The Gospel - Jeremiah's Vow

Lent 2023 | Day 13: The Gospel’s Challenge, Pt 2

In the Gospel, there is built into it the expectation of growth. Like all seeds, the plant is hidden within it. And until it is planted, nothing will come of it.

The challenge we looked at yesterday was related to the internal confrontation the Gospel creates. Until and unless we accept the Gospel’s definition of reality regarding our sins, we will struggle to enjoy God’s promises.

The other challenge the Gospel offers is one related to action. To put it another way, this challenge is offered on the other side of salvation. Once we have accepted the work of Jesus for our sins, we are exposed to the mission the Gospel points to.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he left instructions with his disciples. He told them to go into the whole world teaching whomever they found to obey Jesus’s commandments. These are simple instructions. However, they would require unwavering devotion to the message of redemption.

In the Gospel, there is built into it the expectation of growth. Like all seeds, the plant is hidden within it. And until it is planted, nothing will come of it.

The continued expansion of the kingdom of God requires our consistent proclamation of the Gospel. This does not mean everyone will become a preacher, evangelist, or teacher. At least not in a vocational sense. But everyone who has believed the Gospel has a duty to find ways of communicating what they have received with others.

We are all called to serve in the kingdom. And because we all are beneficiaries of the grace of God, we should cultivate the skills to share what we have received.

Now, I know that this sounds like too much to ask. But, it really isn’t. There are as many ways to communicate the Gospel as there are people in the world. Each of us has a unique life from which we can find a connection with others. We don’t all have to say the same words to be faithful heralds of the same message.

For too long, the responsibility of every believer to build up the courage to share their story of faith has been missed. At almost every turn, Jesus told the people he healed or ministered to not to say to others. But, the impact of what Jesus did was so great, most people ignored Jesus and shared about him anyway.

Consider what God has done for you. Think deeply about what it means to have been saved from a life of sin and restored to fellowship with God. If that is not enough motivation to at least share it with one other person, what are we really saying about the Gospel? About God and our salvation? About Jesus?

My purpose today is not to shame anyone. It is however a reminder that what God has done cannot be repaid. God has never and will never ask for that. So, framing this challenge in that way is neither fair nor appropriate.

We should be convicted about our role to participate in sharing the Gospel. Not in some legalistic way. But rather as an expression of our love and appreciation for what God has done for us. And what he is doing within us.

This is the Gospel’s other challenge. That we would do what Jesus said would be the task of all who claim his name.

Lent 2023 Series

Lent 2023 | Day 12: The Gospel’s Challenge, Pt 1

Sin is not like the kinds of features and attributes that get better with effort. Sin is attached to the very essence of who we are.

The word challenge has a couple of meanings that I would like to consider. The first is the idea of obstacles we have to overcome. The second is being issued a task that will require intentionality and focus to accomplish. In today’s reflection, we will consider the first understanding.

The Gospel clarifies our reality

When we first hear the Gospel, we are immediately confronted with a stark reality. Specifically, we are told to accept that we are sinners. That there is something terribly wrong with how we look at the world. It is often difficult to accept this.

Part of the problem in our becoming convinced of what the Gospel assumes is that we do not really see ourselves as having insurmountable flaws. We have been taught to believe that with some hard work and creativity, we can become better versions of ourselves. And while this is not the whole truth, it has elements of truthfulness in it.

If we can identify areas of our lives where we can improve, with some effort we can increase our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. And this is part of the problem. Sin is not like the kinds of features and attributes that get better with effort. Sin is attached to the very essence of who we are. What this means is that it permeates the very world we exist in. Sin is not some localized phenomenon. It is the very atmosphere we live in.

Sin is all around us

To understand the challenge more clearly, it’s like telling a fish that the world it exists in (the water) is the very prison that confines it every moment.

Because sin is everywhere, in everything, and is the given reality of our lives, we have a difficult time understanding “what’s wrong.” This is why the Gospel is challenging. The Gospel is pointing at the only world we have ever known and says, “You have to leave this world if you want to be truly free.”

