*This week’s blog is a re-post from 3/23/22.
As we continue to learn what it means to be a gospel fluent people, we want to ensure that we truly understand what the gospel is. Last time we defined the gospel:
The gospel is the good news that Jesus is Lord and King over all creation. Jesus ushered in God’s kingdom and died on the cross for our sins, was buried, resurrected, and exalted to the right hand of God the Father. In his great love and amazing grace, God the Father saves those who repent of their sin, believe the gospel, and follow Jesus. When King Jesus returns on the Day of Judgment, everyone who has followed him will enter into the eternal Kingdom of God.
Here’s another way we could say it, but more briefly:
The gospel is the good news that God himself has come to rescue and renew humanity and all creation in and through Jesus the Lord and King.
What exactly does this mean? We said that the gospel tells us three important things that are true because of who Jesus is and what He has done to rescue and renew humanity and all creation. Here they are:
- We believe we have been saved from the penalty of sin
- We believe we are being saved from the power of sin
- We believe we will be saved from the presence of sin.
The gospel did not just happen…it is happening!
For years my understanding of the gospel was that Jesus saved me from my sins so that I could avoid hell and get into heaven someday when I die. How true! When I believed that Jesus was the only one who could save me, forgive me, and bring me to God, trusting that his death was in place of my own, my sins were totally forgiven, and I now had hope that I would spend the rest of eternity with him. This is good news!
However, I never grasped the reality that Jesus’ death and resurrection brought about a radical life transformation that could happen in the here and now! It never dawned on me that Christ’s power in me—the Holy Spirit—enabled me to say “no” to the power and pull of sin in the everyday stuff of life. And when I began to grasp this truth, I began to see how God’s people could start to live the lives we were created to live.
No doubt, our lives are still affected by sin. We still are learning to walk in the light of Jesus in all we think, say, and do. And we joyfully long for the day when Jesus returns and puts to right all that is wrong in us, and all that is wrong in the world.
But the good news of the gospel is not something we have to wait for; it is good news that is past, present, and future.
Take some time to look at the three truths we find in the gospel along with the corresponding verses and think through these questions:
- What stirs your heart and life when you think about the gospel as a past, present, and future reality?
- How does this change the way you view your sin?
- How does this reality affect your relationship with God? With others?
We believe we have been saved from the penalty of sin:
- We believe we were an enemy of God because of our sin and rebellion against him, deserving his wrath (Rom. 1:18-32; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3).
- We believe Jesus is the Son of God who is fully God and fully man and that he lived his life fully submitted to God the Father (Jn. 1:1-18; 5:19, 30; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:15-19).
- According to the Scriptures, we believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins, justifying us before God and reconciling us to God (Rom. 5:6-11; 1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:17-21).
- We believe Jesus rose again on the third day and appeared to many people (1 Cor. 15:4-8).
- We believe Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father and sent his Spirit to convict the world of sin, righteousness & judgment (Jn. 16:7-11; Acts 2:32-34).
- We believe the Holy Spirit has made us alive in Christ and we are now no longer condemned, but children, loved by God the Father, submitted to Jesus as Lord and sent and empowered by the Spirit for his mission of making disciples (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Rom. 8:1, 14-17; Eph. 1:1-2:10)
We believe we are being saved from the power of sin:
- We believe that the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in us, and we have access to the power of God to overcome sin and Satan today (Jn. 14:12-14, 20:21-22; Rom. 8:2-11).
- We believe it is God’s will that we are sanctified – set apart to do his will (Rom. 6:19, 22; 1 Peter 1:13-25; 1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19-20; 1 Thess. 4:3).
- We desire to obey God and grow to become more like Jesus and accomplish his mission (Jn. 8:42, 14:15; Eph. 4:11-16).
- We believe we have all we need to make this a reality – his Spirit, his word, and his Church, and we intend to steward all of this for his glory (Eph. 1:2-22; Col. 1:27-29; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3-11).
We believe we will be saved from the presence of sin:
- We believe Jesus will one day return and will end sin, suffering, evil and brokenness (Matt. 16:27; 24:27, 44; Acts 1:11; 2 Thess. 1:10; Heb. 9:28; Rev. 19:1-20:14; 22:7, 12, 20).
- We believe there will be a new heaven and new earth (Is. 65:17, 66:22; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1-22:5).
- We believe he will judge the living and the dead, and all those who put their trust in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection on their behalf will enjoy being in God’s presence forever in the new heaven and new earth (Acts 10:42-43; 2 Tim. 4:1; 1 Pet. 4:5; Rev. 20:11-21:8).
- We believe all those who trust in something or someone other than Jesus for their life and justification before God will be separated from God forever (Matt 7:21-23, 25:41-46; Jn. 3:16-18, 14:6; Acts 4:12).
- We believe it is our job as the Church to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ for the salvation of souls and to display through our lives the foretaste of the future so that people will hunger for it and put their faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8; Rom. 10:14-16; 1 Pet. 2:9-12, 3:15).
May the gospel’s past, present, and future reality fill you with joy!
–Pastor Wade