On April 10, 1972, I received the gift of salvation. This precious gift came to me after hearing a man deliver what he called “The Gospel.” It was to me good news.  Jesus loved me so much that He laid His life down on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin. He had then been raised from death to life by the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit so that my spirit could be raised to new life and my greatest enemies; sin, hell and death were now defeated. He then ascended into heaven and sent His Spirit to dwell in my heart so that I would enjoy comfort, direction, leadership and most importantly, intimacy with God the Father.

WOW!

The key to living now as a Christian is to stay “God centered” and “Gospel saturated.”   But in truth, the heart of the human problem is the problem with the human heart.  We want to someway feel like we are earning God’s favor rather than just resting and receiving.  We all possess a natural proclivity to turn God’s good news announcement that we’ve been set free into a narcissistic program of self improvement. When we were saved by grace through faith, we are to continue to live by grace through faith.

Let me give you a few thoughts about the Gospel that may stir your heart. 

  • In Romans 1:16, Paul didn’t mean that the gospel was the power of God for conversion.  He said it’s the power of God for salvation.  We never leave the gospel – ever – even as we move into deeper theological waters.
  • The gospel isn’t the ABC’s of Christianity but the A through Z of Christianity.
  • The gospel doesn’t just free you from what other people think of you; it frees you from what you think of yourself.   
  • Our greatest need is to look at Jesus more than we look at ourselves, because the gospel is not our work for Jesus but Jesus’ work for us.
  • Because we’re naturally prone to look at ourselves more than we look at Jesus Christ and His performance, we need constant reminders of the gospel.
  • Guilt does not produce holiness; the gospel of grace does.
  •  The bottom line is this, Christian:  because of Jesus Christ’s work on your behalf, God doesn’t dwell on your sin the way you do.  So relax, and rejoice, and you’ll actually start to get better.

These statements taken from the book “Jesus Plus Nothing Equals Everything” by Tullian Tchivichian.