This is why one of the principal images of the Christian conversion experience is dying to sin. If we do not die to the world as it is, we are still bound by its laws and restrictions. But, if like Jesus, we die to ourselves and to this world, we can be born again with a new life. With a restored nature.

Yes, we will still be in this world, but we will no longer be of this world. We don’t fully understand all of this. I know I don’t. But I have been thinking and reflecting on the implications of these images and concepts for a long time. And the more I consider what they are saying the more I realize that God is not using these images as platitudes to make us feel better. These images are windows into the fullness of what God has been doing for us.

Do we believe what God says about sin?

The Gospel’s challenge is that points that THE problem that is keeping from having a relationship with God and tells me how God has decided to resolve it. But, in order for me to benefit from this solution, I have to accept that the problem of sin is as grave as the grace required to deal with it is. If we think that God is overreacting to our sin by sending Jesus to die on the cross, we may not fully appreciate the nature of the problem we are facing.

I learned a long time ago, the solution to a problem is a good indicator of how serious the problem is. The reason I hire plumbers, electricians, and mechanics to fix those issues when they break is that I usually don’t know what’s wrong with the system that’s broken.

These tradesmen have more experience in spotting and fixing the problems that are present. That is why I pay them. Just because the person fixing it makes it look easy doesn’t mean it is. It just means that the person has the expertise needed to get the job done in as efficient and economical a way as possible.

Sure, I could have attempted to fix it myself, but it would have taken more time than I had. And it would have cost me more aggravation than it was worth. So, I hire someone who knows what they are doing. Or at least knows more than I do.

So, if the problem I have is sin, and God is an expert in fixing that particular issue, then why do so many call into question the price tag God has put on our salvation? I think we have a hard time believing the bill when it comes due.

Sin is as bad as God says. And we know this is true because of the cost Jesus paid to address it.

This is the first challenge the Gospel makes to us. Are we willing to accept that sin is what God says it is?

Lent 2023 Series

Lent 2023 | Day 11: The Gospel’s Fulfillment

It is not something we often think about, but the Gospel’s fulfillment actually begins with the birth of Jesus.

It is not something we often think about, but the Gospel’s fulfillment actually begins with the birth of Jesus. At least he part of God’s redemption plan most clearly understood by us. We will not go into all of the theology surrounding the incarnation here. However, it is worth mentioning that without the physical entrance of Jesus into the world, the idea of a physical death would make little sense.

The sacrificial system used by the Israelites serves as the precursor to the cross. The reasons and interactions between people and priests and God are all images we need to better understand our redemption in Jesus. While the Old Testament speaks in shadows and allusions, Jesus embodies the full expression of what those actions and symbols pointed to.

In the Old Testament system, we are taught about the need for atonement and restoration of fellowship with God. These processes are necessary for there to be a relationship with God. Without them, we do not have any hope of having our relationship with God restored.

This short reminder of what God initiated is important to make sense of how God ultimately fulfilled his promise of salvation for all people. God never wastes his effort or energy. He is economical in that sense. But, that also means that everything God does is designed to help us better understand what he wants us to know.

The Gospel’s fulfillment only makes sense in the greater revelation of God’s purposes. This means that what we see on the cross was preceded by Jesus’s life. We can bear witness to Jesus’s life because of his birth. And God’s people anticipated the coming of the Messiah because of what God said about the coming king.

All of these linkages in time are a part of God’s unfolding revelation of what he has been doing from the beginning of creation. Too often we miss these connections because they are so far apart. That’s why it’s helpful to take some time and think about God’s actions over a wider span of time. I know that I have been supposed, more than once, by what I have seen working together. Events and situations that at other times seemed possible.

Lent 2023 Series

Lent 2023 | Day 10: The Gospel’s Promise

The Gospel’s Promise is that God can save. God will deliver on his promise to save because God can.

Over the last few days, we have been looking at the Gospel trying to better understand its many dimensions. This series of reflections will not be able to identify them all. That is not our goal. The goal is that by looking at the aspects of the Gospel identified, we might better appreciate what God has done and continues to sustain by his grace and power.

Today’s theme is similar to the one we shared yesterday–The Gospel Effectiveness. However, while yesterday we sought to highlight God’s power to deliver on the Gospel message, today will be an exploration of God’s faithfulness to do so.

