What we hold as our most important belief helps set the direction for our life and faith. It is the same for organizations too. If a particular baseball team believes that winning at all costs is most important, the direction that team takes will lead to moral compromise and relational failure. If a person believes that acquiring material possessions is most important, that trajectory will crush intimacy and extinguish compassion.

Churches are no different. What they hold as their most important belief about Jesus defines who they are and the direction they will go. Some churches believe that Jesus’ top priority is caring for the poor. Others that His first priority is saving souls. When the most important belief held about Jesus is mistaken the entire direction of a church, and a life, heads off course.

In this morning’s passage from First Corinthians 15, Paul (the writer) states without hesitation that the most important belief about Jesus for Christians is the death of Jesus FOR US, and Jesus’ ultimate and final defeat of death. This is the central and first belief about Jesus, priority one, for all Christians. It sets our direction, it instructs what we believe about God, it helps us understand God’s relationship with us, it informs us regarding God’s power and love.

What belief about Jesus does Grace hold as most important? What belief about Jesus do we personally hold as most important? And, because of that belief, where are we headed?