Loved, rescued, and made alive!

Have you thought about the gospel today?

This evening I was reading a prayer of Ezra, a godly man who helped lead God's people out of captivity from Babylonia. I was struck with one part of his prayer - his words, although speaking of their bondage as literal slaves, express what was true of every believer:

"For we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not forsaken us, but has extended lovingkindness to us...." (Ezra 9:9)

Flip forward to the New Testament, and the apostle Paul describes our rescue from captivity like this: . .
.
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ... "(Eph 2:4,5)

I don't want this precious and magnificent truth to ever grow dull in my heart - I was in bondage to sin, but God showed mercy to me by sending Christ to pay my ransom with His own blood, on the cross. Now I am free!

If you have a moment, pause the player on the right and listen to this song - if Christ has saved you, then this is your story too:

The Power to Forgive and Conquer Our Sin

Every other Friday night I have the privilege of listening to some faithful men preach the gospel on the street using a sketch board, and they are always diligent to present the truth that it is because of our sin that we need saving. Such a simple statement, and yet sometimes missed in modern gospel presentations. The main issue is not that we need love, and fulfillment, and purpose in our lives (we do, but that is not the point of the gospel) - it is that we have offended a loving, holy, pure and just God with our sin, and without forgiveness, will be sent to hell. To approach Him, to fellowship with such a God, we desperately need a righteousness that is not our own. That is why Jesus Christ is good news - He payed the penalty for our sin so that we might be restored to God in faith and repentance. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Eph. 2:8,9

Most who read this blog already have an understanding of those truths - but even we who are saved are to meditate on and rejoice in the gospel. :)

For that reason, I've started reading (again) The Gospel According to Jesus. I want to have a firm grasp on the message we are called to share. I found the following quotes from MacArthur to be a refreshing reminder of the simple, yet powerful truth of the gospel:

"Sin is no peripheral issue as far as salvation is concerned; it is the issue...the distinctive element of the Christian message is the power of Jesus Christ to forgive and conquer our sin. Of all the realities of the gospel, none is more wonderful than the news that the enslaving grasp of sin has been broken...

The gospel according to Jesus is first of all a mandate for repentance...From the beginning of Jesus' ministry, the heart of His message was a call to repentance. In fact, when our Lord first began to preach, the opening word of His message was "Repent" (Matt. 4:17). It was also the first word of John the Baptist's message (Matt. 3:2) and the basis of the gospel the apostles preached (Acts 3:19; 20:21; 26:20). No one who neglects to call sinners to repentance is preaching the gospel according to Jesus."

Which verses do you (or would you) most often use in communicating the gospel to unbelievers?

Wow.

HT: Truth Matters

I Want the Whole Gospel

Every single ounce of truth; give it to me straight just like it is in the Bible.

I want the whole gospel:

Don’t dilute the living water—it might not quench my thirsty soul.

I want the whole gospel:

Turn on the light of Jesus Christ and don’t shield my view—I need every beam of His radiant glory to dispel the darkness in me.

I want the whole gospel:

Don’t block the door, or I might not get through.

I want the whole gospel:

I need an accurate map to the narrow road, because only a few are finding it.

I want the whole gospel:

Because I am wholly lost, God’s verdict is wholly just, and my damnation is wholly certain.

My heart is wholly depraved and my sin is wholly mine.

My efforts are wholly futile and my escapes are wholly hopeless.I need a whole Savior, whose whole suffering, wholly satisfies a holy God.

Please, please don’t cut the corners. It’s appointed unto man once to die and I have to be sure I get it right.

I have to have the whole gospel—give it to me straight. Nothing else will do!

Yes…God help us, let’s give the whole gospel.

I found the above poem by James MacDonald on the Truth Matters Blog and had to share it here. May God help His followers to be faithful proclaimers of the true Gospel! I strongly encourage you to also check out 5 Distortions to the Gospel in Our Day

Holy Love

If we spoke less about God's love and more about his holiness, more about his judgment, we should say much more when we did speak of his love. - P.T. Forsyth

Today's Christian culture - often "me centered", soft and easy to swallow - desperately needs to be redefined by this truth.

There's a lot that can be taken from this quote - What are your thoughts?

Do you "preach the gospel to yourself" daily?

In thinking back to this post, I want to point you to an article by Jerry Bridges called Gospel-Driven Sanctification. Why is this topic so important? Mr. Bridges explains,

"As I see it, the Christian community is largely a performance-based culture today. And the more deeply committed we are to following Jesus, the more deeply ingrained the performance mindset is. We think we earn God's blessing or forfeit it by how well we live the Christian life."

The good news of the gospel is not only that we (believers) will be accepted into heaven, but that we are daily accepted by God because of Jesus' sacrificial death and righteousness. As Mr. Bridges words it,

"...it is the gospel that continues to remind us that our day-to-day acceptance with the Father is not based on what we do for God but upon what Christ did for us..."

If, like me, you've ever struggled with this "performance mindset", I encourage you to read the whole article. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic whether you read the article or not though!

Everyday Gospel

"...'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 Keller

This 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?

Summary of the book of Romans...

O long and dark the stairs I trod;

With trembling feet to find my God

Gaining a foothold, bit by bit,

Then slipping back and losing it.

Never progressing, striving still

With weakening grasp and faltering will,

Bleeding to climb to God, while He

Serenely smiled, not noting me.

Then came a certain time when I

Loosened my hold and fell thereby;

Down to the lowest step my fall,

As if I had not climbed at all.

Now when I lay despairing there,

Listen, a footfall on the stair,

On that same stair where I afraid,

Faltered and fell and lay dismayed.

And lo, when hope had ceased to be,

My God came down the stairs to me!

(anonymous - copied from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Romans 1-8)

I hope you all have a weekend that is full of trusting in His grace!