God requires you to believe the gospel — that Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again.
Paul's gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1–4 makes believing the gospel the sole requirement. Les Feldick emphasizes there is no mandated repentance, baptism, joining something, or doing something — it is simply believing it, and God performs the saving work.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 — This is Paul's own declaration of the gospel that must be believed for salvation — the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 — Explains why the gospel is hidden from some people — it is hidden to the lost, whose minds are blinded by the god of this world.
Paul states the gospel that saves in 1 Corinthians 15:1–4. He declares it as the gospel he preached, which the Corinthians received, 'wherein ye stand' and 'by which also ye 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. Paul elsewhere calls this gospel 'the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth' (Romans 1:16). So the condition Scripture makes explicit is belief in this gospel. At the same time, Scripture shows that the gospel is not visible to everyone: it is 'hid to them that are lost,' and the god of this world blinds the minds of those who believe not (2 Corinthians 4:3–4). When the heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away (2 Corinthians 3:16).
Les Feldick makes the same point over and over from Paul's epistles: what God requires is to believe the gospel. He points to 1 Corinthians 15:1–4 as the gospel Paul preached — Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again — and notes that there is no 'mandated baptism,' no requirement to join something, and no 'mandated doing something.' It is simply believing it. He contrasts mere intellectual belief in God with believing God — taking Him at His word and resting on it. When a person believes, God does all the saving work: He imputes righteousness, forgives, cleanses, baptizes into the body, and seals with the Holy Spirit. Les also teaches that the gospel, though simple, is hidden from many: it is hidden to those who are lost, and the word should be understood as 'veiled' as in 2 Corinthians 3. When the heart turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. There is only one plan of salvation for us today, and that is believing the gospel.
No. When Les explains 1 Corinthians 15, he points out that Paul does not write 'if we repent and are baptized and have joined the Church.' The requirement Paul states is, 'if we believe that Jesus died and rose again.' Les also says plainly that salvation is not in the Law, not in works, not in repentance and baptism; it is in believing the Gospel. Believing the gospel is the requirement.
Paul's gospel statement in 1 Corinthians 15:1–4 makes no mention of water baptism. Les Feldick notes there is 'nothing in there concerning a mandated baptism.' The necessary response is simply to believe that Christ died, was buried, and rose again. God then does the baptizing — He baptizes believers into the body of Christ.
The gospel Paul preached is 1 Corinthians 15:1–4: 'Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel...' It is the good news that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again for our justification. Les emphasizes that this is the gospel to believe for eternal life and entrance into God's heaven. He also notes that John 3:16 by itself is not the full gospel. This is the one gospel by which we are saved; there is no other plan of salvation for us today.
Scripture says, 'But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost' (2 Corinthians 4:3). Les points out that the better translation would be the same word used as 'veiled' in 2 Corinthians 3 — something is covering the heart so that the gospel cannot be understood. 2 Corinthians 4:4 identifies the veiler: the god of this world blinds the minds of those who believe not. The remedy is the heart turning to the Lord, and then the veil is taken away.
The Gospel Veiled from the Lost
Paul's phrase 'if our gospel be hid' means the gospel is veiled — hidden from those who are lost. A turning to the Lord removes the veil.
Believing the Gospel, Not Repentance or Baptism
Paul's gospel does not say 'if we repent and are baptized and have joined the Church' — the requirement is to believe that Jesus died and rose again. Believing God means taking Him at His word and resting on it.
The Content of Paul's Gospel
The gospel Paul brought the Corinthians is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again for our justification. It contains no mandated baptism, no joining, no doing — just believing.
Salvation Is in Believing, Not Works or Ordinances
Salvation is not in the Law, not in works, not in repentance and baptism — it is in believing the gospel delivered to Paul by the ascended, glorified Lord.
Believing Results in the Seal of the Spirit
After a person hears the gospel and believes, God seals that believer with the Holy Spirit of promise. Nothing else is inserted between hearing and believing.
The Gospel to Believe for Eternal Life
1 Corinthians 15:1–4 is the gospel by which we are saved; it is conditional on knowing what you believe, unless you have believed in vain.
God Does the Saving; Faith Is the Evidence
God does everything — imputes righteousness, forgives, cleanses, baptizes into the body — and we know He did it by faith, not by feelings. John 3:16 by itself is not the gospel.
One Plan of Salvation: Believing the Gospel
There is only one plan of salvation for us today, and it is by believing the gospel Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 15:1–4. A lot of people believe in vain because they do not keep in memory what Paul preached.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4: Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that 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:
This is Paul's own summary of the gospel he preached — the gospel that must be believed for salvation.
Romans 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.
Paul calls the gospel God's saving power for everyone who believes.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4: But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Explains why the gospel can be hidden: the god of this world blinds the minds of those who are lost.
2 Corinthians 3:16: Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
Describes the removal of the veil when the heart turns to the Lord.
Ephesians 1:13: In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Ties hearing the gospel, believing, and being sealed by the Holy Spirit together.
Believe the gospel — that Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:1–4). Les emphasizes that Paul does not require repentance, baptism, or church membership; it is simply believing it, and God does the saving work.
No. Paul's gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1–4 contains no mandated baptism. Les says there is 'nothing in there concerning a mandated baptism.' What is required is believing that Jesus died and rose again.
According to Les's teaching from Paul, salvation is not in repentance and baptism; it is in believing the gospel. Paul does not make repentance a requirement in 1 Corinthians 15:1–4.
The gospel is hidden to those who are lost; the god of this world blinds the minds of those who believe not. When the heart turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
Watch the Teaching: Why the Gospel Is Hidden From Some People — 2 Corinthians 4:1-4