Colossians 1:22-23 NIV
[22] “But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— [23] if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.”

How imperative it was for Paul to explain to the Colossian church the foundation truths about Jesus!Without this basis, their entire experience as children of God would topple and disintegrate. However small or apparently insignificant a deviation from the truth, the entire gospel is undermined and becomes useless.

All the realities of forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with the Father, a new standing in grace, holy and accepted, and every other blessing we enjoy, are spinoffs of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Undermine that, and we are left with nothing.

When the Corinthian church was tempted to dismiss the truth of the resurrection, Paul not only argued for the truth but also pointed out the terrible implications for God’s children if there is no resurrection of the dead. Then Jesus did not rise from the dead either, and that was unthinkable!

1 Corinthians 15:13-19 NIV
[13] “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. [14] And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless, and so is your faith. [15] More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if, in fact, the dead are not raised. [16] For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. [17] And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. [18] Then those also, who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. [19] If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”

Any deviation from the details of the gospel given to us in God’s Word has serious implications for our lives now and our hope for the future.

Paul battled against different false teachers and their false teachings in different churches. For example, the Galatian believers were plagued by Jewish teachers who insisted that Gentile believers be circumcised to be saved. To Paul, this was an issue of dire significance, of life and death. Christ plus anything was “another gospel” and under God’s curse.

Galatians 1:6-9 NIV
[6]”I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— [7] which is really no gospel at all. Evidently, some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. [8] But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! [9] As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!”

Anyone who believes the teaching that undermines faith in the sufficiency of Jesus’ death and resurrection renders the gospel useless for them.

Galatians 5:2-4 NIV
[2″Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. [3] Again, I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. [4] You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.”

These seem like harsh words, especially for us in an era when people are taught that truth is not objective or absolute. Truth is what we want it to be…our truth…my truth.

The objective truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection is a fact of history. Many have taken pains to disprove its historical fact, only to be convinced of its truth and drawn to faith in Jesus. “Who Moved the Stone?” by the lawyer, Frank Morrison, is a classical example of one who lost the battle against unbelief.

So, what is Paul saying to us?

Jesus is who He said He is, the Son of God! Jesus said He would die and rise again, and He did! Jesus gave His disciples authority and the Holy Spirit to interpret these historical facts, and they did! We have a complete record of the revelation the Spirit gave them to understand these spinoffs and their implcations for our lives. All this is proven and trustworthy.

Only one thing is left to do. Obey by believing! Outs lives depend on it!