The Gospel Paramount
Gospel Paramount comes with the definition of:
gospel (from Old English, “good news“)
paramount |ˈparəˌmount|adjective more important than anything else; supreme
(New Oxford American Dictionary)
This blog will be dedicated to keep the Gospel as supreme to life and the life blood by which we accurately see God and others around us.
What is the Gospel?
“…at its briefest, the Gospel is a discourse (story) about Christ, that he is the Son of God and became man for us, that he died and was raised, that he has been established as a Lord over all things…This is the Gospel in a nutshell,” (Martin Luther,Luther’s Works, 35:117-124).
The term gospel literally means “good news!” It is an announcement of joyful tidings, revealed from heaven to man (Luke 2:10-11; Gal. 1:11-12).
The good news of the Gospel is that God promises and proclaims, out of His sheer free grace and mercy on account of and for the sake of Christ alone to:
♦ Forgive the believer’s sin and reckon him as righteous in God’s sight (Matt. 26:28; Luke 24:47; Acts 5:31; 10:43; Rom. 4:4-8; 5:17; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Eph. 1:7);
♦ Deliver the believer from death (John 5:24; 8:51-52; 1 Cor. 15:54-55; Heb. 2:15; Rev. 20:6, 14), the devil (Eph. 2:2; Col. 2:15), condemnation (Rom. 8:1), and the wrath of God (Rom. 5:9; Eph. 2:3-5; 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9);
♦ Raise up the believer from death, reuniting his body and soul to a blessedness in which to praise and enjoy God forever (1 Cor. 15:20, 42-46, 54; Philip. 3:21; 1 John 3:2; John 17:3; 1 Cor. 2:9).
God promises to give these benefits to all that repent and believe (Mark 1:15; John 3:16, 36; 5:24; 6:40, 47; 17:2-3; Acts 10:43; 16:31). Through the preaching of the gospel the Holy Spirit works effectually in the hearts of sinners and produces in them, faith, repentance, and the beginning of eternal life (John 3:5; Acts 11:18; 16:14; Rom. 1:5, 16-17; 10:17; 16:26; 1 Cor. 2:10-14; 2 Cor. 3:8; Eph. 2:8; Philip. 1:29; 2 Tim. 2:25). Thus, in the Gospel God gives to us what He demands from us.
God first revealed this good news in the garden of Eden immediately after the fall of man into sin (Gen. 3:15). Afterwards, though less clearly and to fewer persons, God revealed this good news:
♦ by the Patriarchs (Gen. 12:3 [John 8:56]; 22:18; 49:10; Deut. 10:15; Num. 21:9; 24:17; 1 Cor. 10:1; Heb. 11:13);
♦ by the Prophets (Isa. 53; Jer. 23:5-6; Mic. 7:18-20; John 5:46; Acts 10:43; Romans 1:2; 10:4; 1 Peter 1:10; Heb. 1:1-2);
♦ and by the shadows of sacrifices and the other ceremonies of the law (Lev. 1-7; John 5:46; Heb. 10:1-10).
In these last days (Heb. 1:2), God has more clearly and broadly revealed this good news by his only begotten Son (Mark 16:15; Luke 2:10-11; 24:47; John 1:18, 29; 6:41; 14:6; 15:5; Acts 1:8; Rom. 10:4; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Gal. 4:4-5; Eph. 2:15–19; Col. 2:17; 1 Timothy 2:5; Heb. 1:1-2).
(borrowed from John Fonville, gospeldriven.wordpress.com)
The Gospel to me
The Gospel has changed my life. I am a “recovering legalist” who has often viewed God as a judge that would put favor in my life based on how well I performed my “Christian duties.” The Gospel has made it clear that the false idea of “I obey, therefore i am accepted.” The glorious Gospel tells us that we “are accepted, and now can therefore obey.”
One thing to ponder on:
“There is nothing in us or done by us, at any stage of our earthly development, because of which we are acceptable to God. We must always be accepted for Christ’s sake, or we cannot ever be accepted at all. This is not true of us only when we believe. It is just as true after we have believed. It will continue to be true as long as we live. Our need of Christ does not cease with our believing; nor does the nature of our relation to Him or to God through Him ever alter, no matter what our attainments in Christian graces or our achievements in behavior may be. It is always on His ‘blood and righteousness’ alone that we can rest.” (Warfield, Works 7:113)
So as I seek to make this paramount my prayer for you and myself, Is that the Gospel will so cultivate in us a love for Christ that we see people and our own lives through the Cross and that it impacts every area of our lives.
