Editor’s note: This article was originally published on October 31, 2017 and is part five of a five-part series. 2023 marks the 506th anniversary.

2017 is a special year, marking the 500 year anniversary of a world-changing event: the start of the Protestant Reformation. It’s really not fair to mark one point alone for this revolution of faith and practice in Europe and the world because it was the product of forces that developed over many decades.

But Martin Luther’s October 31, 1517, declaration of 95 complaints against the practice of selling reductions to the penalty of sin is a pretty good place to say, “Here it started.”

The great men of the Reformation—Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin and those associated with them—declared their beliefs in a series of solas (in Latin, one would say the plural as solae). Sola means “alone” or “single.” We get our words “solo” and “solitary” from this Latin root. The classic sola statements of the Reformation were and are:

Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
Solus Christus (Christ Alone)
Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)

In this article we want to consider the final aspect: Glory to God Alone.

Overview of the Previous Four Solas

In most lists of the five solas, this comes last for a good reason. It’s because it’s the logical result of the previous four solas. If we properly understand the first four sola statements, they will lead us to the final statement, “giving glory to God alone.”

If we let scripture alone be our guide, we listen to God’s voice above all others. We understand that what God says matters more than anyone or anything else. This gives God the glory He alone deserves, as the heart, voice, and mind that should be regarded above all others.

If we let faith alone be our reception of God’s rescue, we understand that we don’t deserve any credit for what God does for us. We simply receive by faith what He so generously gave to us. This gives God the glory because we understand that we can’t save ourselves; Jesus must rescue us.

If we let grace alone be the grounds on which God rescued us through the person and work of Jesus, we understand that it’s not by grace and faith, not by grace and good deeds, not by grace and a good heart and not by grace and human initiative. It’s by grace alone. This gives God the glory because He alone gets the credit for the past, present, and future of our salvation.

If we let Christ alone be our salvation and center of life, it means that it isn’t through a mere man or institution that we’re made right with God. It’s by the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. This gives God the glory because it properly puts the focus on Jesus and takes it off everyone and everything else.

Putting the Focus on God and His Glory

In this we see that one of the great works of the Reformation was to once again put the focus on God and His glory.

Because we are made in the image of God, we’re capable of astonishing achievements of many kinds. We see what men and women can accomplish in art, science, engineering, athletics, and intellect and so easily put our emphasis on man instead of God. Yet, mankind at his best and greatest is still far short of God. He alone deserves the glory and honor that the first four sola statements illustrate.

This leads us to a practical point. We should resolve that, God helping us, we will give greater interest, care, and effort to advance the glory of God instead of the glory of self, of our congregation, or of our particular group in God’s greater family. As many men and women of God have warned, “don’t touch the glory”; let the honor and credit go to God and no one else.

Everyone should have this sentence over their life and work for God: Glory to God Alone.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on October 26, 2017 and is part four of a five-part series.

On October 31, 1517, the German monk, pastor and seminary professor, Martin Luther, published 95 complaints against the church practice of selling reductions to the penalty of sin. The iconic figure we cherish is of Luther nailing a paper with these 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, but historians aren’t completely confident that he did this.

We have no record of Martin Luther himself referring to the event.

Whether or not he actually nailed that paper to the church door, he certainly wrote it, sent it to some important leaders, and it was soon published and distributed widely across Germany and much of Europe.

There were many complaints against, and objections to, the theology and practice of the Roman Catholic Church in those days, but Luther’s complaint had an effect like none before it.

There were many reasons for that, but one important reason was because Luther put his finger on a point of great corruption: the practice of selling indulgences.

The Practice of Selling Indulgences

As mentioned before, the selling of indulgences was essentially giving something to the church (usually money) so the church (through its leader, the pope) would reduce the penalty one had to pay for their sins in purgatory. I strongly object to the idea of purgatory altogether and can’t find it anywhere in the Bible. But in the Roman Catholic idea, purgatory is the place where after death a person is cleansed from their spiritual and moral impurities by painful fires before they can be admitted into heaven.

