11In
him we have obtained an
inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him
who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12so
that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his
glory. 13In him you also, when you heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in
him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who
is the guarantee of our inheritance until we
acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:11-14, ESV)
Gospel renewal is a work of the Spirit of God in the lives of his
people. It is all about the Holy
Spirit continually renewing the spiritual remembrance of our salvation.
The temptation from the outset would be for those who have theological training, and/or
have been believers for a long time, to zone out. Understand, we are not merely looking at “the
basics” here. The gospel is way more than “Jesus loves me” and “Jesus paid the
penalty for my sin so I can go to heaven”. Refuse to be satisfied with that! There is so much more!
So, what IS the gospel?
A number of different people have coined
great phrases to help us remember, including:
“The
heart of the Christian faith is Good News (gospel), not good advice,
good technique, or good behavior.” Tullian Tchividjian
Religion: I obey therefore I am accepted.
Gospel: I'm
accepted therefore I obey.
The
gospel is that when we believe in Christ, there is now“no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus” (Rom 8:1).
“…the good news that God has accomplished our
salvation for us through Christ in order to
bring us into a right relationship with him and
eventually to destroy all the results of sin in the
world.”[1]
The
Fall
Because of what happened in Genesis 3—The Fall—Adam and
Eve deciding they wanted to be like God, man was separated from God, man was
placed at odds with God. Try as he
might, man could not regain God’s favor in and of himself.
