Of first importance
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…
I Corinthians 15:3-4 (NIV)
Have you heard the expression ‘the devil is in the details’? It is a fairly common idiom that means small details can cause big problems, if they are overlooked. It can be a helpful reminder to pay close attention to all aspects of whatever task is at hand. But this seems to be the exact opposite of what Paul is telling us to do here. He is encouraging us to take a step back and look at the big picture because it is of ‘first importance’. In other words, it is the most important thing, and we shouldn’t forget about it. Christ died for our sins, was buried and resurrected. Nothing else is as important, and everything else hinges on those facts. Paul says, ‘…Otherwise, you have believed in vain.’ (1 Corinthians 15:2).
In our fast-paced world it is easy to get distracted by other things: the latest gadget, technological advancement, fashion item or piece of news. This can carry over into church life if we are not careful. Maybe someone has a new approach that will save our church from decline, or maybe there is a new programme that if implemented would keep young people coming to church, or get them through the door in the first place. We can be tempted to place our trust in something other than the good news of Jesus Christ, or at least in something in addition to him.
The apostle Paul uses the phrase ‘according to the Scriptures’ twice in the header scripture quoted above. The only scripture available at that time was the Old Testament and Paul reminds us that it pointed ahead to the coming messiah, Jesus Christ.
Today we are fortunate to have the New Testament as well as the Old, and again it is centred on the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. We can rest in and put our faith in Jesus Christ. We can trust that God’s word has the power to change hearts and minds and bring people to Jesus. Yes it is that simple. Nothing has the power to change people the way that God’s written word can, and we can’t separate the gospel message from it.
Let’s hold fast to these truths, and not let ourselves become distracted by other details, as interesting as they may be. As Christians, Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection are the core truths on which we stand and base our life’s decisions. Let’s not forget.
Prayer
Our loving heavenly Father, it is good to be reminded of the most important things in life. We are human and so easily distracted, but let’s heed Paul’s warning and hold tightly to our core beliefs in Jesus Christ. Everything else is, at best, secondary. In his name we pray, Amen.
|
Study by: Jackie Mill About the author: |
 |
Local congregation:
Grace Communion International Central Glasgow
Garnethill Room
Conference Suite
St Andrews West
260 Bath Street
Glasgow
G2 4JP
Meeting time:
Sunday 11:15 am
Local congregational contact:
Peter Mill
Email: edinburgh@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church