In 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 Paul writes, "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures and that He appeared to Cephas, and then to the twelve." As I reflected on this, I thought of Paul's defense of the gospel and the resurrection in this chapter and found it interesting his use of the term "first importance."
Is the gospel of first importance in your life? Is it the thing that you talk about and pass on to those who will listen? Would you be able to defend the core of the gospel by saying that you talk about what is of first importance. I know that this is a hard question to ask and we all fall short of the standards that we and others may set for us. It is not my intention here to simply create an unattainable standard. I know that Paul talked about more things with this church than simply the core of the gospel - these verses come in chapter 15, not in chapter 1. However, I cannot help but notice that all of Paul's writing center on the gospel. Is our dialogue centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ? Are our lives centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ?
I think that for all of us, myself included, there are many parts of our lives that are not gospel centered. Do I see each activity I engage in as an opportunity for the gospel, or to refresh myself for the work of the gospel? Do the things I do point me to God or away from Him. I think it is fair to say that if the gospel is of first importance, it ought to have a preeminent place in what I think and say and do. May God help me be more gospel-centered.