What is more, in classic Roman Catholic thinking, the pope has the authority to release tormented souls enduring the cleansing fires of purgatory. In Martin Luther’s time slick, high-pressure salesmen sold these releases from purgatory. They promised people that for a generous donation to the church, the pope would grant them or a loved one release from some or all of purgatory’s fire.

Near where Martin Luther lived, there was a Dominican monk named Johann Tetzell, a successful salesman for indulgences. Tetzell’s slogan was, “As soon as the money in the basket rings, the soul from purgatory springs.” Tetzell used to say, “Listen to the voices of your dear dead relatives and friends, beseeching you and saying, ‘Pity us, pity us. We are in dire torment from which you can redeem us for a pittance.’ Do you not wish to?” Tetzell raised a lot of money for the church by selling these indulgences.

Luther’s protest against indulgences developed into the movement we know as the Protestant Reformation.

The ideas of the Reformation are often summarized in a series of statements called the five solas:

Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
Solus Christus (Christ Alone)
Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)

The first three solas were discussed in previous articles, and this short piece looks at the fourth of the list: Solus Christus. That idea of Christ Alone is vitally connected to the original protest Martin Luther made on October 31, 1517.

The Fundamental Problem With Indulgences

As the ideas of the Reformation matured and deepened, it was understood that one of the fundamental problems with the whole idea of indulgences was that it put humanity’s rescue into the hands of the pope. The idea was something like this: “Men and women are not saved by Jesus, but through the pope and the institution of the Roman Catholic Church.”

Against this wrong and dangerous idea, it’s important that we emphasize the truth: Christ Alone. At the end of it all, we are not saved by a mere man, whether that be a pope or a pastor. We aren’t saved by an institution, whether it be Catholic or Protestant. We aren’t saved by our own good works or even our good faith. We are rescued by Christ alone and He alone gets the honor, glory and credit for rescuing us from sin and self. It’s true that what He gives by grace must be received by faith, but the work is done by His giving, not our receiving.

The principle of Christ Alone should remind us that Jesus is always the center of the Christian life. As the New Testament says, in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). The core of the Christian life is Jesus Christ, and Christ alone.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on September 7, 2017 and is part three of a five-part series. 2023 marks the 506th anniversary.

Soon it will be the 500th anniversary of when German pastor, monk and seminary professor, Martin Luther, published 95 objections to the church practice of selling reductions to the penalty of sin. Most historians use that event to mark the start of what we call the Protestant Reformation.

Martin Luther and his fellow reformers changed the European world and beyond, and their ideas are summarized in a series of statements called the five solas:

Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
Sola Christus (Christ Alone)
Sola Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)

Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide were discussed in two previous articles; here are some thoughts on the third statement, Sola Gratia – “grace alone.”

Grace Alone

By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). He also wrote this in Romans 4:16, “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure.”

Those two passages state something that is also clearly presented in several other New Testament writings:

God rescues us by His grace.

That isn’t a controversial position among Christians from many traditions. Roman Catholic and Orthodox believers agree that God’s grace is necessary for anyone to be accepted and right with Him.

The special contribution of Martin Luther and the other reformers was to emphasize that we are made right with God by grace alone – not by grace and faith, not by grace and good deeds, not by grace and a good heart, and not by grace and human initiative. Grace alone.

In Ephesians 2:8-9, notice that Paul didn’t tell us that we are saved by faith, but we are saved by grace through faith. This is really an important distinction. The work of our salvation is accomplished by grace, and saving grace is received by our faith.

Grace alone puts us into a right relationship with God–faith simply receives it.

Grace alone puts us into a right relationship with God – faith simply receives it.

Grace Explained

A common way of explaining grace is to say that it is God’s unmerited favor. It’s a pretty good, short description. Grace is God’s in that it comes from Him as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit and is an expression of the love of the triune God. The God of the Bible is a God of grace.

Grace is unmerited in the sense that it is undeserved.

We don’t do anything to deserve God’s grace. He doesn’t give it to us because we are wonderful, but because He is wonderful. It’s not because of any good in the past, present or promised in the future.

