The Good News That We Forget Part 2 : I Need The Gospel Daily

   The gospel really does define the Christian life. There is no alternative way to live in Christ. The Christian life that is lived without the imprint of the gospel is mere religion. The life that is soaked by the gospel is the abundant life that Jesus promised (John 10:10) In my previous post, I posed this question to help us think through how the gospel is applied to daily living.

How does the finished work of Christ (the gospel) satisfy my deepest daily needs so that I can experience the liberating power of the gospel every day and in every way?

   Here's a few examples,

1. A major theme in the gospel is forgiveness. Forgiveness satisfies my deepest longings for reconciliation with God and liberates my heart from bitterness that comes from unforgiveness. I am still being sanctified by Jesus Christ while I live this life here on earth. The fullness of my sanctification comes when Jesus Christ returns. This means that I can still commit sin.  Hence, I need to come to Jesus everyday to confess and ask that my trespasses be forgiven. Jesus Christ is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9). The gospel's offer of forgiveness liberates me to forgive others. Everyday someone will offend me in some way or fashion. Because I am forgiven by Jesus Christ, I can choose to freely forgive (Colossians 3:13) or overlook the offense.

2. Because of the gospel, I am able to comprehend how to love my wife as Jesus Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). In a wedding last week, I was reminded of the famous saying, "Happy wife, happy life". Well, the key to my wife's happiness is to love her like how Jesus Christ demonstrated his love for me.

3. Though Christ's finished work, I can count myself dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:11). This is a profound change! It is arguably one of the Christian indicatives that I deliberately remind myself daily. Everyday, I am faced with temptations. The gospel spares me from falling into sin. The gospel beats down desires that lead to sinful acts.The finished work of Christ means that I have an escape hatch (1 Corinthians 10:13).
4. The gospel says that it is by the grace of God that I am saved as I come to Jesus Christ in faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) and repentance (2 Peter 3:9). I stop being a moralist. A moralist is someone who relies on good works and moral living in order to be accepted by God. Many people fear living in grace. Grace is misunderstood. It is not a license to continue sinning. Rather, grace leads to true repentance which is a complete turning around from sin. Now I keep my eyes on Jesus Christ the author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).