The marriage that is in shambles. The family that is riddled with gossip and divide. The person who is overwhelmed with hopelessness. The culture that is passing away. To all our problems, to all our mistakes, to all the evil we see, the gospel is the answer.
Life has plenty of problems. Marriage can be hard. Family can be a struggle. We will face trials of various kinds. But often times, we perpetuate the damage we experience in life because we look to something other than the gospel for our answers.
The Gospel is the Answer
We long for the day when the problems we face, the trials we experience, and the pain we cause and receive will be no more. We deeply desire to see a day with no more suffering, no more cries, and no more gossip.
We are looking for a solution or an escape.
We look to Oprah and Dr. Phil to get a solution.
We binge-watch Netflix to get an escape.
We wait for congress to come up with a solution.
We drink a glass of wine to get an escape.
We follow our heart to find a solution.
We isolate ourselves to escape it all.
But we continually find that none of these solutions or escapes actually solves the problems we face or allows us to really escape it all. Instead, we pile on more pain and more problems.
None of that suffices.
Only the gospel provides the solution and, ultimately, the escape we really need. If we believe anything else will work, we have believed a lie.
The Gospel is the Solution
The gospel tells the better story. The story we all long to see as a reality.
The gospel tells us that in Christ, we are forgiven of our sin: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7, CSB). The shame we face because of our past can be wiped away when we grasp and grab ahold of what Christ has done for us.
The gospel tells us that in Christ, we are made completely new: “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, CSB). Long-term change in a person only happens if Christ has taken over his/her life. Relationships without Christ in the center are infinitely more difficult. But He can and will change the dynamics of the relationships in our lives if we surrender to His way and His will.
The gospel tells us that in Christ, the Spirit of God enters us and dwells in us: “Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, CSB). The Holy Spirit is at work in us, causing us to be conformed to the image of Christ. He begins to change the very desires of our heart. What God wants becomes what we want.
The gospel tells us that in Christ, we are and belong to the Church: “Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.” Every Christ follower is in the body of Christ and when we fully commit to a local church, we get to enjoy true Christ-centered community. It is only there that we can receive the love, support, encouragement, and accountability we truly need to walk in a way that honors the Lord.
The gospel is the answer. The gospel is the message of true life change, culture change, and world change. [shareable]The gospel is the message of true life change, culture change, and world change.[/shareable]
The Gospel Will Provide the Escape to a Better Reality
Things are not how they should be. But thankfully, God will make things as they should be. He doesn’t stop at making us new, He makes all things new.
Tears? They’ll be gone.
Pain? It’ll be no more.
Grief? It’s done.
Death? It’s been defeated and destroyed.
Just read Revelation 21.
The Gospel is the Answer
It is only in Christ that the problems we face, the evil we experience, and the pain we encounter will be transformed. Even death itself will be transformed. Dietrich Bonhoeffer knew this to be true: “Death is hell and night and cold, if it is not transformed by our faith. But that is just what is so marvelous, that we can transform death.”
And he stuck to it. In the midst of extreme pain, trials, and hardship, Bonhoeffer declared this to a fellow prisoner just before he was taken to his eventual death: “This is the end, for me the beginning of life.”
A Book to Go Deeper
The gospel is what we all need. But not only that, it’s what we all long for. Some of us just take longer in realizing it. And this is why I wrote Crucified to Life: What Abundant Life in Christ Really Looks Like.
The best life we can live is the life that is surrendered to and crucified with Christ. Only then can we live life with purpose.
Grow Your Faith and Grow Your Impact
I’d love to go on this journey with you and help you grow your faith and your impact. So let’s be email friends. I’d love to send you a copy of my two free eBooks: Bible Hacks: Understanding the New Testament and Do Something: Cultural Crises and the Gospel. And I’d love to give you my free daily devotional: Journey to Knowing God. You’ll get all this (and updates with new content) when you subscribe to the blog.
