Series: The Gospel: It's Not...
Message: About Salvation
Preacher: Mark Johnson
Daily Walk: Mark Johnson

Refresh: Open with prayer. Read or listen to Psalm 95:5-7.

Read: Exodus 32:32; Romans 9:3 (NLT). As you read this version, note 1-3 insights or questions.

Reflect: In 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul tells us what he believes the gospel is, and he says that we are saved by it. Here is how he puts it:
    "Now,  brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.  By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you  Otherwise, you have believed in vain.  For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:1-3, NIV).
Paul was adamant about this gospel. In Galatians, he supports it with one of the strongest statements found in the Bible: "Yet I say that if I, or an angel from Heaven, were to preach to you any other Gospel than the one you have heard, may he be damned." (Galatians 1:8, Phillips)
So according to Paul, the Gospel, or Good News, is that "Christ died for our sins," and any other view of the gospel calls down damnation on one's head. The reformers, including Martin Luther and John Calvin, agreed with Paul, and concluded that Christ dying for their sins meant that they were saved from the torments of an eternal hell. Some modern theologians, instead of focusing on the negative aspects of avoiding hell, focus on the positive aspects of salvation and claim that it means they will be allowed to look in the face of God for eternity.
All of this, however, begs several huge questions, How does Christ dying for our sins according to the Scriptures lead to salvation? Why did Christ have to die? What actually happened on the cross?
Clearly the Scriptures teach that the Gospel is that Christ died for our sins, and by this we are saved.  But dare we ask what this means? There are at least twelve common theories of the atonement. They can't all be right. Does it make any difference which one we believe?

Recalibrate: ​ 

1. ​​What do you think Paul meant when he said, "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures"?
2. Why do you believe Christ had to die?

Respond: Pray for a clearer insight into the death of Christ.

Research: What are some scriptural texts used to support what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15?