Reeder, Senior Pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church.
In 1 Corinthians 2:2, the apostle Paul said, “For I resolve to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
The Gospel message brings you to Christ as the sure foundation for eternal life. The Gospel message provides direction for the formation of your new life. The Gospel message provides the primary motivation for a maturing life. The importance of living a Gospel-driven life is why Paul reminded the Corinthian church that when he was “with them” he was determined to maintain their focus upon the Gospel, by preaching “Christ and Him crucified.” Adding emphasis, he declared, “I did not come to baptize, but to preach the Gospel” (see 1 Cor. 1:17). He was not demeaning baptism, but rather underscoring that the Gospel is essential to evangelism and disciple-making.
Early in my Christian life, I thought the Gospel was the message to win people to Christ, then, in disciple-making, one moved on to “deeper things.” What a fallacy! You never move beyond the Gospel. You go deeper and higher with the Gospel, but never beyond the Gospel. The Gospel is what defines how to be a Christian man…The Gospel brings the reign of Christ’s kingdom to our hearts and throughout the world. The Gospel blessings give joy to the Christian life and the ability to rejoice even in suffering. The Gospel imperatives direct our new desire to lovingly obey our Lord. The Gospel provides the foundation, the formation, and the motivation as it ignites our loving obedience to Christ as we discover the transforming truth that “He first loved us” (1 John 4:19)
Martin Luther said, “We need to hear the gospel every day because we forget it every day.”
When we think we have mastered the Gospel, we have only just begun in the faith or really do not understand it. It is not a sign of spiritual maturity but immaturity when we think we know the Gospel so well that we need to move beyond it into things that are practical, pragmatic and more relevant – like tips and techniques to be a better man, husband, father, friend, worker etc. However, everything in theology is centered on the Gospel of Grace. Any theology, any church, or any ministry to men simply crumbles like a house of cards if we remove the Gospel and its centrality and sufficiency from our daily considerations, especially during the times when we preach or teach the Word of God.
The world despises the Gospel in its simplicity and disdains the vessels entrusted to carry and proclaim it. But there is power under the hood. Live the Gospel, believe and preach the whole Gospel — the Gospel blessings that declare who you are in Christ, the Gospel imperatives that call you to your new life for Christ. This Gospel transforms the hearts, minds, and wills of sinners. Thankfully, it continues to transform mine. Preach it to yourself, to each other, and to the lost, and know the joys of the Gospel-driven life.
