"...'the gospel' is not just a way to be saved from the penalty of sin, but is the fundamental dynamic for living the whole Christian life--individually and corporately, privately and publicly. In other words, the gospel is not just for non-Christians, but also for Christians. This means the gospel is not just the A-B-C's but the A to Z of the Christian life. It is not accurate to think 'the gospel' is what saves non-Christians, and then, what matures Christians is trying hard to live according to Biblical principles. It is more accurate to say that we are saved by believing the gospel, and then we are transformed in every part of our mind, heart, and life by believing the gospel more and more deeply as our life goes on." - Tim KellerThis quote (found on Monergism.com) really caught my eye. I think many Christians (myself included) have been guilty of minimizing the importance of the gospel for day-to-day Christian living.
How do you think the truths of the gospel (God's righteousness, man's sinfulness, mercy, grace, etc.) relate to living the Christian life every day?
3 comments:
So very true! This is exactly what the Lord has been showing me.
The true Christian life can only be lived by Christ...through us. It is only when we access Christ through faith that we can truly live the victorious life.
I think too often Christians rely solely on Christ's part to transform that we forget our part. We must cooperate with Christ in being transformed. This means that we must dig into His Word and learn from Him. Then the transformation can flourish.
Edie, I've seen that extreme as well, although I think the tendency is also to swing in the opposite direction and focus entirely on *our* ability to live the Christian life. I actually came across a really helpful article by Jerry Bridges about how the gospel relates to our sanctification, so I hope to post an excerpt of that soon. Thanks for your thoughts. :)
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