This is the primary message of the Good News; the basis of our faith. Paul is telling the Corinthians that this is the teaching that they must hold fast to. We have been saved to the death and resurrection of Jesus.
What does "being saved" mean to you?
When I read the Gospels and the letters from the apostles to the churches, I understand that being saved means that the gates of heaven have been opened to me; but that I must choose to enter them. Many doors and gates are open to us each day of our lives. Some of these we choose to enter and others we walk past, some of them we walk past quickly!
If we accept the fact that we are saved by Jesus, it comes with the responsibility to share the Good News and to work with Jesus to bring a message of love and the need for justice to a world that is not always open to it. Christianity is more than a belief system; it is a way of life.
We can walk through the doors of prayer, compassion and forgiveness, or we can walk through the doors of envy, discrimination and indifference. It's not enough to claim Jesus as your Savior if you don't let him lead you to the gates of the Kingdom. If Jesus is your Savior, he is also your Lord and King and that demands loyalty.
Remember the Israelites who claimed Yahweh as their God. Things didn't work out so well when they were unfaithful and worshiped idols.
We are not immune from worshiping idols either. We may not build altars to Baal, but some may build shrines to their favorite sports "idol." Others might put money in first place in their lives.
Walking through these doors leads us away from the gates of Heaven, not toward them. We believe; now we need to follow the road to the open gate.