Grace is favor because it tells us how God feels about those who receive His grace. He accepts them and approves of them; He sees them in a favorable light. They are the opposite of disgraced; they are graced.

One way we often misunderstand grace is we think of it as simply God’s power or God’s part of the work. To describe grace as simply the “God part” of our salvation doesn’t come close to properly describing what a rich idea grace is in the New Testament. Understood biblically, grace is much more than God’s part or His power.

It is His love, beauty and favor acting on behalf of His people.

The ancient word that we translate “grace” in our modern Bibles had the sense of something beautiful, something that brought happiness and satisfaction. It was used to describe undeserved kindness, acceptance and approval.

God’s Love

So, this grace that alone rescues us isn’t like a decree from a throne; it’s like the loving, approving, acceptance of a perfect father. Because it comes from God, it has the power and the authority of a decree from a throne, but it isn’t cold or impersonal. It is the love of God in action on behalf of His people.

At the end of it all, the Christian can say: He rescued me. I didn’t rescue myself, but a loving God, out of the riches of His grace, rescued me from sin, self, Satan and a surrounding world that are all destined for darkness. He rescued me, and He did it by grace alone.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on August 4, 2017 and is part two of a five-part series.

More on the Five Sola Statements

Most historians mark the start of the Protestant Reformation to the 1517 publication of Martin Luther’s list of 95 complaints against a practice known as selling indulgences. This year (2017) marks the 500th anniversary of that great event. Tourists are flooding the great cities and sites where Luther’s reformation unfolded, and people are thinking and talking about the great ideas of the Reformation.

Those ideas are often expressed in a series of five statements called the five solas. The classic solastatements of the Reformation were and are:

Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
Sola Christus (Christ Alone)
Sola Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)

A previous article discussed the idea of sola scriptura (scripture alone). Here are some thoughts on the second statement, sola fide – “faith alone.”

What is Faith?

Christians of every background understand the value of faith and know that in part, being a Christian means believing in Jesus Christ and what He did for us. Yet the cry of the Reformation was not faith, but more specifically, faith alone. The idea was that we receive forgiveness of sins and are made right with God on the basis of our faith alone.

This means that the only thing we contribute to the receiving of our rescue is faith.

Not faith and our good deeds. Not faith and our promises to do better in the future. Not faith and ceremonies, but faith alone. This was one of the things that set the preaching and writing of Martin Luther and the other reformers apart from the Roman Catholic Church and even the Eastern Orthodox Church. All Christians believe that faith is important and has a place in our salvation; not all believe in faith alone. Some believe in faith plus something.

It’s important to remember that faith is not some kind of great work that makes God in debt to us. We don’t deserve salvation because of our faith. In this sense, faith is simply believing what God said is true and trusting that He keeps His promises.

Think of it like this: Faith is not calling God a liar.

It means that when God says something or makes a promise, we believe He is true and can be relied on.
So, when God tells me that I am a sinner who needs a Savior (Romans 3:23), I believe Him. When God says that my sin will lead to eternal death (Romans 6:23), I believe Him.

When God says that Jesus died for me and for my sins while I was still a sinner (Romans 5:8), I believe Him. When God tells me that if I put my trust in who Jesus is and in what He did on the cross for me I can be saved (Romans 10:9-10), I believe Him. I regard God as true and worthy of trust in everything He says and promises. Because of all this, I don’t deserve any credit for my salvation. My faith doesn’t actually rescue me; it simply receives what God promised by His grace. Believing God is true and is not a liar doesn’t make me a wonderful person; that’s just common sense.

Good Works and Commitment to God

We may also add that this does not mean that good works and our commitment to God are not important. The Apostle Paul (in places like Titus 2:14 and 3:8) and the Apostle James (James 2:14-19) and others in the New Testament told us how important our good works are. This idea has been expressed by a famous phrase: “Faith alone saves; but the faith that saves is not alone.” When faith is real, it will have good works with it.

If faith doesn’t have good works with it, one can sincerely question if that faith is real.

