The core message of Paul's gospel is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
Paul states this in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, and Les Feldick calls it the purest form of the gospel. Les also teaches that this gospel — the gospel of the grace of God — is the one and only message by which people are saved.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 — Paul directly states the gospel he preached: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
Galatians 1:6-8 — Scripture warns against any other gospel and pronounces accursed anyone who preaches another message than the one Paul delivered.
In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Paul declares to the Corinthians “the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand.” He then delivers the three facts that form the core of that gospel: “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.” Salvation is tied directly to this message: “By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you.” In Galatians 1:6-8 the same apostle warns against turning away “unto another gospel.” He explains that the false gospel “is not another” but is caused by those who would “pervert the gospel of Christ.” Scripture then pronounces a curse on anyone — even an angel from heaven — who preaches any other gospel than the one Paul preached.
Les Feldick identifies Paul's gospel in the clearest possible terms: “Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day.” He says this is the purest form of the gospel found anywhere in Scripture and that all of Paul's writings are filled with this theme. Les emphasizes Paul's phrase “the gospel, not a gospel” — meaning it is one and only — and that it is by this gospel that believers are saved. He also teaches that the gospel of the grace of God came by revelation to Paul and is distinct from the gospel of the kingdom proclaimed by Christ and the Twelve. Anyone who twists or adds to this gospel, Les warns, stands under Paul's curse.
The three facts are that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Les calls this the purest form of the gospel and says it is the gospel for us today.
Les says Paul deliberately speaks of “the gospel, not a gospel,” making it the one and only message. It is by this gospel that people are saved, and Paul warns that if a believer loses or replaces this message, they have believed in vain. Les also notes that in Galatians Paul places a curse on anyone preaching another gospel, even an angel from heaven.
Les explains that the gospel proclaimed during Christ's earthly ministry and by the Twelve was the gospel of the kingdom. The gospel of the grace of God came from the Apostle Paul. Les says the difference between the two is as great as night and day, though the same God never changes.
Les says the Lord made Paul's gospel known to him by revelation. What was revealed was that the gospel is not based on Judaistic law or simply that Christ was Israel's Messiah, but that the Son of God died on the Roman cross, shed His blood, was buried, and rose again.
Perverting the Gospel
Les explains that the false teachers were not offering something completely different but were twisting or perverting the one gospel Paul preached. He emphasizes Paul's words that even an angel from heaven preaching any other gospel would be accursed.
Kingdom Gospel vs. Grace Gospel
Les teaches that the gospel of the kingdom was proclaimed during Christ's earthly ministry and by the Twelve, while the gospel of the grace of God came from Paul. He defines Paul's gospel as Christ died, shed His blood, was buried, and rose again.
The Purest Form of the Gospel
Les holds up 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 as the purest form of the gospel: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. He says this is the gospel for us.
The Gospel That Changes Us
Les says the gospel opens the door — it made pagan Gentiles new creatures and transformed Jewish legalists into people of grace. He then repeats the same three facts as Paul's gospel and “our gospel.”
One Gospel in All of Paul's Letters
Les says Paul's only message throughout his epistles is “my gospel,” the gospel of the grace of God, the gospel of Christ, the gospel of God. The preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.
Power of God Unto Salvation
Les links the same gospel of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection to Romans 1:16 — Paul is not ashamed of it because it is the power of God unto salvation. It is not a human-works gospel.
The One and Only Gospel
Les emphasizes Paul's words “the gospel, not a gospel,” meaning there is only one. It is by this gospel that believers are saved, and Paul warns against believing in vain by substituting something else.
Revealed, Not Law-Based
Les says the Lord revealed to Paul that the gospel is not based on Judaistic law or merely that Christ was Israel's Messiah. Rather, the Messiah, the Son of God, died on the cross, shed His blood, was buried, and rose again.
1 Corinthians 15:1: Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
Paul directly states that the gospel he is about to summarize is the one he preached and the Corinthians received.
1 Corinthians 15:2: By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
Salvation is attached to remembering and holding on to this exact gospel message.
1 Corinthians 15:3: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
The first core fact of Paul's gospel is that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
1 Corinthians 15:4: And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
The other two core facts are His burial and His resurrection on the third day.
Galatians 1:6: I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Paul confronts those who have turned away from the gospel of grace to a different message.
Galatians 1:7: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Scripture says the false message is a perversion of the one gospel, not an entirely different gospel.
Galatians 1:8: But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
The severe consequence for preaching any other gospel is a curse.
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.
This verse identifies the gospel of Christ as the power of God unto salvation.
The core message is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Les Feldick calls this the purest statement of the gospel in Scripture and says it is the gospel for us.
Les teaches it is “the gospel, not a gospel” — the one and only message by which we are saved. He says any other gospel, even from an angel, places the preacher under a curse.
Les says the gospel of the kingdom was proclaimed by Christ and the Twelve during His earthly ministry, while the gospel of the grace of God came from Paul. The difference is like night and day.
Les says Paul received it by direct revelation from the Lord. The content of that revelation is that the Son of God died on the cross, shed His blood, was buried, and rose again.
Watch the Teaching: What Is Paul's Gospel? 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Explained Verse by Verse