This video sort of goes along with my post yesterday. If we tell people the way you relate to God is by being good and avoiding certain sins, we preach a false gospel and condemn people to the slavery of “performance-based” acceptance by God. Or worse, we make them think they can manipulate God into owing them something. Matt Chandler blows up that view:
HT : Jared Wilson
I recently posted a review of Jared Wilson’s book, Your Jesus Is Too Safe. Jonathan McIntosh, who recently launched the website, ReThinkMission.Org, sat down with Jared for an interview about the book and his thoughts on the gospel. Great conversation.
Jared Wilson Interview from Rethink Mission on Vimeo.
Tullian Tchividjian posted some insights from Tim Keller on the difference between pursuing righteousness through performance for God (Religion) and receiving righteousness from God through Christ (The Gospel).
RELIGION: I obey-therefore I’m accepted.
THE GOSPEL: I’m accepted-therefore I obey.
RELIGION: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.
THE GOSPEL: Motivation is based on grateful joy.
RELIGION: I obey God in order to get things from God.
THE GOSPEL: I obey God to get to God-to delight and resemble Him.
RELIGION: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or my self, since I believe, like Job’s friends that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life.
THE GOSPEL: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle but I know all my punishment fell on Jesus and that while he may allow this for my training, he will exercise his Fatherly love within my trial.
RELIGION: When I am criticized I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a ‘good person’. Threats to that self-image must be destroyed at all costs.
THE GOSPEL: When I am criticized I struggle, but it is not critical for me to think of myself as a ‘good person.’ My identity is not built on my record or my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ. I can take criticism.
RELIGION: My prayer life consists largely of petition and it only heats up when I am in a time of need. My main purpose in prayer is control of the environment.
THE GOSPEL: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with Him.
RELIGION: My self-view swings between two poles. If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people. If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel insecure and inadequate. I’m not confident. I feel like a failure.
THE GOSPEL: My self-view is not based on a view of my self as a moral achiever. In Christ I am “simul iustus et peccator”—simultaneously sinful and yet accepted in Christ. I am so bad he had to die for me and I am so loved he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deeper and deeper humility and confidence at the same time. Neither swaggering nor sniveling.
RELIGION: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work. Or how moral I am, and so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral. I disdain and feel superior to ‘the other.’
THE GOSPEL: My identity and self-worth are centered on the one who died for His enemies, who was excluded from the city for me. I am saved by sheer grace. So I can’t look down on those who believe or practice something different from me. Only by grace I am what I am. I’ve no inner need to win arguments.
RELIGION: Since I look to my own pedigree or performance for my spiritual acceptability, my heart manufactures idols. It may be my talents, my moral record, my personal discipline, my social status, etc. I absolutely have to have them so they serve as my main hope, meaning, happiness, security, and significance, whatever I may say I believe about God.
THE GOSPEL: I have many good things in my life—family, work, spiritual disciplines, etc. But none of these good things are ultimate things to me. None of them are things I absolutely have to have, so there is a limit to how much anxiety, bitterness, and despondency they can inflict on me when they are threatened and lost.
HT : Tullian Tchividjian (originally posted at The Journey)
Here’s a really powerful video that opened the Catalyst West Coast Conference recently. Amazing presentation of the biblical story.
It won’t let me embed the video, but you can just click over to Vimeo to watch it. It’s worth it.
HT : JT
John Piper talks to The Gospel Coalition about the 6 main points of the gospel.
1. It was planned from eternity.
2. It is an event in history – Christ died.
3. It is an achievement through the historical event – sins were paid for and righteousness was completed.
4. It is extended to the world as an offer that is FREE.
5. The achievement is personally applied to me.
6. Through this application, I am brought to God.
John Piper talks to The Gospel Coalition about the 6 main points of the gospel.
1. It was planned from eternity.
2. It is an event in history – Christ died.
3. It is an achievement through the historical event – sins were paid for and righteousness was completed.
4. It is extended to the world as an offer that is FREE.
5. The achievement is personally applied to me.
6. Through this application, I am brought to God.
Becoming a big fan of Matt Chandler recently. I watched this talk from the Desiring God Conference a little while back, but now they have a clip edited down with my favorite part from the talk.
What’s the point of the gospel?
Becoming a big fan of Matt Chandler recently. I watched this talk from the Desiring God Conference a little while back, but now they have a clip edited down with my favorite part from the talk.
What’s the point of the gospel?
I found this video a long time ago, but never got around to posting it on here. I usually don’t like these kinds of things that churches do to try and dramatize the gospel, but I actually thought this one was pretty good. Plus, it’s set to my (and Leah’s) favorite Lifehouse song, “Everything.”
I found this video a long time ago, but never got around to posting it on here. I usually don’t like these kinds of things that churches do to try and dramatize the gospel, but I actually thought this one was pretty good. Plus, it’s set to my (and Leah’s) favorite Lifehouse song, “Everything.”
Tim Challies has a great roundup post on the T4G Conference in Louisville, KY. The conference had speakers such as John MacArthur, John Piper, RC Sproul, Ligon Duncan, Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney, and others. My father-in-law actually attended the conference and said it was amazing. I was traveling last week and unfortunately couldn’t go. Tim Challies’ post, though, has summaries of most of the talks. Thanks Tim!
You can also go to T4G.org for more information and the audio from all of the talks.
Tim Challies has a great roundup post on the T4G Conference in Louisville, KY. The conference had speakers such as John MacArthur, John Piper, RC Sproul, Ligon Duncan, Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney, and others. My father-in-law actually attended the conference and said it was amazing. I was traveling last week and unfortunately couldn’t go. Tim Challies’ post, though, has summaries of most of the talks. Thanks Tim!
You can also go to T4G.org for more information and the audio from all of the talks.
Well if this site’s going to glorify God, which is my ultimate goal, then I figured it would be good to have a presentation of the gospel here. The Apostle Paul recognized the apart from Christ and him crucified, there was nothing. The truth of the gospel informs everything in my life. So here’s a clip from Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. The visual quality of the video’s not great, but it’s a very good, concise, accurate version of the gospel.
If you’re a believer, be reminded of what we live for. If you’re not a Christian, I encourage you to listen and be open to the Good News that God sent his son Jesus Christ to die in our place for our sins, paying the punishment that we deserved, drawing us to Himself to give us forgiveness and eternal life. God bless you all!
“…which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…” 2 Timothy 1:10
Leah Robbins Photography The Resurgence Desiring God 22 Words Challies Justin Taylor (B2W) Al Mohler C.J. Mahaney