One last thought regarding faith. In the Bible, faith usually carries the idea of much more than simply believing something to be true. It includes that, but goes much further. The Biblical idea of faith has the further idea of trusting love. It has the sense of to trust in, rely on and cling to. Faith is trust, and we trust God because He loves us and we love Him in response. That kind of faith alone receives what God so graciously gives us in Jesus Christ.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on June 21, 2017 and is part one of a five-part series.

Introduction to the Five Solas

The great men of the Reformation: Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, and those associated with them, declared their beliefs in a series of “solas” (solae if you are really into Latin). From Latin, sola means “alone” or “single.” We get our words “solo” and “solitary” from this Latin root. The classic sola statements of the Reformation were and are:

Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
Sola Christus (Christ Alone)
Sola Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)

Sola Scriptura appears first on most lists of the five solas, and for good reason.

The Bible is a book that truly stands alone. It is unique in its continuity, its circulation, its translations, its survival, its honesty, its reliability, and its influence. The Bible stands alone in so many ways.

The True Meaning of Sola Scriptura

Yet when the Reformers proclaimed Sola Scriptura, what they really had in mind was to declare the Christian’s source of authority. Our fundamental authority is God, and God has expressed His mind and His will in and through the Holy Bible, the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures that we commonly call the Old and New Testaments.

God expresses His mind and will in other ways. He reveals Himself in creation (Romans 1:20). God reveals Himself in the conscience of man (Romans 2:15). God can also speak through traditions (1 Corinthians 11:2). Yet, none of those things are the ultimate authority. God’s word—the Bible—is always the ultimate authority (2 Timothy 3:16).

So, we say Sola Scriptura because the Bible stands alone in authority.

Yet remember that Sola Scriptura was never meant to deny that those other ways God speaks have their place and can be useful, but it does mean that the Bible has more authority than any of them or all of them. Everything comes back to the Bible.

Beyond Tradition: The Ultimate Authority

In the Middle Ages, it was often taught that the Bible and church tradition were equal in authority. God raised up mighty men like Martin Luther to stand against that wrong idea. Therefore, in his famous Leipzig debates with John Eck in June and July of 1519, Martin Luther said: “A simple layman armed with Scripture is greater than the mightiest pope without it.”¹

Almost 20 years later, Martin Luther wrote: “The true rule is this: God’s Word shall establish articles of faith, and no one else, not even an angel can do so.”² This was a powerful foundation for the remarkable work God did in the Reformation.

To thoroughly bring everything back to the Bible and recognize it as the true authority for faith and practice was something of a revolution.

We may respect traditions and religious authorities, but our ultimate authority is God’s Word as given in the Bible.

We recognize this even over the teaching of the Reformers themselves. It has sometimes been observed that if Martin Luther time traveled to our present day and walked into a typical modern evangelical church (let’s say a good, Bible-believing one), there would be much he would not approve of. To begin with, he would not approve that babies were not being baptized. He would not approve that the Lord’s Supper was not observed every week and in a certain ceremony. He probably would not approve of the lack of liturgical structure.

In regard to that, I would say, “Thank you, Martin Luther.” He and other reformers of his time firmly planted the flag for the authority of the Bible, even above their own authority. In fact, I think we honor Dr. Luther when we take him at his word and do what we earnestly and honestly believe the Bible instructs us to do, even when it disagrees with Luther’s own thought and practice.

We respect these great men of the past and want to learn what we can from them. We do not arrogantly dismiss their thinking and conclusions with the automatic thought that we know better today. Yet, at the end of it all, we stand where they told us to stand: Sola Scriptura, the Bible itself is our ultimate authority.

References

¹Roland Bainton’s classic biography on Luther, Here I Stand:A Life of Martin Luther [Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1950], p. 117

²Smalcald Articles, Part II, Article 2.15

Traditionally, Christians have remembered the four Sundays before Christmas Day as Sundays of Advent, often lighting a series of four candles over those days. In our home we have a row of four red advent candles, one for each of those Sundays. By the time the fourth Sunday comes all four candles are bright, their flames bringing light to our home.

It’s a tradition that can serve to prepare us to celebrate the earth-shaking event of the coming of Jesus; God adding humanity to His deity and coming as if He was any other child.

