Roots... Part 2

Roots Part 2

Option 3. The Gospel

            The third option is the gospel.  In order to constantly live in the gospel we have got to constantly understand our need for the gospel. We are not simply people who sin. We are sinners to our core. Our minds, our hearts, and our very souls are broken beyond repair without the gospel. Much of modern Christianity is built on hiding. In order to try to seem more holy we learn to hide our sins from others. The sad reality is that this only leads to us hiding our sin from ourselves! Believe me, if you can’t think of one sin you committed all day something is wrong. It is not that you haven’t sin, but rather you don’t truly understand what sin is. Sin is subtle at times, but it is always right around the corner and always inside us. The gospel allows us to look deeply and intently at our sinfulness. The gospel tells us “there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.” This frees us to truly examine our hearts. Religion would tell us to hide our sin. The gospel tells us to bring it to Jesus. The gospel tells us that He is our only hope. The gospel draws our hearts to His throne where we can pour out our hearts honestly and boldly. We know through the gospel that He not only knows every sin we will ever commit, but that He paid for each and every one! We can be honest with ourselves and with God about our sin. As long as we hide we only incubate our sin. We don’t need to hide our sin; we need to go to the God who saves us from them. The gospel takes sin seriously.

A gospel saturated person understand their brokenness, but thy also understand that their acceptance from God is not based on what they do.  We must realize that God’s acceptance of us is not found in what we do but what Jesus did.  In other words your acceptance in God’s eyes is in no way based on anything you can do, but based solely on what Christ did. This means that God accepts you because of Jesus not because you have earned it in anyway. Therefore, you do not earn God’s approval, but rather you already have it in Christ. This necessarily means that we start from a position of acceptance. Religion tells you to “bear fruit so God will accept you.” The gospel tells us “we are accepted and now we can bear fruit.” This is important because as long we feel like God’s acceptance is based on us we will never be able to enjoy God more than we enjoy our own sin!!!!

With the foundation laid now let’s look in more detail at how the gospel works against sin. We sin for two major reasons. First, we sin because we are sinners (it is our nature). Second, we sin because we desire it. The gospel tackles both. On the one hand the gospel is transformative in nature. The gospel does not stop at the surface, but rather reaches all the way to the roots. Jesus did not just die for your temper. He died for all sin, even the inward manifestations. The gospel has the power to transform the whole person and not just the fruit of sin. This means that the gospel initiates true change, not just surface level modifications. The gospel can help you with your temper and it can help with the root cause of why you lose your temper. The gospel transforms the whole person. No person could ever “work on” every sin in his or her life. That is impossible. That is why religion fails. The gospel transforms from the roots and moves up. This means that the gospel is not only concerned with picking off the bad fruit, but rather it is concerned with transforming the entire tree. In this way the gospel works against our sinful nature.

On the other hand, the gospel also works against our love of sin. We sin because we desire it. However, the gospel frees us up to experience God and as a result we begin to desire Him. Sin pales in comparison to the beauty and love that we find in God Himself. Legalism never, ever, ever allows us to enjoy God, because we are never good enough too. However, the gospel tells us that Jesus saved sinful people like us and that He has opened the way to God for us! This leads our hearts to truly joy in God. This means that we are not operating under compulsion, but under desire! This changes everything. This means that we can delight in God! In the gospel our hearts are motivated by desire not by “discipline.” We pursue God and as a result we also pursue holiness! The gospel shows us that God Himself is the treasure. Through the gospel we can now have a vibrant relationship with God. It is a relationship that is based on Christ and not based on our own works. This allows us to be honest with God. It allows us to desire God. It allows us to find rest in God. It allows us to passionately pursue God. The gospel invokes true, long-lasting worship! Desire trumps compulsion every time. The gospel alone lets us enjoy God!

            The gospel alone works on the fruits of sin and the roots of sin. However, you may wonder what you can do on a human level to combat sin. The following is not exhaustive but you may find it helpful.

1. Constantly reflect on the gospel. Constantly think about the greatness of God as seen in the gospel. Always remember that we are accepted because of Jesus not because of us. Bask in the gospel continually. Pray about it, talk about it, write about it, think about it….

2. Be honest about your sin. The gospel frees us to boldly approach God’s throne. Go before God with your sin. Psalm 139:23-24- “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts. And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” God knows every sin you will ever commit and through the gospel every sin is forgiven. This does not mean we make light of sin, but it does mean that we can be honest with God. He called us, He loved us, He saved us, and we must trust that He alone can transform us.

3. Walk in the Spirit. In other words cling to Him. The gospel has given us access to God through Christ. As we learn to enjoy God we also learn to walk with Him. The Holy Spirit will never lead us astray. He is our comforter and our guide. Constantly walk with Him. In this way you will avoid many snares. The Holy Spirit will often use the Bible to reveal to us our own shortcomings. The great news is that He will also empower us. Rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you. Walk with Him and in time His fruit will grow out of you (Gal. 5: 16-26).

4. Hate sin, but do not despair. A gospel-saturated person will instinctively be repulsed by his or her sin. We know what it took for God to save us and the idea of sin is altogether sickening. In light of this many Christians despair in sin. They stay ineffective for the kingdom of God because they are constantly under guilt and condemnation. This is wrong! The gospel allows us to hate sin, but it also delivers us from its bondage! The gospel takes off the shackles. The gospel frees us. It does not free us to sin. It frees us to cling to Christ in the midst of our sin.  It allows us to run to our Heavenly Father even when we sin. It allows us to fall into His grace constantly and completely. He knows we are sinful and He did what it took to rescue us from the penalty of sin-death. Rejoice for we are sin riddled in this life, but not in the life to come! We have a Savior! We never outgrow that need! Do not despair! Cling to Jesus Christ and His gospel!

            The gospel attacks the fruit and the roots of sin. The gospel transforms us! Let’s rejoice in the God of our salvation. Let’s rejoice for we were dead, but now we live! We have a Savior and He loves us!