Paul’s warning to the Corinthians was not a passing concern—it was a matter of spiritual survival. He feared they would be seduced away from the simplicity of the Gospel, the very foundation of Christian life. This is not a message shrouded in complexity or reserved for the spiritually elite. It is the plain declaration that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again on the third day, witnessed by many. This is the message Paul received and delivered as of first importance (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
The Two Pillars of the Gospel: His Death and His Coming
The Gospel stands on two monumental events: Christ’s first coming, in which He bore our sins and secured forgiveness and reconciliation with God, and His second coming, when He will transform those who believe—clothing our corruptible bodies with incorruptibility so that we may inherit the Kingdom of God. These are not mere theological details; they are the axis on which all of God’s promises turn. The rest of the New Testament exists to clarify and unfold the implications of these two events—His death for our sins, and His return for our glorification.
The Only Requirement: Faith in the Message
God does not ask for feats of religious performance or spiritual heroics. The requirement is singular: simply believe the Gospel. This faith is not a human work, but the means by which God unleashes His power for salvation. Everything God accomplishes in the believer—justification, reconciliation, transformation, and ultimate glorification—He does through this simple faith in Christ’s finished work.
To receive, understand, cling to, and grow in confidence in this message is what it means to grow in salvation. Growth is not a matter of moving on from the Gospel to “deeper things,” but of being rooted ever more deeply in what Christ has done. The Gospel is not the starting point; it is the entire ground and substance of the Christian life.
The Call to Vigilance: Guarding What Has Been Given
The most critical task for the believer is to pay heed to the Gospel—to continually clarify it, remind ourselves and others of it, and refuse to let it be diluted or replaced. As we do, faith is strengthened and full assurance of hope grows, enabling us to stand boldly before God, both now and at Christ’s return.
And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
— Hebrews 6:11-12
This is not a call to passive remembrance, but to active vigilance. Our Christian life is to be marked by a jealous guarding of what we have received. We are to remain focused on the Gospel until we know, with certainty, that we have possessed it.
Jesus Himself issued a sober warning:
Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
— Luke 8:18
This is not a hypothetical risk. To neglect the Gospel is to forfeit even the appearance of spiritual possession. The writer of Hebrews presses the point:
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
— Hebrews 2:3
What Is Lost If the Gospel Is Neglected
If we allow ourselves to drift from the simplicity of Christ, we do not merely lose clarity—we risk losing salvation itself. The power of God is not found in spiritual striving or religious innovation, but in the unadorned message of Christ crucified and risen. To neglect this is to forfeit assurance, to lose our boldness before God, and ultimately to miss the inheritance promised to the sons of God. There is no alternative ground for confidence, no other foundation for hope. Anything that distracts from or adds to the finished work of Christ is not a harmless error—it is a direct assault on justification, inheritance, and sonship.
The Non-Negotiable Center
Let no one deceive you: the Gospel is not a preliminary lesson to be graduated from, nor a slogan to be recited and then set aside. It is the very means by which God accomplishes everything for those who believe. To be vigilant—to guard, clarify, and continually return to this message—is not optional. It is the dividing line between possessing the promises and losing even what we seemed to have.
Do not be moved from the simplicity that is in Christ. Fix your eyes on His death and resurrection. Cling to the message. Guard it with all diligence. In doing so, you will grow in faith, abound in assurance, and stand boldly at His coming—fully inheriting all that God has promised to those who believe.