If I were to summarize what I mean it would be this: The Gospel’s Promise is that God can save. Not in the sense of ability as we discussed yesterday. But rather in the sense of willingness. God will deliver on his promise to save because God can.

An excellent example of this reality can be found in an exchange Jesus had with a man suffering from leprosy. We find the story in the opening verses of Matthew 8.¹

¹When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. ²And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” ³Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
New King James Version

This interaction between Jesus and the leper has always been a powerful reminder of God’s mercy. The telling in Mark offers us the added motivation of Jesus. “Then Jesus, moved with compassion…” (Mark 1:41a).

When Jesus looked at the situation of the man, when Jesus considered the plea he made, we are told by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was moved with a tender affection. Jesus wanted to do something for this man.

In Jesus, we see the fullness of God walking on the earth. Jesus’s life is the public and visible expression of God (Colossians 1:15-20). And in Jesus, we see God’s willingness to intervene on full display.

God among us in the person and work of Jesus is the Gospel’s promise. This is the promise not only enacted and embodied, but it is also the promise fulfilled.

Lent 2023 Series

The Story is also found in Mark 1:40-45 and Luke 5:12-16 [↩]

Lent 2023 | Day 9: The Gospel’s Effectiveness

If God’s power to save and to keep us saved rested on our ability, consistency, and strength, there would be no hope for salvation. But our salvation does not rest on anything we bring to the situation.

One of the most common themes that Christians I have encountered struggle with is that of their salvation. Specifically, the issue of whether or not it can become lost again. There are various answers to this. Each theological system will argue that its point of view is internally consistent. That the reasons for their positions are valid even when the conclusions are difficult to understand. My goal is not to enter some extended argument against any particular system.

Why do Some Question their Salvation?

For me, I am not interested in getting into those debates. We all must study Scripture for ourselves and seek the counsel of trusted mentors. We all have to decide which theological traditions and what they argue make the most sense to us. What I want to do, what I am more interested in looking at the implications the Gospel offers to us in regard to the subject of salvation. More specifically, what is the Gospel’s effectiveness in saving a lost soul?

Many times, conversations about salvation revolve around whether or not a person believed the correct version of the Gospel on the one hand; or whether a person is growing sufficiently in spiritual matters on the other. Yes, these are generalizations and even over-simplifications. But, if we listen to what people are asking and how they are asking about it, we will find these are far more common points of origin. Many people do not have sophisticated views about doctrine in general, or salvation specifically. Most Christians are simply holding onto the part of the Gospel they understand. Even if it is only one or two aspects of it.

Thinking more deeply about Salvation

A greater reality is that because of the many facets of the Gospel, people struggle to see how they all work together. This is part of the reason for this series of reflections. Maybe, if we look at these varied realities of the Gospel in smaller portions, we can better appreciate the whole.

Today’s focus shifts the emphasis of salvation away from the recipient to the giver of the Gospel. The great promise of the Gospel is that God is at work. That God has prepared and provided a means of salvation. And, if we take God at his word, we can experience the fullness of what the Gospel points to.

The effectiveness of the Gospel does not depend on my ability. The effectiveness of the Gospel does not require my effort. The effectiveness of the Gospel rests solely, completely, entirely, and unquestionably in the hands of God.

What that means is that regardless of what goes wrong on our side of the relationship God will uphold his end of the promise. God cannot fail in saving us. God will not fail in keeping us.

The Gospel is a testament to God’s Character

There is nothing that can keep us from receiving and being the beneficiaries of God’s grace once we have believed. Our vacillating nature was a part of the eternal calculus God did in drafting the Gospel message. God knew that we would struggle with holding on to his promises. God knew, from the foundations of the world, that faith would not come easily to so many. that’s why the Gospel is simple and clear. So that we could accept it even when we struggled to hold on to it.

But, God does not rely on our faithfulness to save us. God has declared that salvation is an eternal promise. Not a conditional one. And by virtue of the eternal nature of the Gospel, we can know that the Gospel will accomplish the mission for which it was created.

