First, the argument from authority. Look at the beginning of 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Now, I would remind you, brothers, there’s this audience of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
This is incredibly important for you communications majors out there. You know that we’ve just seen all the three major facets of communication. There must be a sender, a receiver, and a message. And there we have it. Paul is the sender. The Corinthians are the receivers. And the message is the gospel that he preached to them.
But there’s something more here than just effective communication. He says, I’m reminding you of the gospel I preached to you which you received in which you stand. In other words, they are standing in standing on that gospel that Paul preached right now and by which you are being saved. I love that phrase. But there’s a second idea, and that’s the idea that such theology would put Paul at odds, not only with what he teaches in the rest of this passage, but what he teaches everywhere else.
He’s not ashamed of the gospel. Why? Because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. I It is the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation. Not me, not my apprehension of or retention of the gospel. That’s the power of God unto salvation. But the GOSPEL AND THE GOD OF THE gospel to be more precise, he’s not ashamed of the gospel.
