If

Does the gospel have the power to save? 

Paul says it does, IF we hold firmly to it. If not . . . 

That seems obvious; it's part of our Christian jargon. "Stand firm!" we say. "Hold fast to the faith." 

But with the consequences clearly pointed out by Paul in the first few verses of 1 Cor 15 ("Otherwise you have believed in vain"), it's worth asking, what exactly does it mean to hold firmly to the word? 

I remember the first time I rappelled. Stepping off the top of the 80-foot training tower meant trusting in the rope and harness I was wearing. It also meant trusting that what my instructors had told me about rappelling was true. But most of all, I had a death grip on the rope. 

In a spiritual sense, maybe holding firm means those three things. Maybe I need to have faith in the gospel writers like Paul, and in the Spirit who inspired them. Maybe I need to trust that the gospel itself, with which I have been equipped, will keep me safe. But those two mental commitments won't do a thing if I don't actually hang on to the word. 

Do I always do that? I'm not sure. I know sometimes I can live a day or days without giving God much thought. I know that often I try to live in my own strength, and turn to God only when that's not working. So maybe I don't. 

I need to think about that. To let go of a rope on a cliff face would obviously be a stupid thing to do. Wouldn't it be just as stupid to let go of the gospel while I'm here on earth? The threats to my soul are just as real as death by gravity, with longer-term consequences.