Yes, we can have a discussion about what it means that some believe and some will deny. We can consider what it means that some people never fully embrace the life of faith. We can even have our doubts about whether or not a person was ever really saved. But in the end, the question of the Gospel’s effectiveness is about God’s side of the salvation issue.

Too often people look at the people who don’t seem to be living up to what we think they should be and then turn and blame God for failing. This is not only a disingenuous form of argumentation, but it also betrays a self-righteous spirit within the person arguing in such a way.

Allow me to put this as simply as I can:

The Gospel is effective because God is God. That’s it. And if he says that the Gospel leads to eternal life, then I will take God at his word.

Lent 2023 Series

Lent 2023 | Day 8: The Gospel’s Simplicity

The better we understand the fullness of the Gospel’s message, the greater our appreciation of its reality.

The Gospel’s Clarity and the Gospel’s Simplicity are related realities of the message of salvation. However, there is a distinction we should draw between these two ideas. The better we understand the fullness of the Gospel’s message, the greater our appreciation of its reality. Our thankfulness for God’s grace will deepen as our awareness of its fullness is increased.

I will provide here what I mean in trying to distinguish between clarity and simplicity. The difference between clarity and simplicity is that the former speaks to the ability of the hearer to understand what is being asked of them, while the latter points to how the obstacles to understanding are minimized. Therefore, as it relates to the Gospel’s Simplicity we are looking at what makes a hearer’s understanding more difficult.

This threshold of understanding is what makes the issue worthy of consideration. And because, in God’s mercy, he makes the Gospel simple, far more who hear it may believe. Whether they truly do trust in Jesus is a different matter. One beyond the purpose of this reflection. This is one of the reasons that no one will have an excuse when asked why they rejected the Son of God.

As I have thought about what this means, I came to the conclusion that it means access. Because the message of the Gospel does not require the ability to decipher complex logical, theological, and philosophical questions, it opens wide opportunities for those who can believe its promises.

We are not Hindrances to Evangelism

We should not take this lightly. There is a mission-critical implication of this. And it is two-sided as well.

The first side is that we should not keep the Gospel to ourselves. The fact that God has made the Gospel simple to understand and receive should increase our confidence to share it. Knowing that because of the nature of this glorious news we, as messengers, do not have to be experts to perform this task should inspire us.

Now, this does not mean that we cannot ever be a hindrance to others. If we are careless in our sharing, we can cause our hearers to struggle to grasp what we are saying. I am just pointing out that we do not have to be, or feel that we will be, a stumbling block to the hearer. If I take the message that saved me and share that, in just the same way it made sense to me, then there is greater hope for evangelism. Not less.

Anyone is a Candidate for Salvation

The second side is that we should not prejudge who will accept the message. Because the message is simple, far more people can have the opportunity to hear it and believe it. We don’t have to vet the lost. We don’t have to do some kind of spiritual background check. We don’t have to check credentials. All we have to do, all we are asked to do, is preach the Gospel. To go and give to others what we have received.

To put it another way, not only is the message clear enough for a child (as we saw in our previous discussion), it is simple enough for that same child to know that they have believed the right thing!

We may not always fully appreciate this, but it is a vital component of the Gospel. If we cannot know that we have truly believed the Gospel, our hope will invariably devolve into works for assurance. However, if I know that I have understood and accepted the message and its intended meaning and purpose, my confidence in God grows. My commitment to God is bolstered.

If we underestimate the effect of knowing that we know what we know, what we end up doing is undervaluing the power of the Gospel’s simplicity.

Lent 2023 Series

Lent 2023 | Day 7: The Gospel’s Clarity

The particular genius of the Gospel is that is focuses on the singular issue that keep us separated from God.

The Gospel’s Clarity is Intentional

The particular genius of the Gospel is that it focuses on the singular issue that keeps us separated from God. Because of this characteristic, today’s theme becomes even more significant.

The Gospel’s clarity is founded on the fact that God is not trying to resolve every issue we have before our relationship with Him is restored. The gradual, but steady, process of transformation is already a part of the plan. Too often, and for too many people, there is a “pre-righteousness” mindset. It’s the idea that we have to “fix” ourselves before we come to God. We have to become holy and clean, and then we come.

