Gospel Life

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith'."~ Romans 1:16-17

God became man. He lived a perfect life. He died in our place. He rose again and conquered death. He offers life to all. Repent from your sin and trust Him to save you. That's the Gospel. It's preached at camps. It's preached during revival week. It's preached during Christmas, and especially on Easter Sunday; that's when visitors pack into churches. We are commanded to share this good news with others and make disciples of them if they repent. But often, the Gospel is left there.

Its attached to the end of sermons that may or may not actually be about the Gospel. It's presented as only the starting place. It's the door to get into this house we call Christianity. In reality, the Gospel IS the house. Christianity is all about the Gospel. We should be living our life basking daily in the rays of the Gospel. The Gospel is our life.

Confession: I have long kept the Gospel regulated to only the unsaved. After all, Paul said the Gospel of God is the power of God "for salvation to everyone that believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek." But, the Gospel is the power for salvation to "everyone that believes." That includes more than the unsaved. There is a present believing here. Christians are ones who are continually believing the Gospel. In this Gospel, "the righteousness of God is revealed."  The Gospel reveals God's character, it reveals our own unrighteousness (Mtt. 5:48; Rom. 3:10, 23). It tells us He imputes Christ's righteousness to us (2 Cor. 5:21). This righteousness is revealed at the beginning of our faith and continues to the end our days-"from faith to faith." Paul continues, "The righteous shall live by faith," (v.17). If the righteousness from God, of God, is revealed by the Gospel, then the Gospel is the key for continual living by faith. True faith is not a one time decision, but a continual endurance, a living faith (Col. 1:22-23). The theologians refer to this as the Perseverance of the Saints.

The Gospel is central for Christians. It's not our starting place alone. It is our daily life. Gospel life was something the Apostle Paul exemplified. Consider some passages where Paul gloried in the Gospel life:

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." ~Galatians 2:20

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain"~Philippians 1:21

"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him"~1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

I know this is strange language. Gospel life is not something often preached to believers. But it's reality. Live in the Gospel. It is the power of God for salvation. Reprobate and redeemed alike, the Gospel is for broken people. And we're all broken.