forget the map, I know how to get there!" Directions, directions, directions . . . . Are they an unnecessary bother or are they necessary to get the job done? God gives clear, simple directions through which men, women, boys and girls are saved. He simply says that a person must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ through the facts of the gospel concerning Christ and He will save him or her.

One of the most interesting problems with directions for assembly is when a product manufactured in another country comes with directions for assembly. Sometimes the manufacturer has someone from that country who does not speak English write the directions in schoolbook English. As a result, these directions are confusing, frustrating and humorous. This is exactly what happens when earthlings try to rewrite God’s instructions for salvation. The result is not only weird but eternally misleading. When one adds to God’s directions, God will not save the hearer or reader. When someone subtracts from the gospel, God will not save those who hear the partial gospel.

The Gospel Is the Means of Salvation. God uses the gospel as the instrument of salvation. Let me translate 1 Corinthians 15:1, 2 to show the importance of the gospel concerning Christ. "Now I am making known to you, brothers, the gospel which I gospelized to you, which also you received, in which you also stand, by means of which you are saved, since you are holding fast to that word I gospelized to you, unless you believed without an object." As you can see "gospel" is mentioned three times and is called "a word" before it is actually given in verses three and four. The gospel or "good news" concerning Christ is the essential ingredient in the directions or instructions for one to be saved. The gospel is defined in verses three and four. "For I delivered to you first of all that which also I 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." Without the facts of the gospel there is no instrument for salvation. There is nothing to carry a person from where he or she is to faith in Christ the object.

God gave the instructions in a very logical way. He states two essential facts and then gives proof for each one. Fact #1 is that Christ died for (or on behalf of as our Substitute) our sins. Proof #1 is that He was buried. Fact #2 is that He was raised on the third day. Proof #2 is that He was seen of many witnesses. Let us look at each part of the gospel by which one is saved to understand why they are important parts of the God-given directions or instructions.

The First Essential: "Christ Died for Our Sins (1 Cor. 15:3b)." Physical death is the separation of soul and spirit from the physical body. Because of the incarnation when the Person of God the Son took upon Himself a human nature and human body, Jesus Christ could die physically. Otherwise physical death was impossible. His death was real — flat line — in every way. There was no pulse, no brain waves, nothing — He was dead. He was dead for three whole days and nights (Matt. 12:40).

Notice the title used here is "Christ." It is the Greek word translating the Hebrew word Mesheach, Messiah. Both words mean "the anointed one." Old Testament prophecy promised an Anointed One who was deity who would come and deliver Israel while establishing a physical Messianic kingdom. Jesus began His ministry at His baptism by John the Baptizer (Matt. 3:13-17; Mk. 1:9-11; Lu. 3:21, 22) beginning what is known as His "earthly ministry" or His "Messianic ministry." He presented Himself as the Anointed Messiah. With the beginning of the Church at Pentecost, the title "Christ" took on a different meaning. The one who in His humanity is called Jesus was made both Lord and Christ. God the Father made His human nature what it had not been before — Lord and Christ. "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ (Acts. 2:36)." "Lord" refers to His being Master with authority from His position at the right hand of the Father. "Christ" now means "the Glorified, Resurrected One." The One who is now the Glorified Resurrected One and who is seated at (lit. "in") the right hand of the Father is the One who died physically — His human body was separated from His human soul and spirit. The emphasis is not on "Jesus" the Savior but upon the fact that the job is done, it is finished and now He is seated in heaven in glory.

Why doesn’t the gospel say that Christ died for you? Why do the instructions require that a person be confronted with his or her sins? There are people who do believe that they have some value or worth within themselves. "Of course, I’m am good enough for someone to die for me, I’m a nice guy!" Sins, on the other hand, confront the person with specific, know acts of lawlessness against God. Many contemporary plans of salvation say, "Christ died for you." That is not a part of the gospel by which we are saved. This statement comes from the misapplication of Scripture.

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8)." This verse is addressed to Christians — read the context. It is not designed to tell someone how to be saved but to tell Christians how they were saved. I believed that Christ died for my sins as a part of the gospel to be saved and then after I was saved I could look back and see that Christ died for me. I learn this after the fact of salvation and not before salvation is given.

"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." What was Paul thinking here? Scriptures are "things that are written." How much Scripture was written when 1 Corinthians 15 was written? All of the Hebrew Scriptures of the Old Testament were written. Very few of the New Testament books were written. Let us look at 1 Peter 2:24 where Isaiah 53:24 is cited as an example. "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." Because of His cross work, He heals spiritually dead sinners by giving them eternal life.

The First Proof: "And That He Was Buried (1 Cor. 15:4a)." Burial is one of the strongest proofs that someone is dead. We take every precaution to insure that a person is not buried alive. Authorities examine the body for vital signs and in the absence of the signs they pronounce the person dead. No doctor or coroner pronounced Christ dead. It was a Roman soldier that confirmed it. He came along with others to break the legs of the "executed" to bring rapid death before the coming Sabbath day. He looked and saw a dead man. He ran a lance into His side and blood and water flowed out indicating that the heart was not working (cf. Jn. 19:33-37). Capital punishment was a common form of Roman punishment and the Roman soldiers were experienced at determining whether a person was dead or not. Christ’s death was real.

