A Word… by
Rick Combs November 12, 2020
A Clear Gospel Statement
One of my favorite scriptures is 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. This passage is a very concise and clear statement of the Gospel for our dispensation.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 "I declare unto you the gospel... By which also ye are saved... 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."
I would like to give some detail regarding the 3 areas of belief that are necessary for our salvation. Clarity is important!
1. The first element of the Gospel is that Christ DIED FOR OUR SINS!
ALL sin has been dealt with and forgiven once for all time; past, present, and future. Hebrews 10:12 says, “But this man (Jesus), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.” This took me years to understand. I heard confusing messages that my sin was still an issue with God. The penalty for sin was paid… FINAL! It was put away. Our sin was put upon Jesus on the cross who knew no sin, and we who knew no righteousness were made the righteousness of God, 2 Corinthians 5:21. Sin can no longer define our relationship with God. In God’s eyes, through Jesus Christ the believer is holy and without blame before Him, Ephesians 1:4. We in the Body of Christ are righteous (justified) in Christ. Therefore, we have eternal life. Through this process, we are “dead to sin” (Romans 6:2, 11). All this is true because we have been identified with Christ’s crucifixion. When He died, we died. Our sin is truly nailed to the cross and we do not have to bear it any longer. If sinners would only trust this; it would be applied to them too. Of course, we live in a fleshy sinful body on earth. We have to resist temptation and deal with our flesh. We will delve into this subject in future posts.
2. The second element of the Gospel is that Christ was BURIED!
Romans 6:4 states we are buried with Christ, “by baptism, into his death.” This baptism has nothing to do with water but is a spiritual identification with Christ. This Spirit baptism places us into Christ. We become one with Him. We are so identified with Christ that the Holy Spirit seals us so that we can never be anything less then what God has made us in Christ. God the Father identifies us as Christ because everything about us is only ever found to be in Christ. Did you hear that? When God the Father sees us, He sees Christ! WOW!!! The Head and the Body are one Person. I encourage you to read Colossians 2:11-13 very carefully. It will blow your mind.
3. The third element of the Gospel allows things to just get better… He was RAISED!
Since we are buried with Him then we are able to be raised with Him. Our identification with His burial allows for our resurrection unto a new life… as a new creature. We are a new species that never before existed. Therefore, since Jesus Christ is raised from the dead, and I am “in Christ,” then I too am raised from the dead (Col. 2:12). Then we also along with Christ (and I like this part), we too are ascended with Him. The reality from God’s perspective is that we are already seated in heavenly places in Christ.
Eph. 2:5-6 “Even when we were dead in sins, has made us alive together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;) And has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Also see 2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Cor. 15:49-53.
As new creatures in Christ we are given the capacity to walk as servants of righteousness and have victory over the flesh.
So, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has afforded us all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. This is for those who believe and trust in the saving cross of Christ.
Grace and peace be unto you! Amen!
