Our Values- Gospel Centered

We all know that the Bible presents the gospel in four different accounts as per Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Most often people mistake it to be four gospels, which is not the case. The gospel, in essence means ‘the good news’ –  and it is the coming of the Messiah according to John 3:16. I’d like to present this gospel as a gift you received – a practical gift. Let us turn to Romans 1:1-4

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”

There are three things that draws one’s attention here in this verse.

1. The gospel of God – this shows that this gift is of God; which means that it was God who thought it was necessary for man, and it was God who took the effort of getting and giving it to man whose only role was to be in need of it and to receive it freely
2. Promised beforehand through his prophets – This starts right from the time of Adam where the coming of the Messiah was foretold and throughout the old testament scripture, we see Christ being pointed at. We see that there is a suspense built and developed by God himself for this gift of gospel
3. Also this passage leads us to the dual nature of Christ who came to this world as fully man and fully God – the right way to deal with the ‘sin problem’ to which the gospel is the ‘good news’.

To talk about this ‘sin problem’ is to understand how man was created and crowned with glory and honour which he lost as a consequence of falling in sin

Psalms 8:5 You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor

Romans 3:23 …for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

So, the gospel comes as the gift of restoration and redemption to man, offering freedom from the bondage of sin. And, in the unpacking of this gift one lives a life of continual freedom – a life centered on the truth of the gospel, a gospel centered life

To better understand how we live this kind of life, let us see the two natures of man from Galatians 5:16-21 and how the Bible teaches us to live based on both

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Three things we learn from here are that

1. We are familiar with verses encouraging believers to restrain from giving in to the corrupting desires of the flesh. But the way to do it is given in verse 16 – it is by living a life led by the Spirit that we do not live by the flesh.
2. The KJV better depicts the affinity of these opposing powers working in man by the usage of a strong word ‘lust’ which in ordinary terms denotes a strong burning desire. The very fact that the Spirit also inspires a burning desire in a person to do good things (which is largely neglected/overlooked) should give so much confidence in a believer who for so many years have found himself powerless against the flesh until he came to Christ
3. Verse 18 is interesting as it brings a third player ‘law’ into the existing ‘Spirit vs flesh’ picture.

As a short background law is the written code of do’s and don’ts given by God to man. It was given so that man might know what sin is as it is written in Romans 3:20

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin

As said in the above verse, the problem arises when the law is tried to be fulfilled by man to gain right standing (righteousness) before God which empowers the Flesh in a way (read Romans 7). This state is generally called ‘being under the law’. It is highly important to note here that law is good and God-given for a noble purpose. Man through his wrong approach empowers his flesh to seize the opportunity to fall in sin by trying to be righteous by following the law, violating its God intended purpose.

But as one had come to believe in Christ, their flesh is defeated and crucified and the believer is called to rest each moment in the crucified as this beautiful hymn ‘are you washed…’ goes.

Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

2 Corinthians 3:7-18

7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11  And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit

And lastly as we read in the above chapter, the ministry where the law was given was so glorious that Moses who received the law from God had to cover his face. All of this was only pointing to and was fulfilled in the coming of Christ in whom as believers we are found. The former fore-shadow had so much glory but much more glorious is the ministry of Christ in us. It is in realizing the freedom from gratifying the flesh by ‘being under the law’ (wrongful approach to the law which was intended for good) – the freedom found in Christ we live a life reflecting the Lord’s glory into whose likeness we are being transformed.

The glory which was lost through sin is now into which we are being transformed by the work of Christ. Let us therefore walk by the Spirit towards the purpose and greater calling God has for us.