The Heart of the Gospel

I do not want this Easter season to escape without a new post. This is such a great time of year and God is doing so much. Barb is doing so well. Her liver is working better than it has in a long time. God is at least extending her time to receive a liver transplant or is perhaps in the process of healing her. Either way I praise the Lord!

This time of year we are always reminded of what Christ did for us on the cross and of the power of His resurrection. And that is alright. To be reminded again and again of the same truths of Scripture is a good thing. Paul told the Philippians, “To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard to you” (Phil. 3:1). Peter likewise wrote, “I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you” (2 Pet. 1:12).

The truth has to do with the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection on the third day. Paul wrote, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). That is the heart of the gospel. That is the truth of God; a truth far too often forgotten or even trivialized by too many people.

Think about it for a moment. Apart from the truth of the gospel, apart from the truth of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is no hope. The future, indeed all of eternity, is nothing but darkness and hopelessness apart from Christ. That is why faith in Christ is so crucial. Nothing else matters; nothing else counts. Paul told the Romans plainly, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Rom. 10:9-10).

Over and over again we are reminded in Scripture that Christ died for our sins. His death on the cross was planned by God before the foundation of the world and His resurrection from the dead has given us victory even over death, resulting in eternal life. Peter made this clear on the day of Pentecost when he preached that “this [Jesus], delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power” (Acts 2:23-24).

Being “nailed to a cross” He paid the penalty for our sin. Rising from the dead He provided us with eternal life through faith in Him. All we have to do is believe the truth of His death and resurrection, and confess Him as our Lord. That is the heart of the gospel. Amen.

No Greater Love

In John 15 Jesus speaks to His disciples about what it means to be His disciple. He uses the imagery of the vine and the branches. What He says is that if you are truly His disciple, you will “abide” in Him (v. 4). You will live your life by faith in Christ. You will live by God’s Word. In fact what He says is that His “words” will “abide in you” (v. 7). When that happens you will not only live by faith, but you will experience communication with God in a way you never thought was possible. And, to top it off, your prayers will be answered!

In this context Jesus turns to the topic of love. First He says that, as you live by faith, you are also to “abide in My love” (v. 9). When you abide in His love you keep His commandments; you live by His Word (v. 10). In the context of living in the love of God, Jesus gives us another commandment. In verse 12 He says, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” And He goes on in verse 13 to define love: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

At this point Jesus calls us His friends. He says, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (v. 14). And again, in verse 15 He says, “I have called you friends.” Jesus is our example of how we are to “love one another.” We love each other just as Jesus loved us. How did He love us? With the greatest love possible. He died for us that we might receive forgiveness for our sins and be restored to fellowship with God forever. Jesus laid down His life for His friends.

Paul describes it this way: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God loved us so much that He sent His Son to earth to become a man and to suffer and die that we might have life in His name. John said that Jesus came so that we might “have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). When we experience that abundant life in Christ, His love flows out through us to our friends. Just as Jesus was willing to give everything for us, so we should be willing to give everything for our friends, even to the point of dying for them. Greater love has no one than this!

Herein is love. Our love for one another grows out of our love for God and Christ. In fact, it is His love that flows through us. That love of God, demonstrated on the cross, is what compels us to love one another just as Jesus loved us. That love of God, demonstrated on the cross, is what compels us to lay down our lives for our friends in whatever way necessary to encourage them to live for Christ. And so, through Christ in us, we fulfill His command to “love one another.” Amen.