His body was prepared for burial following as much of the normal embalming procedure as possible. Time was short. The Jews could not work on the coming Sabbath. Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus (and probably others) prepared the body for burial (cf. Jn. 19:38-40). Without a doubt, they wished more than anything that there was still life in that body. The Lord’s disciples had already given up even though He had told them several times that He would die and rise again.

Burial is proof of real death (under normal circumstances). When a body is placed in a grave and that grave is sealed, the finality of death is evident. Burial is a major stage of the grief process. It says that it is over, done. The person is really dead.

In 1 Corinthians 15:4 it says, "that he was buried." The verb is passive. Someone else had to bury Him. He wasn’t alive. He couldn’t bury Himself. He couldn’t walk to the tomb. He couldn’t wrap Himself in grave clothes. He couldn’t lay Himself down on the shelf of the tomb. He was dead! Physically dead! Everyone knew it. He needed to be buried to prevent the odor of decay from affecting the community. Out of respect he was carefully buried in a tomb near Calvary (Jn. 19:41, 42).

His physical death and burial proved that He had a real human nature and human body. As a man, He could be the Substitute for all mankind. His burial said that every authority, every friend, every disciple knew that He was dead.

The Third Essential: "And That He Rose Again the Third Day (1 Cor. 15:4b)." Jesus Christ rose from the dead three days and three nights after He died (Matt. 12:40). A physiological transformation took place as molecules comprising His body were transformed into the elements of His glorified body. A change from a body of flesh and blood (1 Cor. 15:50) to one of flesh and bone (cf. Lu. 24:39) took place. His glorified body was designed to emanate His human spirit (1 Cor. 15:44-46). Christ’s resurrection was a real physical resurrection. It was not a resuscitation (after death God gives life but the person will die again, example Lazarus). He lives forever now in a glorified physical body.

More New Testament Scripture affirms the resurrection of Christ than His death (though in most contexts they go together). It is His resurrection that makes His death different from any other death to that time. All three Persons of the Godhead had a role in His resurrection. His present ministry as the God-man seated at the Father’s right hand is based upon His resurrection. He could have passed through death directly to the third heaven without reappearing on the surface of the earth but He appeared as the Living, Resurrected One.

If you are pressured for insisting that Christ’s resurrection should be a part of the gospel for salvation, you are in good company. Paul suffered trouble as an evildoer because he insisted that the resurrection was a part of the gospel by which one is saved. "Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound (2 Tim. 2:8, 9)." The Lord included the resurrection in the gospel. Paul included it and suffered because of it. He followed directions.

The Second Proof: "And He Was Seen . . . (15:5-9)." In addition to the eleven disciples more than 500 other witnesses saw the real physically resurrected Christ. He walked, talked and ate with them. They touched him and conversed with Him. They testified to his physical body. Thomas saw Him and the physical wounds in His resurrected body and believed (Jn. 20:26-29). The testimony provides proof of the reality of the resurrection and the whole of the gospel by which one is saved.

Is There Any More to the Gospel Concerning Christ? Is it possible that 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 leaves out essential elements for the plan of salvation? If one reads plans of salvation, it would appear that God has left out key elements of the gospel by which one is saved. There are many "gospels" in grace revelation that have nothing to do with one’s initial salvation. Most of them have a relationship to the believer’s present tense salvation. Only the facts that are mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 are the gospel by means of which or through which one is saved. Without every element of the gospel spiritual salvation is impossible. Additions to the gospel simply confuse the one who hears. If the facts are included accurately, the Holy Spirit can override the errors and use the accurate gospel as the facts through which a person believes in Christ. Other passages of Scripture have the facts of the gospel but when they are used one must be certain that all of the facts of the gospel are included.

Two questions are often asked about other elements of Christ’s existence and salvation. Why not include His sinless life and His earthly ministry? Though they exhibit the reality of the incarnation as the God-man, neither is a part of the gospel. His earthly ministry was primarily to His people Israel. He offered them the Messianic kingdom. Very, very late in His earthly ministry He indicated that the benefits of His death would apply to more people than His people Israel. Why not include His ascension? Does it contribute to my salvation? He physically ascended into and above the third heaven but it has nothing to do with the gospel for initial salvation. It does contribute benefits to the present salvation of one who has already believed.

Why are there fewer results when the gospel by which one is saved is presented? Because both natural and Satanic blindness prevents an unbeliever from seeing all the facts they need to be saved. Other "plans of salvation" are not affected by these types of blindness and easily produce professions of faith. When we present the gospel accurately, the Holy Spirit may or may not give the gift of faith to the one who is hearing. He knows those who are His and will bring them to salvation through the gospel by which they are saved. We share with Him when we accurately give God’s directions — the gospel concerning Christ.

© by David K. Spurbeck Sr., 1997