Gentlemen, This is Football!

The professional football season is here. That’s a big deal if you’re a fan like me. We’ve been waiting and waiting for a new season. Will your team have another great year like last year? Or, like me, maybe your team needs a fresh start. An opportunity to start over and forget the past.

Professional football has a storied history. It started even before the first Super Bowl in 1967 when the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) played each other (now the AFC and NFC) in a championship for the first time. Before that the NFL had been founded in 1920 and began playing championship games in 1933.

In the 1960 NFL championship game the Green Bay Packers lost by only three points to the Philadelphia Eagles. So, Vince Lombardi began the 1961 Green Bay Packers training camp with the famous quote “Gentlemen, this is a football.” Why? Lombardi wanted to start his team with the basics. From scratch, so to speak. These were professional football players! Was that really necessary? Well, the Packers came back to win the championship that season. I guess Lombardi knew what he was doing.

In this case, what’s true with football, is true with our faith as well. It’s always helpful to wade through the extra stuff and remember our foundation: The gospel. It is the gospel that gives us a fresh start. A new season, so to speak. The Apostle Paul writes this regarding the gospel:

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”

(1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Paul’s objective here is to remind the Corinthians of what he preached to them. What they had accepted as the truth and stood on firmly. Paul reminds them that this gospel is of “first importance”. Nothing else is more important. How important is it? Paul says that if they lose sight of the gospel their belief is in vain. And, guess what, what Paul told them is true for us as well.

But why did he need to remind them of this truth? Simply because they were faltering in their faith. They had issues that they disagreed about. There was rampant sin in the church. They weren’t loving each other the way they should. In addition, they had plenty of pressure from outside the church. I don’t know about you, but to me it doesn’t sound all that much different than the church today. And what is Paul’s answer to all of these issues? Go back to basics. Remember the gospel.

To be clear, the word “gospel” simply means “good news” or “good story.” It is the good news of how God brought us back to Him through Jesus. It is how God saved us. In these few verses, Paul summarizes that story:

• • “Christ died for our sins!” Of course, this has no meaning at all if we don’t believe we are sinners. The scripture teaches otherwise. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23) But what the scripture clarifies for us we already know in our hearts. We wander. We search. We know something is wrong. We only need to look in our hearts. Christ died for our sins. Thank you, God, for taking away my sin!
  • “According to the scriptures.” Don’t overlook this. No happenstance. No mistakes. The scripture, The Old Testament, foretold that it would happen. The great story of our salvation was revealed ahead of time. God worked from the beginning, controlling time and events, to bring about our salvation. “Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” is the scripture’s rhetorical question. (Num 23:19) God does what He says He will. Thank you, God, for planning my salvation from the beginning!
  • “He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” Jesus did not stay in the grave. He did not stay dead. He rose again. In His death He forgave our sins. In His resurrection God graciously gives us eternal life. “…the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” (Rom 8:11) Thank you, God, that I have eternal life because of what You did!

Maybe you’ve had a rough season. Or, you know someone who has. The gospel is the answer. By the gospel we have a fresh start. A new season full of hope. Whether for the first time or as a return to the basics. Forget the past. Put aside the difficulties for a moment and remember: We have the answer. Remember the gospel.

Dave Foucar has a passion for teaching God’s word. His first book, “What Do I Say When Asked About Jesus?” provides a layman’s perspective on personal evangelism and the basics of the Christian faith. Dave has been married for thirty-six years to the love of his life, Debbie. They have three daughters, two sons-in-law, and two granddaughters. Follow Dave on Substack

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