IF YE KEEP IN MEMORY
By Elder Mark Green
“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” (1 Cor. 15.1-2).
Here is an “if” salvation that depends upon the carefulness and attentiveness of the person saved. Paul clearly says that the Corinthians were saved by this gospel IF they kept in memory what he had preached unto them. What he had preached to them he particularly mentions in the next two verses: that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day, just as the Scriptures had prophesied that He would. That is what he preached, and that is what would save them if they kept it in mind. Given the fact that the chapter which this passage begins is devoted to the Resurrection, it is reasonable to think that the particular principle which Paul had in mind was that wonderful, soul-cheering doctrine.
Peter said that the brethren in his day had been begotten again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Christ from the dead (1 Pt. 1.3). This verse is not speaking of the way in which they had been born again, but the way in which they had been restored to a lively hope. To be devoid of hope must be the most miserable condition in the world. No matter what our circumstances, no matter how difficult they may be, to have a hope that things will get better is what warms our souls and makes us press onward.
It is the gentle sea that buoys us up when the afflictions and burdens of this world would drag us down into despair. Despair is the opposite of hope. Satan likes nothing better than to drag God’s children into a hopeless and defeated state of mind. Hymenaeus and Philetus had told some of the saints that the Resurrection had already passed, and had overthrown their faith – and their hope right along with it.
Nothing cheers and sustains the child of God in this low ground of sin and sorrow like the thought of the Resurrection. No matter how bad our affairs may become, they will get better. This world will not last forever. There will be an end to the suffering and sorrow, the toils and temptations. The man who undermines our belief in or understanding of that precious doctrine has struck the hardest blow possible against our happiness here in this world.
If despair is the opposite of happiness, then we are saved from despair by a belief in the Resurrection. We are saved in that way IF we keep it in mind. If we neglect that doctrine, or become confused about it, or let it slip from our minds, we are opposing our own happiness and peace. The minister who stirs up the minds of God’s people by continually reminding them of the truth of the Resurrection is helping to save them from what their lot would be if they were to let it slip.
This is a conditional salvation, and it applies only to our lot here in time. If the term Conditional Time Salvation does not accurately describe the deliverance under consideration here, then I do not understand the English language. Our remembering something is not what gets us to heaven, but it will deliver us from many torments of mind in this life.
I suggest that we remember this doctrine, that we often speak to one another concerning our hope, that we meditate frequently upon its reality. Nothing is calculated to enhance our earthly happiness more than thinking about that great Day when the Lord shall return to raise the dead.