What sets a Christian apart from a good willed atheist when both are described to be compassionate, willing to love and help those around them selflessly? What if they both uphold high moral standards appearing to have a grateful and positive outlook on life? In the eyes of the world, Christians are often labeled as ‘nice’ or upholding certain ‘morals’ in speech and conduct. But beyond performing good deeds in order to gain approval from society or preservation of one’s own image, Christians are called to act differently because of the Gospel story that radically transforms our view of ourselves, others and the world.
Without the Gospel, one can still justify themselves as a good person by adhering to certain moral standards through superficial behavior modification. However, the Gospel reveals that sin is inherent to human nature, therefore, we are morally inadequate before the perfect and just God. Without the Gospel, our good deeds or philosophy of life may spring from a deep insecurity and desire for external approval. But the good news is that God has lavished His love upon us and sent His son to die on the cross so that we can be called His children (1 John 3:1). Understanding the gospel is so crucial because it gives us the humble awareness of our inability to measure up through works, yet giving us the glorious confidence in Jesus Christ who has not left us condemned for our sins but instead justified us (Romans 8:1). Though our Christian life may not be free of insecurities and self-righteousness, we can continue to seek God and re-align ourselves to the Gospel truth time and time again.
In our daily lives understanding the Gospel and delving into the word of God spiritually feeds us and we put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). As a result we are prepared for the things life sends our way; financial hardships, struggles with family or friends and battling mental health issues. We do not face these hardships alone but have the word of God as our sword and shield. As you would revise for an exam in order to be prepared we must take time to get to know God’s word to be ready to fight the struggles a sinful world will present. By turning to the gospel God will also begin a bigger and lifelong process to reshape our behavior from the inside out. Consequently, Gospel fluency does not just prepare us for daily struggles but changes the way we look at the world, the choices we will make, our future families we may start and so on. Ultimately we are multiplying his kingdom as we become more oriented to God’s Mission and pursue the things that have eternal significance (Colossians 3:2).
Other related posts on Gospel Fluency: https://hmcc.tv/gospel-fluency/