The Gospel: Love
it! Live it! Share
it! Defend it!
What does it mean to “live” the gospel? The gospel is the message of a kind and
loving God sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to die in the place of undeserving
sinners so as to redeem them and reconcile them to God. We receive this grace by faith
(Ephesians 2.8-9) and this faith moves us to more and more align our lives and
lifestyles around this gospel message.
Paul urges the Philippian church to “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ”
(Philippians 1.27). Part of what
this means is to renounce living for oneself in prideful self-centeredness but,
rather, to live as a servant toward others—since this is how Jesus lived
(Philippians 2.3-8). There is a
place for “working out our salvation” (Philippians 2.12). This is not a working for our
salvation—as if our self-effort merits salvation. Rather, those who have been touched by God’s grace in the
forgiveness of sins also have the resources of the Holy Spirit to empower for
lives of ever-increasing conformity to the life of Christ.
Consider this from another angle. The New Testament is filled with commands for us to live
like the God and Christ of the gospel.
The God of the gospel is a loving God even toward his enemies so we are
to be loving toward our enemies—“therefore
you are to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew
5.48). God is loving toward his
children so we are to “be imitators of
God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you”
(Ephesians 5.1-2). God in Christ
has forgiven us so we are also to forgive each other in the same way—“just as the Lord forgave you, so also
should you” (Colossians 3.13).
The God of the gospel is holy—without sin and fully devoted to the cause
of purity. The apostle Peter urges
the church: “but like the Holy One who
called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is
written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1.15-16; quoting
Leviticus 19.2).
Living out the gospel is living in such a way that we
imitate the character of God in his holiness, love, humility, and
forgiveness. As these
Spirit-empowered characteristics are manifest in our midst then it can be truly
said that we are living out the gospel.
The Gospel: Live it!
