Believing in Vain

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, 2 if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain; 3 for I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” Corinthians 15:1-4

The gospel passage in verses 3 and 4 is very straightforward, and generally poses no difficulty for believers or non-believers. Verse 1 is equally clear: In order to be saved one hears the gospel (vss. 3 and 4); receives it, stands in it, and is saved by it.

But then comes verse two.

Within the context of the theme of the chapter, the resurrection, it is clear that it is referring to Christ’s resurrection from the dead as being a necessary component of the gospel in order for it to be valid (not vain).  ((1 Cor 15:13-14
But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.))

However, there is an application made in some Christian theology, which teaches that one can render one’s belief to be vain or worthless through one’s behavior. This is driven by two theological propositions established in the 16th and 17th centuries, known as Calvinism ((Established by 16th Century Theologian/Reformer, John Calvin, and later developed by Dutch Calvinists into what is referred to as “five point Calvinism,” or “TULIP.”))  and Arminianism ((Established by 17th century Dutch Calvinist, Jacob Arminius and his followers))  The following passages of Scripture are, among others, the dominant Scriptural substantiation for these two belief systems:

Luke 8:11-15
“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”

Heb 6:4-8
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.”

In the first part of the Luke passage we have the foundation of Calvin’s doctrine of “unconditional election.” This doctrine, in brief, simply states that those whom God elects will be prepared beforehand to receive the seed (the gospel), and therefore they will be the only ones in which it will take firm root. This will then be displayed in their behavior according to passages such as Matthew 7:16-20,  ((Matt 7:16-20 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.)) and 1 John 3:9 ((1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.))   All others—those who are not “elect”—will eventually fall back into their old sinful habits, or as one famous radio preacher put it, “return to the pigsty.”

The second part of the Luke passage and the passage from Hebrews are more Arminian than Calvinist, in that they show the believer to actually have been a partaker of the “heavenly gift,” and the power that ensued from it (also ref. Acts 2:38-41), but, apparently, as an act of his will, he falls back into his old habits, and thus from God’s grace (an example is Acts 5:1-10).

There is no argument here over what the passages say and mean. I believe they say exactly what they mean, and mean exactly what they say. Those who truly believed would produce good fruit (works); those who didn’t, or allowed their worldliness to get in the way would not, and therefore render their belief to have been vain. Calvinism says they were false believers (not “elect”) to begin with, and Arminians (i.e., its modern day version) would say their “back slidden” state returns them to a lost position. In either case, the person’s salvation is rendered vain on the basis of bad works.

The question, however, is this: do these verses apply directly to you and I? The answer is a resounding NO!

The problem with these two models is one of application. In attempting to apply the doctrine of these verses to folks in the world today, who call themselves Christians , these theological positions fail to obey the apostle Paul’s charge to rightly divide “the word of truth.” ((2 Tim 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.))  What they have done is apply instruction meant for another time and place to the present dispensation  ((Eph 3:1-2 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,  If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to youward:)) They are, in effect, applying doctrine from what is referred to as “the gospel of the kingdom,”  (( Matt 4:23  And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.))  given to the twelve disciples for Israel ((Matt 10:5-7 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.)) to what Paul referred to in his 13 epistles as “the gospel of Christ,” ((Rom 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.))  given to him, exclusively, for “the body of Christ.”  ((Romans 12:5; 1 Cor 12:27))

In applying the principle of right division we are called not only to consider what the passages plainly say, but also who is writing them, to whom they are being addressed, and where (within the total reach of Holy Writ) they are located.  Thus we see the context of 1 Corinthians 15 is “the gospel”(verse 1) which the Apostle Paul preached to the church at Corinth; that gospel which he “preached among the Gentiles.” ((Gal. 2:2)) This gives us the ‘who from’ and the ‘who to,’ and also tells us of the ‘where’ it is within Scripture. Verses 3 and 4 give us the exact wording of what he referred to three times as, “my gospel.” ((Rom. 2:16; 16:25; 2 Tim. 2:8))

Nowhere else in the New Testament is this same phraseology used when referring to the gospel. Other phrasing used by Paul to identify his gospel are; “the gospel of the uncircumcision,” ((Gal. 2:7))  “Christ’s gospel,”  ((2 Cor. 2:12))  “the gospel of your salvation,” ((Eph. 1:13))  “the gospel of peace,” ((Eph. 6:15))  “the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ”  ((2 Thess. 1:8))  “the glorious gospel of the blessed God,”  ((1 Tim. 1:11)) and in numerous other places in his 13 letters as, simply, “the gospel.”

While I don’t believe Scripture teaches that an individual saved into the body of Christ can lose his/her salvation, as someone obviously could under the kingdom gospel, I do believe there is a condition other than disbelief in the literal resurrection of Christ that renders one’s belief to be vain.  For example, let’s say we exist in a world where money is not used as a medium of exchange anymore. One can possess any product or service by simply asking for it, without any money ever changing hands. This being the case, if someone showed up at your door with a suitcase full of money, say, a million dollars of it, and offered it to you with no strings attached, could you think of a valid reason for receiving it? No, because it isn’t needed anymore as a medium of exchange, making it just pieces of worthless printed paper.  Therefore you would probably refuse the gift on the grounds that there is no valid reason for it. What if, however, the individual making the offer revealed to you that everyone in your neighborhood had received the money, and you, not wanting to be different said, “sure, why not. What can it hurt?” Would this not be receiving the money without a valid reason? This would be like possessing a heavily insulated parka in Panama, just because someone else in your neighborhood purchased one.

The point is this: If one does not perceive oneself to be a lost sinner, unable through individual works to save himself/herself, then one does not really have a valid reason for receiving the gift of salvation through the gospel. There are many believers who fit this category. They could be members of churches who faithfully attend and support their respective organizations, but cannot really remember a time when they saw themselves as lost sinners, and trusted Christ as their Savior. Concerning this they would probably say something like, “I’ve always believed,” or “our family has always been such and such…belonged to such and such church, etc.”

No one is born into the church, the body of Christ. Nor does anyone get in by way of membership in a church organization, or through the performance of some “right of passage,” like communion or baptism. You get in by recognizing your need for a Savior, ceasing to count your works–religious or otherwise–to have any efficacy or place in the equation, and then simply receiving the gift of salvation that Christ’s sacrifice won for you, believing in your heart that Christ died for all your sins (past, present and future), and was raised again the third day, for your justification. (( Romans 4:25)) When you do this, God will let you know you are saved, for in that moment, “the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” ((Romans 8:16))

Unlike the believers in the “gospels”  ((Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)) and the Hebrew epistles,  ((Hebrews through the Revelation)) who could, by virtue of bad works, be “castaway,”  or declared “reprobate,” ^{((a reject))}  the believer in the grace dispensation cannot become “lost again” no matter what he/she does or doesn’t do. Once one has truly believed (trusted) the gospel in his heart, God seals him “with that Holy Spirit of promise….unto the day of redemption.” ((Eph. 1:14; 4:30))  This is what it means to be secure in Christ.  Are you, dear reader, secure in Christ?

Mike Schroeder

If you desire, feel free to re-print this article for distribution among family or friends, or redistribution via the internet. All Scripture references are taken from the King James Bible.

Post Script

Have you ever trusted Christ and what he did for you at Calvary? Do you know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that you are saved, sealed and bound for heaven? If you aren’t sure, make this the “day of your salvation,” by admitting to your sinful condition, and simply asking the Lord to save you. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” ((Acts 16:31))

Notes