"The word evangelion ("the gospel") or evangelizdomai ("to declare the gospel") occurs so often in the New Testament that "clearly the term gospel is a kind of code word for many New Testament writers that summarizes something very basic regarding what the early Christians thought the Christian faith was all about.""
Darrin Patrick, Church Planter, 110.
Quoting James V. Brownson, Speaking the Truth in Love: New Testament Resources for a Missional Hermeneutic, 31.
I could not agree more with either Darrin Patrick or James Brownson. The gospel is used so often that it surely was a code word, a loaded word, a pregnant word, that encapsulates the essence of the Christian message.
Yet, so many folks in the pulpit and in the pew do not give the term gospel proper respect. For many, the gospel is the entry way into a relationship with God. It is a message for non-believers. It is something they already know and now it is time to get to deeper teaching.
There is no deeper teaching than the full implications of the gospel!
The gospel is the heart and soul of the Christian faith. It is valid and needed in the life of both the seasoned saint and the not-yet believer. It is the starting point for our spiritual journey, as well as the means of growth in grace.
The gospel, the declaration that Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection, is the key to understanding all meaning and purpose in life. It is the message of Jesus.
Why did he have to be born and live a perfect life?
Because God loves the world- a world that is fallen into sin, death, and decay.
Why did Jesus have to die a death he did not deserve?
Because holiness demands payment/justice for sin, death, and decay. His death paid the debt of sin against a holy God and His resurrection began the final defeat of sin, death, and decay.
What does this have to do with me?
It is all about direction. Apart from Christ, we participate and grow in sin, death, and decay. Apart from Christ means apart from faith/trust in His grace. As we walk in self-effort, we wander deeper into sin, death, and decay.
On the other side, while walking in faith/trust in Christ, we participate and grow in holiness, life, and renewal. The promise is that at death, the final vestiges of sin, death, and decay will be set aside; but until then, we struggle to grow in faith and trust. As we reject self-effort for faith, God transforms our hearts so the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5) flows from the inside out.
Transformation occurs as we apply Christ's work to our life. This application is made through repenting of our sin, which includes our religious self-effort, and resting in Christ's unending love and grace for us.
Again, until death this transformation is not complete. Thus, the gospel is central in the life of the most seasoned saint as well as the not-yet believer. It is True Truth.
May this week be blessed with a growing recognition of our need for Christ's grace and mercy. May we grow in repentance and faith so that we can participate and grow in holiness, life, and renewal.
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