This is not only wrong, but it is also the exact opposite of what God has designed in the Gospel. When the Gospel is declared, and we understand how terrible the problem of sin actually is, we must make a decision. Will we accept the offer of redemption or will we not?

The offer of salvation offered in and through the Gospel is clear. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. In his death, the repeated sacrifices of animals in the temple were completely abolished. What’s more, the quality and scope of Jesus’s sacrifice are both sufficient and efficient to save all who trust in him. And it doesn’t matter when they trust in him. God will apply the promise of salvation to all who believe.

The Gospel’s Clarity Leads to Sanctification

The Gospel’s clarity is what makes it effective. When we complicate it, when we try to help it along, when we miss the essential point of it we make it harder for people to know what they are being asked to do.

What makes the Gospel particularly beautiful is that it is so clear, we think we have missed something. There are many who think there must be more to what God is asking of us. Those who wonder about this would not be wrong about the question. They would just be asking it at the wrong time.

Sanctification is the word describing the process of becoming more like Jesus. This process is initiated at the moment of salvation. It does not precede it. This is a big part of the problem. When we fall into the trap of thinking that we have to fix ourselves before we come, we are essentially saying that sanctification has to happen before redemption.

To fully appreciate the Gospel’s clarity we should consider that it is clear enough for a child to understand. A child can understand the reality of sin. Yes, it is at a child’s level. But this doesn’t diminish their ability to grasp what is being asked of them.

A child knows when they have been disobedient. A child knows when they have fallen short of their parent’s desires and expectations. A child knows when they have offended their parents. And when the parent corrects their errors, instructs them in proper conduct, and extends to them grace and mercy, those same children can understand that too.

Once I began to appreciate this aspect of the Gospel, I was overwhelmed by a sense of peace. The Gospel is not complicated. The Gospel is not intended or designed to be complicated. And because of its clarity, the Gospel can have the effect God intended in my mind and heart.

Lent 2023 Series

Lent 2023 | Day 6: The Gospel’s Power

The Purpose of Questions

As a Christian, I think it is important to ask questions about our faith. There are several kinds of questions. “Kinds” in the sense of intent.

There are questions that are searching for answers. There are questions designed to provide clarity. There are questions that undermine a person’s belief. There are questions that challenge us to think in new ways.

Questions in themselves are not bad. However, when questions are weaponized to destroy a person’s confidence in who they are or what they believe these can be considered harmful. We should not engage in these kinds of questions. The best questions are the ones that help us better understand the world around us. And even ourselves.

We can be concerned that someone’s beliefs may cause harm to them. But, it would be better to try and convince them of this and help them find another way. When questions are used as a cudgel against others it actually causes them to hold onto their position more strongly.

When people’s belief systems are challenged, the thought of having to admit their errors can be quite dissonant. So much so, most people would rather continue believing they are wrong.

Understanding the Gospel’s Power

I bring this short discussion about questions up because there is a question we have to face as people who believe the Gospel. Namely: what is the Gospel’s power to affect my life today?

For most people, whether said or not, this is one of the great obstacles to faith in Jesus.

How is it that an event that occurred two thousand years ago, by a God no one has ever seen, is supposed to affect my life now? This is both an honest and fair question. It is also a question we should not be afraid of as believers.

The question of the Gospel’s power contains several layers of assumptions that must be overcome and whose conclusions must then be believed.

The question of the Gospel’s power is grounded in one important reality: we cannot save ourselves. It does not matter how hard we try, we cannot escape the confines of this world. We cannot cast off the constraints of time. We cannot alter the reality of our mortality. These constants function like gravity. They keep us grounded. We cannot take off flying just because we don’t like having to walk.

So, from a theological perspective, what are we saying when we say that the Gospel has the power to save us today?

Let me start with what I am NOT saying. I am not saying that salvation is just intellectual assent. I am not saying that recitation of the Gospel is sufficient for redemption.

I am saying that whatever is behind the message is what has power. The message tells me where to look. It points me in the right direction. It helps me to identify that I am looking in the right direction.

