Is being saved by the Gospel conditional?
Yes, it is conditional. The Gospel saves those who believe and understand it, so they do not believe in vain. That Gospel is that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and by it believers stand.
Les teaches that the Gospel is the message by which we are saved, and he emphasizes that it is conditional: a person must understand and know what they believe, unless they have believed in vain. He points to 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, where Paul declares the Gospel he preached, which the Corinthians received and in which they stand, and by which they are saved. That Gospel is that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Les explains that Paul received this Gospel by revelation from the ascended, glorified Lord after the Damascus road, where the crucified, buried, and resurrected Lord saved him by grace and later revealed these truths in the desert. He also notes that this was pre-planned before creation: God would create man, man would sin and need a Savior and Redeemer, so God set everything in motion, brought about Christ's earthly ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection, and revealed the Secrets or Mysteries to Paul, the core being the Gospel that Christ died for our sins.
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
More Questions
What does it mean to be saved according to the gospel?
The word 'saved' can be understood as 'made righteous' or 'declared righteous.'
Does the gospel that saves people change over time or across different places?
The gospel that saves lost people is the same in every location and every era, whether Corinth or anywhere else, in 50 AD or today.
Does the gospel that saved people in Corinth still save people today?
This same gospel saves lost people in every place and every era — whether in Corinth or anywhere else, in 50 AD or the present day.