THE GOSPEL MOTIVATION (1) - Juhani Ahola

Gal 1:15-16
15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles…
 
What do you think makes a Christian share the good news? Quite often, some church leaders try to get their flock moving by appealing to the duty and commission that the believer should fulfill. Others try to hold motivational speeches and events so that the crowd gets excited and gets going. All of these methods are not wrong in themselves, but this is not the way the New Covenant believer is called to serve God. So what moves us, or should I say, moves us to live a gospel life in front of our neighbors and the people we meet every day.
 
THE GOSPEL IS MORE THAN YOU KNOW
 
Too often we have a very narrow understanding of the gospel. A baby Christian knows that he has been forgiven through Christ's sacrificial death and that he has become a new creation through Christ’s resurrection victory. This is the foundational truth for all believers. But sometimes you hear the saying that the gospel is milk for a little Christian, but now he needs proper food, meat to eat in order to progress in the faith. The truth is that the Christian's diet must always consist of the Gospel, or else he will not be able to digest other spiritual foods at all. The reason is that the Gospel is the A&O of Christian life and growth. It fuses heavenly wisdom into his life and causes a new creation to grow in him. A Christian is supposed to grow in knowing God and His grace.
 
2 Peter 3:18a
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
 
The problem we face is that we all suffer from old man amnesia and have a rebel in us who keeps turning to man-made options and different religious exercises instead of deepening our understanding of the Gospel and applying it to our daily lives.
 
Martin Luther comments in his commentary of Galatians:
This is a righteousness hidden in a mystery, which the world does not know, yea, Christians themselves do not thoroughly understand it, and can hardly take hold of it in their temptations. Therefore it must be diligently taught and continually practiced. And whoso does not understand or apprehend this righteousness in afflictions and terrors of conscience, must needs be overthrown. For there is no comfort of conscience so firm and so sure, as this passive righteousness is.[1]
 
The gospel of Jesus Christ covers all Christian life and living: It is wisdom from the perfect place, heaven, it is the passive righteousness or in other words "borrowed" righteousness that the believer receives as an undeserved gift, it is grace, and not only that, he is constantly sanctified, separated and purified from glory to glory (2 Cor 3:18), bought free from his old fallen life.
 
1 Cor 1:30
And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
 
THE GOSPEL ENABLES YOU TO GLORY GOD
 
Gal 1:15-16
15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles…
 
Paul, like every believer who grows in the knowledge of God's mercy and grace in Christ, wants to please his/her Redeemer and proclaim saving truth to people. When we understand God's grace, it inevitably changes our attitudes and inner desires to worship Him to whom all glory belongs. It changes our priorities and gives us perspectives we didn't have before. It actually empowers us to live a new life because the Gospel is the power of God.
 
Rom 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
 
This is a heavenly mystery, a mystery that has been fought against throughout history because it reveals our true condition: fallen nature and glorifies the redemptive power of Christ to save us unconditionally, by grace alone. This is contrary to our sinful nature because it reveals our inadequacy to save ourselves. Fallen man is a rebel living in sin, who tries to establish his own paradise without knowing God and his saving grace in Christ.
 
The Gospel = the Good News makes all the difference.
​Do you know it or better: Do you know Him?

[1] Martin Luther, Commentary on Galatians (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 22.