Thinking Like a Christian

pastor peteA series of Scripture meditations on what the Bible teaches about the Christian life.

by Pastor Pete Beck III

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The Purpose of the Gospel

 

From Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. 2 This gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 concerning his Son who was a descendant of David with reference to the flesh, 4 who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power according to the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we have received grace and our apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name. Romans 1:1-5 (NET1)

 

In the last meditation we attempted to anwer the question, "What is the gospel?" Today we take a look at why the gospel was given. For many people, the gospel is viewed as a form of "fire insurance". They look at it as their personal guarantee that they will not have to suffer the fires of hell for eternity. This is a very humanistic or man-centered view of things. Certainly it is true that the forgiveness offered through the gospel releases believers from the punishment due because of our sins, but in no way does the Bible say that this is the central purpose of the gospel. It is more of a means to an end. Paul clearly states that the real purpose of the gospel is to produce "the obedience of faith" in those who hear and accept it. Everything that the gospel offers - forgiveness, redemption, justification, reconciliation and empowerment - all serve a larger purpose, at least while we live here on earth. The gospel enables us to become Great Commission Christians.

 

Jesus taught the very same thing in his parable about the two houses. One house was built upon the sand and collapsed when the storm came. The other was built upon the rock and weathered the storm. What was the difference between the two houses? You guessed it: the house built upon the rock represents those who hear and obey Christ's words.

 

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!” Matthew 7:24-27 (NET1)

 

The obedience of faith differs from the obedience of the law. The first is accomplished through the grace of God via the indwelling Holy Spirit. The latter is doomed to failure because no one in his own strength can keep God's law. It takes faith to believe the promises of God and to choose to rely on the power of the Spirit; but, if we do, we will experience what Romans Chapter 8 calls "the law of the Spirit of Life."

 

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 (NASB)

 

This is the fulfillment of the promise of the New Covenant prophesied by Jeremiah, when God said:

“But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land,” says the LORD. “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people. Jeremiah 31:33 (NET1)

Jeremiah, through the Spirit, saw that believers would experience both an inner motivation and an inner power that would enable them to obey God from the heart. Paul confirmed this in his letter to the Philippians:

 

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

 

The gospel, then, is God's means of fulfilling the New Covenant promises and making us "doers" of the His will.

 

Our obedience comes under two main headings - loving God and loving people. We love God by worshipping and serving him and by allowing the Spirit to change us on the inside so we become more and more like Christ. We love people by serving them sacrificially, and a big part of that is by serving them the gospel message both with our words and with our actions. In other words, we become the gospel to those who have not yet believed. Just as Jesus was and is the gospel through his death on the cross and resurrection, in a similar manner we become the gospel message through our words and our lives. How we live must match the gospel message, or we will not accurately present the message, and our listeners will become confused. Our words and lives must match, or we undercut the very gospel we preach.

 

Multitudes of people have been severely wounded by "the church" and are "turned off" to organized religion. These people are a large part of our target audience. We must win them back through love, prayer and preaching. They must also be brought into the obedience of faith. God's grace within us is up to the task. Are you up to letting God use you in this Great Mission? I hope so, because we need you.

 

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