Candles give light, and one purpose of light is to give confidence and courage. In the dark, it’s easy to be afraid and even to be a coward. Jesus changed everything by bringing His light into the world.

When Jesus came into the world, the angels spoke to the shepherds of Bethlehem:

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 2:10).

This was not only a word for those specific shepherds; it was sort of an announcement to all humanity – that the arrival of Jesus means the end of fear.

It was good news to men that the Second Person of the Trinity added humanity to His deity, because it meant that there really was something compatible between God and man. Man can never become God; but if God can add humanity to His deity, it demonstrates that man really is made in His image. The incarnation shows that God is not necessarily an enemy to humanity. We never read that Jesus took the nature of angels, but He did take the nature of unfallen humanity.

So, don’t be afraid. Jesus comes as a friend to mankind, even in our weakness and sin. He comes near. We are not left as orphans in the universe, but the Creator of the universe has drawn near to us. The same One who made all things with a word, came as the Eternal Word unto us.

Jesus came to bring light, not darkness. The light chases away fear, ignorance, and discouragement. We can hear what the angels spoke to those ancient shepherds and understand that God speaks the same word to us: Jesus has come, “Do not be afraid.”

_{This article originally appeared on calvarychapel.flywheelsites.com on April 13, 2014.}

When Jesus came into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday, you could say that it was a patriotic parade. This is how it is described in John 12:12-13:

“The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” The King of Israel!’”

In that day and for those people, it looked like a Fourth of July parade in modern America. The crowd shouted that Jesus was “the King of Israel.” They waved branches “of palm trees,” which were a patriotic symbol for an independent Israel going back to their last independent state under the Maccabees. This was an exciting, happy time of welcoming the man whom many thought could be the King of Israel, who had finally come to overthrow the hated Romans.

Since it was near the Passover, there were a lot of Roman soldiers in Jerusalem. It isn’t hard to imagine that several of them saw the parade and felt it was important to tell their commander, Pontus Pilate, that the Jews just welcomed a king into the city to replace the present rulers.

If Pilate received the news, how do you think he responded? Think of the questions he might have asked of the soldiers who brought the report. What kind of army did this “King of the Jews” have? There were no soldiers, only children who laughed and danced with the parade. What kind of patriotic war songs did they sing? There were only songs of praise to the God of Israel.

What kind of weapons did they have? They didn’t have swords or spears, only palm branches. What about the king? What kind of horse did he ride? He didn’t ride a warhorse. He didn’t ride a horse at all. It was a donkey and a colt at that.

If Pontius Pilate thought about the parade that brought Jesus of Nazareth into Jerusalem, he probably laughed.

The Romans knew how to put on a proper military parade, and this wasn’t it. It was like the difference between a great military parade with soldiers and tanks and missiles, contrasted with a children’s Fourth of July parade completed with toddlers, tricycles and flags.

Jesus said something dramatic with this entry to Jerusalem: “Yes, I am a King of love and power as I showed with raising Lazarus from the dead. But I’m not like the kings of this world; I am a humble King, come to serve and to die for My people.”

The most wonderful thing about this is that the humble King won. He defeated the Roman Empire and every other empire. His kingdom continues to grow and remains today.

Sermon Notes: That is the final component in this miniseries on sermon prep.

“My big exhortation, especially to younger preachers/teachers, is that you should experiment with different methods to find out what suits you best.” – David Guzik

Watch previous episodes on Sermon Prep:

. “Presentation”

. “Crafting the Sermon”

. “Study”

| 10-Minute Seminary: David Guzik on Sermon Prep |

Presentation: That is the third component in this miniseries on sermon prep

“One of the most important principles is that people have to come to the place where they learn how to be themselves in the pulpit. “ – David Guzik, 10-Minute Seminary

|10-Minute Seminary: David Guzik on Sermon Prep|

Crafting the Sermon: That is the second key component with sermon prep.

“We are not composers; we’re conductors.” – 10-Minute Seminary with David Guzik

|10-Minute Seminary: David Guzik on Sermon Prep|

Study: That is the first key component with sermon prep.

