“…be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart,….”
- Ephesians 5:18-19
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you - unless you believed in vain.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-2
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,….”
- Ephesians 1:7
“The gospel is the air we breathe in the house of God. To change metaphors, the gospel is the conversation taking place in the house—our Father speaking to us, his children, about the gift of his Son. The gospel is the life-transforming story with a promise for all who hear and believe.”
- Alfred Poirier, The Peacemaking Pastor
“…be on your guard against the neglect of grace.”
- Sinclair Ferguson, In Christ Alone, p. 215
Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,
We’re very glad to be back from vacation. We had a great time in Canada attending a wedding and visiting friends at Crossway Community Church (http://www.crosswaycc.net/) and then we got plenty of sun as we camped in Central Oregon, but we’re glad to be back home with you all!
Recently I recounted this story to a friend –
A number of years ago Judy and I sat across the table from a wise pastor and his wife. Though Judy and I had been Christians a long time we found ourselves starving for the gospel. I asked this wise pastor to explain the gospel to us, and as we sat with them we wept as he slowly and painstakingly took us through a biblical understanding of man’s total inability, God’s unconditional electing love in Christ, the extent of Christ’s atonement, God’s irresistible grace in drawing sinners to Himself, and God’s ultimate preserving power in the life of the Christian. When he finished I asked him to start over again. I had been a Christian for years and had never heard the simple, straightforward gospel. Up until that point my Christian theology was a muddled mix of legalism, phariseeism, and fear. As I understood it my performance dictated my right-standing with God and though I understood myself to be a Christian my belief was woefully uninformed. It seems that a misunderstanding of the gospel or an inadequate view of the gospel is rampant in these days. Old thought processes and the mind of the legalist die hard. The gospel must be continually fought for in the battleground of our minds. And some of the ways we can do that is by being faithful to continually remind one another of the gospel by speaking, praying and singing the gospel when we’re together, by availing ourselves of the means of grace God provides in baptism and the Lord’s Table, and by gladly hearing the Word of God expounded as the gospel is brought to bear upon us through the Scriptures. Without diligence in these things our inclination is drift away from the gospel. The remedy for drift is reminder. I need you to remind me of the gospel and you need me to remind you of the gospel. Husbands you must remind your wives of the gospel and wives you must remind your husbands of the gospel, and both need to remind your children of the gospel. The gospel alone is the power of God to change the sinner’s heart. Performance, legalism, and the commitment to do better will not change us. We must be renewed by the transformation of our minds through the power of the gospel. Under the efficacious influence of the Holy Spirit the oft-repeated rehearsal of the truth of the gospel will change us. Incrementally, and by degrees, the gospel will work its work in us.
I’m glad to be home and I’m profoundly grateful to be in a community of believers that remind me of the gospel.
Dan
- Ephesians 5:18-19
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you - unless you believed in vain.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-2
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,….”
- Ephesians 1:7
“The gospel is the air we breathe in the house of God. To change metaphors, the gospel is the conversation taking place in the house—our Father speaking to us, his children, about the gift of his Son. The gospel is the life-transforming story with a promise for all who hear and believe.”
- Alfred Poirier, The Peacemaking Pastor
“…be on your guard against the neglect of grace.”
- Sinclair Ferguson, In Christ Alone, p. 215
Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,
We’re very glad to be back from vacation. We had a great time in Canada attending a wedding and visiting friends at Crossway Community Church (http://www.crosswaycc.net/) and then we got plenty of sun as we camped in Central Oregon, but we’re glad to be back home with you all!
Recently I recounted this story to a friend –
A number of years ago Judy and I sat across the table from a wise pastor and his wife. Though Judy and I had been Christians a long time we found ourselves starving for the gospel. I asked this wise pastor to explain the gospel to us, and as we sat with them we wept as he slowly and painstakingly took us through a biblical understanding of man’s total inability, God’s unconditional electing love in Christ, the extent of Christ’s atonement, God’s irresistible grace in drawing sinners to Himself, and God’s ultimate preserving power in the life of the Christian. When he finished I asked him to start over again. I had been a Christian for years and had never heard the simple, straightforward gospel. Up until that point my Christian theology was a muddled mix of legalism, phariseeism, and fear. As I understood it my performance dictated my right-standing with God and though I understood myself to be a Christian my belief was woefully uninformed. It seems that a misunderstanding of the gospel or an inadequate view of the gospel is rampant in these days. Old thought processes and the mind of the legalist die hard. The gospel must be continually fought for in the battleground of our minds. And some of the ways we can do that is by being faithful to continually remind one another of the gospel by speaking, praying and singing the gospel when we’re together, by availing ourselves of the means of grace God provides in baptism and the Lord’s Table, and by gladly hearing the Word of God expounded as the gospel is brought to bear upon us through the Scriptures. Without diligence in these things our inclination is drift away from the gospel. The remedy for drift is reminder. I need you to remind me of the gospel and you need me to remind you of the gospel. Husbands you must remind your wives of the gospel and wives you must remind your husbands of the gospel, and both need to remind your children of the gospel. The gospel alone is the power of God to change the sinner’s heart. Performance, legalism, and the commitment to do better will not change us. We must be renewed by the transformation of our minds through the power of the gospel. Under the efficacious influence of the Holy Spirit the oft-repeated rehearsal of the truth of the gospel will change us. Incrementally, and by degrees, the gospel will work its work in us.
I’m glad to be home and I’m profoundly grateful to be in a community of believers that remind me of the gospel.
Dan
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