How central in your life is the gospel that is centered on Jesus Christ? This is the question I sought to answer in last Sunday’s sermon. It is an important question. It is what Paul calls “of first importance” (1 Cor. 15:3).
Here are some other ways to ask the question. Is your salvation dependent on the centrality of the Christ-centered gospel, or have you simply added Jesus to the rest of your life? Is your faith based on a decision you made, or is it based on Jesus today? Is your salvation based on what you do, or is it lived in light of the gospel of Jesus? Your life becoming all about the gospel, and the gospel being all about Christ. Where everything you are and all that you do is centered on Jesus Christ.
Believers lose their life and find it in Jesus. They die to themselves and now live for Christ. His supreme worth being their ultimate end, the purpose of their existence.
The terrible reality for many in the Church is the gospel is not at the center of their life. Their life does not revolve around Jesus Christ. To them, the gospel message is only a set of facts to accept about the one work of Jesus. The gospel is watered down to a belief that is added to their life, so they can have assurance of going to heaven. The Bible tells it quite differently.
In 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, the Apostle Paul talks about the gospel that is preached, received, in which believers stand, and by which they are being saved. Notice the progression. Believers never graduate from the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was promised in the Old Testament, fulfilled in Christ, given to God’s people, and they live forever in it. It is at the core of who they are. It is the focus of what they do. It is the essence of their life and the motivation in their decisions. The gospel has power and its effects transforms sinners into saints, non-believers into committed servants for Jesus.
Paul gives us a personal example of what the gospel did to him in verses 8-11. Here Paul describes the effects of the gospel in his own life. At one-time Paul was a zealous persecutor of the Church. He despised Jesus and attacked his people. Then the risen Lord met him on the road to Damascus. Paul calls it an untimely birth (v. 8). This means Paul’s new life was not created by a human decision or an event by his will. It was given by God. Paul did nothing to be born again. God met him and gave him life and transformed him into one of the apostles as his instrument to advance the gospel.
Paul says, it is “but the grace of God” that made him who he is (v. 10). This is the result of the gospel. Paul didn’t work for it. He did not cooperate with God. God met him, gave him life, and transformed him. God’s grace is the working power of the gospel. It’s what Paul calls the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24) that has “the immeasurable greatness of power” (Eph. 1:19).
The effect of receiving the gospel gift is sinners repenting of their sin, trusting in Jesus the Risen Savior, and being transformed into servants of God. Their life completely owed to God’s grace, is now lived for God by his grace, telling as many people as they can about this gospel so full of grace. Their life is now lived to advance the gospel of grace until Jesus returns. Their life centers on Jesus. He is the focus of their new life. He is the admiration for which they now live. He is the joy they look forward to. Their salvation centers on the gospel that is all about Jesus Christ.
In this way God gets all the glory and believers get Jesus. It’s a great plan of salvation!