Weekly Impressions - The Gospel

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

I used to think that I was supposed to constantly remember what Jesus went through on the cross for me.  However, God has shown me that this perspective isn’t really what He had in mind.  Certainly, I am not trying to play down that portion of what He did for me, and it’s important to know and to understand the depth of His love for me shown within that.  I find, however, that dwelling on the agony that Christ went through on the cross doesn’t lift me up, it brings me down.  

Dwelling on what He saved me from and the fact that He saved me from it, lifts me up.  The fact that He pulled me from the depths of the blindness and hopelessness and consequences of sin gives me cause to rejoice.  I am no longer subject to a yoke of slavery.  (Galatians 5:1 - “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”)

I recently read a brief summary of a book called “A Gospel Primer for Christians” by Milton Vincent that presented the idea that Christians need to preach the gospel to themselves daily.  The reasoning is so that we would be constantly living in the joy of the Good News.  I don’t personally have a large helping of the gift of evangelism, but I have seen this joy in those who do, and it makes perfect sense to me.

The focus of the first point of view - of dwelling on what Christ went through for me - is on myself.  It brings me down because I am focused on what Christ had to go through to save me, on what my sin did to Him.  Rather, I should focus on the fact that He chose to save me, and what He saved me from.  The focus is thus upon God, not me.  It’s what God did, not what I did.  I will not perish, because He saved me and gave me everlasting life.

Are you a struggling child of God?  Me, too.  Let’s begin to list the things that God has done for us, beginning with sending His only begotten Son to save you and me.