Day 14 — Holding Fast to the Gospel

Day 14 · The Gospel: God’s Saving Grace · 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (NET2)

Paul reminds the Corinthians of the gospel they received and in which they stand: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised, according to the Scriptures. The risen Jesus appeared to witnesses, including Paul, whose story displays transforming grace. The gospel is not a beginning we outgrow. It remains the foundation of our faith, gratitude, and daily life with God.

Request

Father, keep me grounded in the gospel of your Son. By your Spirit, strengthen my faith and let your grace bear fruit in my life. Amen.

Read

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

¹ Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, ² and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. ³ For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, ⁴ and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as though to one born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also. ⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God with me. ¹¹ Whether then it was I or they, this is the way we preach and this is the way you believed.

Scripture: NET Bible, Second Edition (NET2).

Reflect

1. Which events does Paul place at the center of the gospel, and why do the witnesses matter?
2. What does Paul's account of grace teach you about receiving forgiveness and living a changed life?

Restate

State the heart of the gospel in your own words, including Christ's death for our sins and his resurrection.

Respond

Let the passage guide your prayer. Use these prompts in your own words:

• Praise: Praise God for the crucified and risen Christ.
• Thanksgiving: Thank him for the gospel you have received and the grace that sustains you.
• Confession: Confess any tendency to move your confidence away from Christ.
• Intercession: Pray for someone with whom you hope to share this good news.
• Petition: Ask for grace to remain faithful and fruitful as the challenge continues.

Carry it into today: Tell a trusted friend, or write down, the good news in two or three sentences. Name one way these fourteen days have deepened your gratitude to God.