Charles Spurgeon Commentary 1 Corinthians 15

Moreover, brethren I declare unto you the gospel –

Note that Paul writes concerning "the gospel." We will see now what "the gospel" is.

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.

What was this gospel, of which Paul thought so highly, and which he says is the means of our salvation? Did it consist in various doctrinal statements? No, it contained doctrinal statements, but it did not consist entirely of them. Here is Paul's declaration concerning the gospel: –

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.

What then was this gospel which Paul had preached, and which the Christians in Corinth had received, — the gospel which Paul declared would save them if they truly believed it? Was it a gospel made up merely of doctrines? No; it was a gospel formed of facts.

Moreover, brothers, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and in which you stand; by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached to you, unless you have believed in vain.

Paul preached the gospel, his hearers received it, and also stood in it: in which you stand. It is essential to salvation to hear the gospel, to receive it, and then to stand in it. Now, what was this gospel? Paul is going to tell us; and instead of making a list of doctrines, he mentions a set of facts.

Moreover, brothers, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and in which you stand. By which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached to you, unless you have believed in vain.

By which the apostle means, unless they had a false faith, a merely notional faith; or he may also mean "Unless what I preached to you should have been a fable, and therefore you will have exercised your faith upon nothing real, and so it would have been in vain."