“Believed In Vain”

by Lowell Blasingame

“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” (I Corinthians 15:1-2 KJV). Paul follows by telling the Corinthians that he had preached the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, “according to the Scriptures” (verses 3-4).

It was the resurrection which was being contested, for he asks, “… how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (verse 12b). He had shown that Christ’s resurrection, which is our assurance of one, is a fact amply verified by a number of credible witnesses (verses 5-9), and by the grace of God which had been bestowed upon him, he had preached this as a part of the gospel and they believed it (verses 10-12).

He continues by showing that “if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen.” If Christ has not risen, then his preaching was vain, and since their faith was built upon his preaching, it “is vain also” (verses 13-15), because it was based upon the testimony of false witnesses. From this he concludes that if his preaching that Christ was raised is false, it means their faith is vain and they remain in their sins and those who have died are without hope and are of all men most miserable (verses 16-19).

The dire consequence of believing in vain is illustrated in the importance of faith in the redemptive scheme. Jesus taught that failure to believe in Him and His claim to be the Son of God would cause one to die in his sins, and if he did this, then, where Christ has gone, he cannot go (John 8:21-24). The Hebrew writer said, without faith one cannot be pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:6). This not only makes faith imperative, but it also impresses the importance that our faith not be in vain. Consider things that may cause one’s faith to be vain.

1. One’s faith is vain if it is based upon the wrong teaching! In religion we are repeatedly exposed to the idea that it doesn’t matter what one believes as long as he is honest and sincere. Differences in denominational teachings are defended by saying that believing is the important thing and what one believes isn’t of real importance. I don’t think those espousing this in religion would follow the same logic (?) in other areas of life and contend that it isn’t really important what one eats to build a health body and that is isn’t what one eats but the act of eating that does this! Immigrants from another country found growing in one of our states a mushroom they thought was the same as one in their native country and gathered and ate them. They became very ill and one or two small children died from this. They honestly and sincerely thought these mushrooms were safe, but believing this did not protect them from the poison which the mushrooms contained.

Paul makes the point to the Corinthians that he had taught them to believe in the resurrection of the dead and the assurance of this was in Christ’s resurrection. However, if there is no resurrection, then Christ had not risen, his preaching is false, their faith, based upon it was made vain and they were still in their sins (I Corinthians 15:13-19). This teaches us two things. First, that one cannot be taught wrong and believe right. Second, faith which is wrong does not produce the right results. Paul told the Corinthians that believing the wrong thing means that they were still in their sins.

Friend, it does make a difference what one believes in religion. Jesus taught that God’s word is truth (John 17:17) and that it is truth that makes us free (John 8:32). Paul said that believing a lie would cause one to be condemned (II Thessalonians 2:11-12).

2. One’s faith is vain if placed in the wrong person. Jesus said, “… I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:32). Again He said, “… Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:23-24). “Jesus saith unto him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me’” (John 14:6). Peter taught that Jesus was the stone rejected by the builders that had become “the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12). Paul said, “Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (II Timothy 2:10).

Upon the basis of testimony like this from the Lord and His apostles inspired by the Holy Spirit, I draw the conclusion that Christ is the person and the only person in whom our hope and salvation rests. Prominent and influential leaders may have become “broad-minded” and “tolerant” enough to conclude that Jews, Muslims, and Oriental religions that do not accept Christ as the only begotten Son of God and His death as the only acceptable sacrifice which the Heavenly Father will receive as payment for our sin debt have their sins forgiven and will be eternally saved, but they have the hope in the wrong persons. Nor can we, who claim to believe that He is the Savior, then put our feelings, what preachers say, what our parents believe, or what the majority thinks above what the Lords says and expect to hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” If we honor the words of men above His, will He not say, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say” (Luke 6:46)? My point is that our faith will have been in vain if we put it in the wrong person.

3. Faith, that stands alone is in vain. Human creeds teach that our salvation is by “faith only” (Methodist Discipline, Article IX), or “solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood,” (Article V, Baptist Manuals). The New Testament teaches that faith which avails is one “which worketh by love,” (Galatians 5:6), and that faith only “is dead” (James 2:17, 20, 26). James also said, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:24).

So popular in denominationalism is the doctrine of salvation by faith only that it is referred to as “Orthodox Protestantism.” There is no question about faith’s importance because our Lord said that one not believing in Him would die in his sins (John 8:24), and the Hebrew writer said that without faith one cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6). I’m not trying to minimize the importance of faith. I am trying to emphasize that Christ is the author of salvation to them that obey Him (Hebrews 5:9). This tells us that it is obedient faith that saves, not faith alone.

4. Faith, that doesn’t endure or that draws back is in vain! Faith failures sometimes come. Christ experienced this with some of His disciples who “…went back, and walked no more with him” (John 6:66). The Hebrew writer exhorts us to “hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end” (Hebrews 3:6), not make the mistake of “…departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12), and failing to enter His promised rest by coming short of it by a failing faith (Hebrews 3:14-19; 4:1-2). He admonishes them not to cast away “your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward,” because if one draws back, God has not pleasure in him. But, He does have pleasure in those who “believe to the saving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:35-39). A faith that motivates one to begin to follow the Lord, then turns back and ceases to serve Him, is a faith that is vain. The faith that endures under affliction is more precious than gold (I Peter 1:7).