God is the Guarantor of the Gospel

The power of the Gospel is that God himself, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, guarantees what the Gospel promises. Not in some arbitrary way. Not in a way that can be negotiated either.

It is a guarantee because when we have accepted the provisions of the salvation the Gospel points to, then we can know we are saved. Not because we want it to be true, but because God says it is.

In the Gospel, we are told that no mere man could do what God required for salvation. So, in order to accomplish his purposes, God entered into the human experience and stood as a representative for all who shared that same nature.

Only God could do what needed to be done. Anything or anyone else would have been a complete failure. As it already was. The book of Hebrews highlights how the sacrificial system of the nation of Israel failed. The deficiency was that the blood of bulls and goats could not satisfy what God required.

¹The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. ²Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. ³But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.

⁴It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; ⁶with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.

⁷Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, my God.’”

⁸First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law.⁹Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second.¹⁰And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:1-10 NKJV

The blood of bulls and goats was just a reminder of what was required. But only God could do it. And because only God could do it, he did it in Jesus’s life and ministry.

God is the judge and the judged

How did God accomplish this great work of salvation? God did it by becoming the judge and the judged.

²¹But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²²even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, ²⁶to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:21-26 NKJV

The principal reason the Gospel has power is that God is at work both in suffering for sin and redeeming from it. Because his power is on display on both sides of the problem, we who hear and receive the message can have confidence. We have confidence, not in our ability to stay saved. We are confident in God’s ability to never fail to do what he has said he would and did do.

Lent 2023 Series

Lent 2023 | Day 05: The Gospel’s Purpose

In the previous post, we looked at the Gospel’s Focus. That the good news of Jesus Christ is found in his death, burial, and resurrection. And by this, the problem of sin is dealt with. Sin is the obstacle that prevents me from having a relationship with God. Therefore, if this issue is not resolved, then I am unable to reestablish any fellowship with God. I do not have the ability to live according to the righteousness God requires in my own strength.

The Gospel’s Purpose Restablishes Fellowship

This latter reality is the Gospel’s Purpose: To reestablish fellowship between human beings and God.

The Gospel addresses the issue of sin so that I might have fellowship with God. That is why the Gospel exists, must be proclaimed, and ultimately believed. Every single one of us needs to have fellowship with God. In that fellowship, we can finally discover our purpose and live in peace. Without that fellowship, we flounder trying to determine why exist.

Of the many reasons we struggle in life, our limited knowledge and wisdom create the greatest challenges. When we try and make decisions, chart a course for living, or simply try to communicate with others, we are limited by what we know. And potentially harmed by what we don’t. The difference between these two is not always felt. But the risk is always present.

Decisionmaking in the Dark

So often in life, we make decisions and choices in the dark. We really don’t know what we should do next. No matter how hard we try. We try to mitigate the mistakes we make. But that only works when we have a sense of the scope of the consequences. And again, most times we simply do not.

In reality, we are just doing the best we can. And there is nothing inherently wrong with this.

But what if we could consult with someone who knew what was coming? What if we could seek the wisdom of someone who had “seen in all before”? How would that change how we live?

I think it would reduce the anxiety many of us feel when trying to make sense of the world. Having someone who can warn us of danger and redirect our steps would save us a lot of heartaches.

However, what tends to happen is we dismiss this possibility when it comes to God. We have been trained to believe this is wishful thinking. That to trust in God is to rely on whims of fancy. But, who else can we trust?

The Gospel Addresses the Fundamental Problem

The Gospel speaks to the critical issue hindering us in life. We are not perfect. In every case we can imagine, we are deeply flawed. Sometimes bemused by our own decisions. At other times because of the decisions and actions of others. Regardless of the reason, the truth remains the same, we are all looking for something that will make life easier. Or at the very minimum, more tolerable.

Why then does faith in God get dismissed? Could it be because we inherently know that our fellowship had been broken? That there is something that must happen in order to re-enter the conversation with God?

It may be difficult for some to see this, but I think this is more the truth of the situation than many are ready to admit. We all instinctively recognize that if we are flawed beings there should be at least one being marked by utter perfection. It only makes sense. And yet, when offered an opportunity to explore the possibility of having a relationship with such a being, it is cast aside.

