There is an idea floating around some churches that gospel preaching or preaching the gospel is not necessary for believers, who need more meatier portions of Scripture taught so as to result in a deeper understanding of God and of course greater sanctification. The only problem with this idea is that it is not grounded in Scripture and thus it is wrong. More than that, the idea that believers will be bored with hearing the gospel and the ramifications of the gospel preached and taught on a consistent basis is due more to the shallowness of how the gospel is often preached and the immaturity of believers rather than any fault in the gospel.
As I read my Bible I see rather plainly that the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace is not just the way we enter the Kingdom; it is also the means by which we grow into the very likeness of the King of this Kingdom. Take Titus 2:11-13 for instance, which states clearly that it is the gospel alone that leads believers to sanctified living:
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Notice, that Paul confidently and unapologetically makes the point that the way we as believers learn how to successfully say no to their sinful flesh so as to live self-controlled and godly lives is by letting the gospel teach us. The idea is that as we are trained, coached, and disciplined, over time, by the gospel we will begin to change from the inside out.
And if, as Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:2 that the angels never tire of gazing at and exploring the wonders of the gospel as presented in the Word of God and experienced in the lives of repentant sinners, how can we find it boring, simplistic, or unnecessary? The fact is, because the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace is so amazingly and endlessly rich, it can handle, as Tim Keller writes, "the burden of being the one main thing of a church".
As I read my Bible I see rather plainly that the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace is not just the way we enter the Kingdom; it is also the means by which we grow into the very likeness of the King of this Kingdom. Take Titus 2:11-13 for instance, which states clearly that it is the gospel alone that leads believers to sanctified living:
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Notice, that Paul confidently and unapologetically makes the point that the way we as believers learn how to successfully say no to their sinful flesh so as to live self-controlled and godly lives is by letting the gospel teach us. The idea is that as we are trained, coached, and disciplined, over time, by the gospel we will begin to change from the inside out.
And if, as Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:2 that the angels never tire of gazing at and exploring the wonders of the gospel as presented in the Word of God and experienced in the lives of repentant sinners, how can we find it boring, simplistic, or unnecessary? The fact is, because the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace is so amazingly and endlessly rich, it can handle, as Tim Keller writes, "the burden of being the one main thing of a church".
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