“I think it’s very important for anyone to spend their first time in prayerful study and meditation upon the Bible.” – 10-Minute Seminary with David Guzik

As a finale to our celebration of 500 years since the Reformation, we are excited to have guests David Guzik and Lance Ralston speak on the most important aspect of the Reformation, in light of the celebration of 500 years since the reformation.

Enjoy David Guzik’s Facebook Live session!

Many Christians begin their life in Jesus Christ somewhat ignorant of the idea of spiritual battle. They find it easy to ignore what the Bible teaches – that is, that there are spiritual beings of intelligence and power that seek to defeat and hinder God’s people. Through a combination of experience and instruction, they learn the truth of this spiritual battle, and the most common passage in the Bible regarding the spiritual conflict begins at Ephesians 6:10.

It’s a rich passage, teaching us about spiritual strength, the nature of the battle, and the armor and weapons available to the believer in the conflict. What the Apostle Paul wrote about spiritual warfare has fascinated Christians for a long time, probably because it touches the life experience of almost every follower of Jesus.

One pastor captivated by the themes of this Ephesians 6 passage was named William Gurnall. Starting in 1655, he published his book, The Christian in Complete Armour, an explanation of Ephesians 6:10-20. In his dedication, he described his book as a “mite” and a “little present,” but it contained three volumes, 261 chapters and 1,472 pages – all on those 11 verses.

This is how Gurnall subtitled his book:

“The Saint’s War Against the Devil, wherein a discovery is made of that grand enemy of God and his people, in his policies, power, seat of his empire, wickedness and chief design he hath against the saints; a magazine opened, from whence the Christian is furnished with spiritual arms for the battle, helped on with his armour, and taught the use of his weapon; together with the happy issue of the whole war.”

There is a lot to think about in the Ephesians passage, and Gurnall thought it was worth 1,472 pages. Yet I think the most important word in the famous Ephesians 6:10-20 is the first word of that passage: “finally.”

Look at the verse: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).

The word, “finally,” obviously means that this comes at the end of the letter to the church in Ephesus – a letter in which Paul carefully established our place in Jesus, and then the basics of the Christian walk. The spiritual warfare passage is Paul’s last section dealing with the Christian walk.

We can say it this way: The foundations for success in spiritual warfare (and our entire Christian walk) are the truths and principles found in the previous sections of Ephesians. Everything about our spiritual battle comes, finally, in light of all those things described earlier in Ephesians:

. In light of all that God has done for you.

. In light of the glorious standing you have as a child of God.

. In light of His great plan of the ages that God has made you part of.

. In light of the plan for Christian maturity and growth He gives to you.

. In light of the conduct God calls every believer to live.

. In light of the filling of the Spirit and our walk in the Spirit.

. In light of all this – finally – there is a battle to fight in the Christian life.

Before you launch out into spiritual battle, give attention to the basics, the foundations of Christian living – who Jesus is and what He did for you. Build on those foundations explained from Ephesians 1:1 to 6:9, then we come to the important subject of spiritual battle – but not before.

In past years there has been a re-emphasis and refocus on the centrality of the gospel. It’s easy to notice how many organizations, books, conferences and movements purposefully use the word “gospel” in their title. Generally, it is a welcome and positive trend, with the hope that the meaning of the word “gospel” doesn’t get buried or taken for granted by overuse or careless use.

The word “gospel” means “good news.” As the word was used in ancient times, it didn’t have to describe the message of salvation in Jesus Christ; it could describe any good news. The earliest Christians knew what the greatest news ever was that, because of what Jesus did for us, we can be brought into right relationship with God and receive new life from Him, and that this work will one day be fulfilled in the restoration and resolution of all things in Jesus Christ.

This good news wasn’t based upon wishful thinking, clever philosophy or secret mysteries.

We know this from the most useful, straightforward definition of the gospel, found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 as Paul wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit:

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Paul plainly described the gospel he faithfully preached as centered on certain historical events: the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is important to notice that this gospel is not insightful teaching or good advice. At the core of the gospel are things that happened––actual, real, historical events.