This is truly a remarkable set of circumstances.

The Gospel Speaks to our Deep Longing

So, what does this have to do with the Gospel’s purpose? Namely this: if one of the greatest longings of the human soul is to find perfection, then why do we balk at the idea of that perfection being found in God?

If God exists, he would have standards. And those standards would be far more demanding than any we could think up. And this is the reality that the Gospel posits.

God exists. And God has standards. But he has also provided a way of resolving the problem. We have to trust in the method and means God has provided for the restoration of fellowship.

God is not asking us to pay for the reason the rupture in fellowship exists. That is not God’s demand or expectation.

What God asks of us is to accept the way he has provided to reestablish fellowship.

Lent 2023 Series

Lent 2023 | Day 4: The Gospel’s Focus

The Gospel is Simple

As the years have passed by, I have reflected more and more on what the Gospel is and what it is the answer to. The Gospel is a response to a specific issue in the God-human relationship. There are other things that could be discussed about the Christian faith, but those should be brought up after the Gospel has been shared and accepted. To do it earlier would confuse what the Gospel is and why it is needed. (A problem quite common in our day.)

Too often we think that all the content and ideas that we now know as part of the body of knowledge of the Christian faith must be also received and accepted in order to share the Gospel. This is not correct. All of the theology and concepts that make up orthodox belief are learned after faith in Christ. A faith in Christ that is initiated through an acceptance of the Gospel’s call to repentance.

The Question the Gospel Answers

So, what is the focus of the Gospel? It is to pinpoint the issue that is keeping any person from having a relationship with God.

And what is that issue? It is our sin.

The Gospel is God’s answer to the question of what is keeping me separated from God.

That’s it. The Gospel is not answering any questions about theological quandaries, social problems, or any other questions we might have about life in this world.

The Gospel tells us what needs to be addressed and how God has chosen to address that issue.

We Must Know the Gospel

Several weeks ago I spoke on the theme that would be the focus of this year. Our theme, like this series of reflections, is on knowing the Gospel. In order to be effective disciples we must become experts in the message that saves. If we are not, then we will be unable to effectively engage with the world around us.

Any deficiency in our understanding of the Gospel will find its way into how we think about God, ourselves, and others. When we do not have a firm grasp of what the Gospel is about, we can make it about almost anything. This is a danger to all involved.

It may not appear to be so, but the temptation to “help” the Gospel will increase over time. The singular problem with this drift is it reveals a presumption we have. It is the belief that we know how to best communicate to others what God has perfectly designed.

There are two specific effects of sin that the Gospel addresses as it answers the question of sin. We will look at them now.

Our Identity was contaminated

The first effect is that our identity was completely scrambled by sin. When Adam and Eve accepted the serpent’s version of what God had said, they lost their identity. They were made in the image of God. That means they were reflections of God, not copies of God.

Humanity is not, and was never supposed to be, gods. But, by accepting the serpent’s false promise they have up what they were. They were guardians and stewards of God’s creation. Entrusted with its care and authorized to enjoy its fruits. But when they accepted the possibility of being like God they could no longer enjoy the task they had been assigned.

And ever since then, we have been trying to refashion ourselves as if we were God. This is not only an impossible feat, it is a prospect only a fool would entertain.

Fellowship with others became adversarial

The second effect of sin is that our relationships with others became adversarial. We were not in competition with those around us.

We see this when Adam and Eve both blame someone else for their sin. But we also see it in what happened to the first sons born outside of the Garden. The older, out of jealousy, killed his brother. And then pretended not to know that he was in fact responsible to look out for his brother.

Both of these effects are the consequence of sin. And both of these are answered by the entrance of Jesus into the world. Through his life and example, Jesus begins to show us what a world without sin looks like. But he does it amongst sinners. Giving us hope that we too can someday, somehow do it as well.

Conclusion

The Gospel is God’s answer to the issue of sin. This is the focus of the message we have believed.

Everything else is what we learn as we continue to be thankful for God’s grace in Jesus.

Lent 2023 Series