“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand.” 1 Corinthians 15:1

Paul explains the message of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15. “I remind you”. The Gospel? Good news! You can be saved from your sin and its ultimate penalty!" “Preached” (proclaimed as fact); “Received” (accepted as truth). “In which you stand” (recognized as the basis for acceptance with God). “By which you are being saved” (initiated at some point in time, but continued as a process of being made right with God, growing and being renewed). “Hold fast the word” (enduring life as professing believer). “Unless you believed in vain”. Believing in vain is believing something that is not in accord with scripture. Possibly only for the benefits offered, or the community acceptance that comes with it; or just not trusting Christ's work but yours, misunderstanding what Christ did and why. We must “get” the message of the gospel, grasp it and live it.