The gospel isn’t a matter of religious opinions, platitudes or fairy tales; it is about real, historical events. It’s about what God did in Jesus Christ to make us right with Him, and what flows forth from those events.

When we let people think that the core of the Christian life is what I do for God, we are inconsistent with the gospel. The message of the gospel shows us that the core of the Christian life is what God did for me in Jesus. There is plenty to talk about when it comes to what I do for God, but only in its proper place after what God did for me.

Those first four verses of 1 Corinthians 15 are a gold mine about the gospel.

To mention a few nuggets of gold for you think about:

• The gospel is declared, not performed (I declare to you).
• The gospel is received, not created (which also you received).
• The gospel is our present standing (in which you stand).
• The gospel is our salvation (by which also you are saved).
• The gospel must be held on to (if you hold fast).
• The gospel is preached, proclaimed (that word which I preached to you).
• Without being centered on the gospel, faith is in vain (unless you believed in vain).
• The gospel is not just that Jesus died, but that He died for our sins.
• The gospel is not just that Jesus died, but that He died according to the Scriptures.
• The gospel is rooted and grows out of all God’s work and promises in the Hebrew Scriptures (according to the Scriptures).

Each of these aspects is significant all on their own; collectively, they are like a great waterfall, a “Niagara Falls” of God’s goodness to us in Jesus Christ.

Yet it all comes back to this: The gospel is what God did for us, not what we do for Him.

Many times during the years of His earthly ministry, Jesus promised that He would rise from the dead (John 2:18-22; Matthew 12:39-40; 16:21). His enemies remembered those predictions (Matthew 27:62-64) and were worried that what Jesus said might actually happen.

So, those enemies came to Pilate, asking for a guard to be set at the tomb (Matthew 27:65-66). The Roman ruler granted their request, saying, “You have a guard,” giving them Roman soldiers to watch the tomb. Before the enemies of Jesus left, Pilate added one more thought, telling them, “Make it as secure as you know how” (Matthew 27:65).

Pilate probably wondered why these religious leaders were afraid of a dead man. He didn’t think of setting a guard himself because he didn’t care. Why would anyone care about the tomb of a convicted criminal? But the religious leaders were more interested in making the tomb secure than the Romans were. They took Pilate’s permission and made the tomb as secure as they could, because it was in their interest to do so.

We know how the story ended. They did their best to make the tomb secure, but it didn’t stop the resurrected Jesus.

They tried to make the tomb secure with a stone, which is a material obstacle. These stones were big and set in a slanted channel. It could not be rolled away from the inside. If enough of the disciples had the courage to come to the guarded tomb, maybe they could roll away the stone. But to do that, they would have to work together, and that didn’t seem likely knowing their history of bickering and competition.

The tomb was also secured by a seal, which was an obstacle of human authority. According to custom, the seal was a rope, overlapping the width of the stone covering the entrance to the tomb. On either side of the doorway, there was a glob of wax securing the rope over the stone. You could not move the rock without breaking the seal. The Roman seal carried legal authority. It was more than yellow tape barricading a crime scene; to break a Roman seal was to defy Roman authority. That stone was secured by the authority of the Roman Empire.

Finally, the tomb was secured by a guard, which was an obstacle of human strength. A typical Roman guard had four soldiers. Two watched while the others rested. The soldiers would be equipped with sword, shield, spear, dagger and full armor. Remember that these were Roman soldiers. They didn’t care about Jesus or Jewish laws or rituals. They were called to secure the tomb of a criminal. To them, the only sacred thing at this tomb was the Roman seal, because if that were broken, their careers were ruined; and they might be executed themselves.

None of these obstacles mattered. They made the tomb “as secure as they knew how,” but it wasn’t secure enough to stand against the glory of the resurrected Jesus:

. Material obstacles can’t stand against the resurrected Jesus.
. Human authority can’t stand against the resurrected Jesus.
. Human strength can’t stand against the resurrected Jesus.

All opposition falls away before our resurrected Lord.