Throughout history there have been events so significant that we have been encouraged to never forget them, but to remember them and what their importance in the history of our nation.

“Remember the Alamo!” was a rallying cry to Texans at the time of the war with Mexico. “Remember the Maine!” served the same purpose at the time of the Spanish American War, following the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana harbor in 1898. In World War II the saying was “Remember Pearl Harbor!” More recently, and perhaps most vivid in our minds is “Remember 9/11!”, when terrorists flew planes into the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C..

In his second letter to a young pastor, the apostle Paul told him to remember that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead according to the gospel that he preached as the most significant event in all of human history! In fact, earlier in his ministry, Paul told the church at Corinth that without the resurrection of Jesus Christ all of his preaching was in vain, along with our faith (1 Cor 15:14). More importantly, how should Paul’s emphasis on the resurrection of Jesus Christ affect how we share the message of the gospel with the lost world around us?

First of all, we should remember the resurrection because as long we remember it, the gospel we share will be a simple message. It is indeed a simple message, but it’s not ‘simplistic’ or merely superficial in that it omits the very issue/problem with all of humanity that made it necessary. The simple gospel that Paul preached and that we share isn’t just the resurrection, but will also include two other important events immediately preceding the resurrection itself that are essential to the message.

For the most simplest and most concise definition of the gospel we need only listen again to the apostle Paul and what he wrote in his first letter to the church at Corinth:

“¹Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, ²by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. ³For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: ⁴that 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.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, NKJV)

In that short passage, Paul reminded believers in Corinth that the gospel he preached, that they received, by which they were saved, and in which they stood firm was the same gospel he himself received directly from the Scriptures. Then, in a single verse (v. 4), Paul defined the three essential facts of the simple gospel message he preached in his day and that we share today to a lost and dying world. According to the Scriptures,

 Christ died for our sins,

  Christ was buried, and

  Christ rose again.

Remember those three facts and you will have the most important message in all of human history locked in your mind and heart forever!

It goes without saying that there is much more to the longer story surrounding each of the three points that define the core of the gospel message. What do the essential points of the simple gospel message really mean? What’s the BIG picture of the good news of Jesus Christ as it’s recorded in the Scriptures the Apostle Paul spoke of?

Well, it’s a spectacular journey through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation! And when sharing the simple gospel message that Paul preached, we need to be able to discuss the biblical history of each event and their spiritual meaning. We can think of at least two important results of really knowing ourselves the meaning of each event.

First, our own salvation becomes our most precious possession here and now and for all eternity! And secondly, when our salvation is our most prized possession, our enthusiasm in sharing the gospel and the love with which we share it become instantly apparent to all whose hearts have been opened by God to hear what we have to say.

Be Blessed!