Step three in this model for gospel-centered obedience is
the gospel itself. This is where the most confusion in a believer's life
occurs... at least it did in mine... for a long time. We hear the command
"Make Disciples," and a few different things happen: Feelings of
obligation creep in. "Oh no! I'm not doing this. I need to start doing
this! Let's go do this!" You may insert any admonition or sin that you are
struggling with (anything that God has an opinion on). The point is, we tend to
allow mere obligation or guilt to drive us to action.
I do not in any way mean to imply that immediate and active
obedience are bad things, but, if you're like I am, and you tend toward
self-reliance or (even worse) self-justification through your works, I'm simply
proposing another way.
What if, before we act, we were to stop and reflect on the
work of Christ on our behalf? In other words, before we DO, let's remember
what's already been DONE for us. If you hold the belief that Jesus not only
took all of our sins on Himself but also gave us His very righteousness (2 Cor.
5:21), then it is through the gospel that we receive both the right and the
ability to live this out.
To phrase it a little differently: We are both saved
AND sanctified by the gospel (at least in part, or in
conjunction with our new hearts and the Holy Spirit). If we were powerless to
save ourselves eternally from the power of sin, what makes us think that we are
powerful enough in ourselves (or in the flesh) to overcome it's power in this
life? I am arguing that we are not, and every frustrated Christian out there
who's been trying to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps for years knows
this to be true.
What is the Gospel?
Understanding the gospel begins with the realization that
God created the whole world as a sinless and wonderful place. He created us in
His image to reflect His glory, but we chose to rebel against His righteous and
good commands and to go our own way. This is sin. It is not just about our
outward actions, and it even goes deeper than our thoughts or motivations. Sin
permeates our very being (Eph. 2:1-3). We are sinners by nature. We inherited
it from our father Adam, but we also willingly participate in it (Rom. 5:12
says both).
The gospel is the reality that God was not content to leave
us in our broken state or to send someone else to fix it. God became man (in
the person of Jesus Christ) and resisted all temptation to sin for His entire
life so that He could become the spotless sacrifice (or payment) for our sin.
Jesus nailed our sins to the cross (Col. 2:13-14). What we deserved as the just
payment for our sin was death (Rom. 6:23); but what those who believe have
received is a cancellation of our debt through the gift of God. As I mentioned
earlier, not only did Christ nail our sins to the cross, but He then gave us
His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). This means that we are not only righteous in
the eyes of God, but we are also given the power to live righteously through
new birth (or regeneration) which is from the Holy Spirit. We'll get to that a
little later.
The final piece to this good news is the fact that one day
sin and death will be cast into the lake of fire, and we will no longer have to
feel the painful effects of sin all around us or be tempted by it.
This is the gospel... probably the very same gospel that you
received for salvation. Now, how does it help in the process of sanctification?
We'll get to that in the next post...
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