Yesterday was the six-year anniversary of Micah’s home-call. As each year goes by, it never fails to amaze me how quickly, yet sometimes also slowly, time can pass. A few days ago, I heard the sad news of John MacArthur’s home-call. Death is something that we all must face if the Lord does not come in our lifetime. The world tries to dampen death’s severity by perhaps calling it a different name or else telling themselves it is a natural part of life. In reality, death is not natural. We were each created with an eternal soul, and before sin entered in, mankind would have lived forever. This is part of why it hurts so much when someone we know and love dies. As Christians, we have the sure hope that God has promised to us. We will meet again. We also have the hope of the Lord’s return—we may not even have to see death! While we think on these things, let us not forget that we are still here for a reason. God has a purpose for us, that is to glorify Him while we are on this earth. We must warn the sinner that death is a reality and after death the judgement (Hebrews 9:27). But God, who is rich in mercy, provided a Savior and offers this sure hope to all who believe.

Below is part of an article by Micah Hackett on the nature of the gospel. My prayer is that this can be an encouragement to keep our minds focused on the gospel, and the hope that we have through it.

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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,”

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

“The gospel is far more than a message preached at a revival meeting. It is more than a pathway to sins forgiven. It is that—and thankfully so! —but it is so much broader in its scope. God designed it to be truth that carries on in our lives from the point of salvation unto the endless ages of eternity; and as long as we live upon this earth amidst false doctrine, God will hold us responsible in how we pass down this truth. Therefore, it is absolutely vital to understand the nature of the Gospel, seeing as we are stewards of it.

Paul begins his section by looking back to how the Corinthian believers heard the gospel in the first place—through it’s preaching. Notice:

1. It was doctrinal in nature. We know this by the fact that the doctrine of the resurrection, which he would belabor later in this chapter, was the same that he taught the Corinthians at the beginning. Any man entrusted with the public ministry of the Word must understand faithfulness to Scripture’s clear teachings. Paul was confident in what he preached, and he remained in that. Can we, with confidence, preach what we do? Or is our understanding of truth weak and relativistic?
2. It was grace-centered. Though not in our section, we see in verse 10 “by the grace of God I am what I am.” No laborer in the gospel can remain true unless he understands that his competence is of God. The man who forgets grace, compromises an entire future of fruitfulness by the gospel. It all starts with faithful and firm preaching, and therefore the gospel is by nature beginning at grace.

The reason Paul could preach the same message he had at the beginning is because by nature the gospel is changeless. The same that was true at the beginning, will always be true at the last, in terms of the gospel. Since it is, in fact, the teaching of Christ, it reflects the nature of Himself: “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Why must we understand this? Because if we do not, we are subject to becoming as the Galatians— “turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another”. If God has entrusted us with a certain truth, we must keep it! Has God commanded repentance? Let us preach repentance. Has God raised His Son bodily? Then let us preach the bodily resurrection. Has God exalted His Son as Lord over all? Then let us preach Christ the Lord. It is quite simple: God gives us truth; we keep it exactly. We do not compromise doctrine—ever. When we do, we act as if the world’s opinion is more important than God’s truth, which is true regardless of whether anyone believes it or not.”