A good and all powerful God has made a way for rebellious creatures to return and be reconciled with Him; this is freely offered to everyone that will completely abandon all trust in their own morality and self-reliant efforts and will place their full trust in the perfectly lived life and sacrificial death of Jesus.
Asides
Quotes from The Explicit Gospel
Check out quotes from Matt Chandler’s The Explicit Gospel (here)
The real anchoring effect of having our identity found in being a child of God is that we don’t have to perform flawlessly – Jesus already performed flawlessly on our behalf!
The real anchoring effect of having our identity found in being a child of God is that we don’t have to perform flawlessly – Jesus already performed flawlessly on our behalf!
The greatness of the Gospel
Because our natural proclivity is to autonomous self rule, we regularly revert to self salvation projects. Thus, we need to be regularly reminded of God’s holy & majestic nature, our brokenness and the greatness of the gospel that bridges this gap.
I’m accepted by God, not on the basis of my personal performance, but on the basis of the infinitely perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.
“I’m accepted by God, not on the basis of my personal performance, but on the basis of the infinitely perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.” Gerald Bridges;Jerry Bridges. Holiness Day by Day: Transformational Thoughts for Your Spiritual Journey Devotional (p. 10). Kindle Edition.
God’s ultimate purpose and pursuit in history is the glory of His name; He is in absolute sovereign control of all things, is accountable to no one and is not bound by what we want. Until we are OK with that, we will not be OK with the God of the bible.
God’s ultimate purpose and pursuit in history is the glory of His name; He is in absolute sovereign control of all things, is accountable to no one and is not bound by what we want. Until we are OK with that, we will not be OK with the God of the bible.
Autonomous self rule is our preferred posture
Autonomous self rule is our preferred posture. Isaiah 47:8
James: The Gospel of Works
Listen to James: The Gospel of Works by Tullian Tchividjian
Sin exploits our empty places
“On the most basic of levels, I desire fullness, and fleshly lusts seduce me by attaching themselves to this basic desire. They exploit the empty spaces in me, and they promise that fullness will be mine if I give in to their demands. When my soul sits empty and is aching for something to fill it, such deceptive promises are extremely difficult to resist. Consequently, the key to mortifying fleshly lusts is to eliminate the emptiness within me and replace it with fullness; and I accomplish this by feasting on the gospel . . . As I perpetually feast on Christ and all of His blessings found in the gospel, I find that my hunger for sin diminishes and the lies of lust simply lose their appeal. Hence, to the degree that I am full, I am free.”
Hedges, Brian G. (2010). Christ Formed in You (Kindle Locations 3189-3194). Shepherd Press. Kindle Edition.
yearning for God
God’s people yearn for God! “your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.” (Isaiah 26:8–9 ESV)
The Gospel Centered Life 