The Same
Ole Message
By Rev. Jamont McRae
1 Corinthians 15:1-2 “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.”
In the apostle Paul’s writing to the Church at Corinth, he wanted to remind them of the Word of God that had already been preached to them. He wanted to use this writing to encourage their hearts to stand firm in the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul says “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you”. Let us first consider the word “declare”. In this context of scripture it means to make know or to affirm their understanding. Their understanding was to be affirmed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He brought to their attention how they were receptive to hearing the Word of God when he first ministered the Word of God to them. He reminded them of how they were able to stand to that date in the magnificent gospel. He also brought to their attention that that same Gospel was the reason for their deliverance from sin by saying “By which also ye are saved”.
There was nothing new in his message to the Corinthians. However, he wanted to stand firm in what was already delivered to them. Paul even says in 1Corinthians 15:3 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received”. Paul received what was given to him the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, there was no new information he needed to give the Corinthians. He wanted them to be confirmed and reaffirmed in the message that they had already been entrusted to handle.
When we consider Peter’s writing in 2 Peter 1:12-15, he makes a very similar appeal that Paul did by saying “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.” In other words, Peter made it a point to constantly remind them of what the already knew. He wanted to stir their hearts up in the salvation plan of the Lord.
When you look at the writing of Peter, Paul, and all of the other writers of the scriptures, they were concerned about their readers being moved by their writing to become stirred up in their spirits concerning their walk with the Lord. They were concerned about their steadfastness. They were concerned about them staying on course.
They were concerned about them fighting the good fight of faith. They were concerned about them contending for the faith that was once delivered to the saints. It was the same ole message.