Linda G. (gotbks2) -
Pastor Mahaney wrote this little book to remind Christians that the Gospel isnt just a one-time message to bring us to faith in Christ and salvation. Its a message to live by daily, to take us joyfully and steadily through this life and into the next. After reading many of the New Testament letters of Paul, you should notice that the cross is a central theme. He wasnt content to preach about the death of Christ for sinners just to unbelievers to get them saved; he continually preached it to the believers to whom his letters were written.
Unfortunately, many Christians after hearing and believing the Gospel seem to put it on a shelf and move on to what they may think are more relevant and practical matters as they walk the Christian path. But the Gospel is always relevant; it helps us to keep our focus on the reason and object of our faith. Mahaney comments,
"In our never-ending desire to move forward and make sure that everything we do, say, and think is relevant to modern living, too many of us have stopped concentrating on the wonders of Jesus crucified. Too many of us have fumbled the most important truth of the Bible, and therefore weve suffered the consequences."
Mahaney believes that if we lose sight of the Gospel, there is a likelihood of falling into one of three mindsets which he identifies: legalism, condemnation, and subjectivism. He takes a chapter to discuss each of these tendencies, sprinkling in some examples from his own personal experience. Let me share a little bit on each of them here.
Legalism can sneak in as a Christian begins to think that his obedience and service to God somehow earn him more love, approval, or acceptance by God. Do you see how this attitude undermines the importance of Christs death? If I believe that my performance in any way earns merit from God, then what Im really saying is that Christs death was insufficient. Attending and being actively involved at church, reading the Bible, giving sacrificially to various ministries, witnessing to the lost all of these are wonderful and even necessary activities to be engaged in. But as Mahaney puts it, we can so easily turn what God intended to be a means of experiencing graceinto a means of earning grace. Here Mahaney takes some time to briefly explain the important difference between justification and sanctification terms that every Christian needs to understand. Justification occurs at the time we are converted; its the one-time pronouncement by God of our being not guilty because of the work of Christ on our behalf. On the other hand, sanctification is the ongoing process of becoming more holy, and its a process that continues throughout our life on earth.
Condemnation can affect any Christian, not just the really sinful ones. Its basically the weight that plagues a person who harbors a sense of guilt, shame, regret or failure for something in the past or present. While claiming to believe in Christs death for his sin, this person cannot seem to accept the free forgiveness of God that Christ earned for him. If your sin overshadows the work Christ accomplished on your behalf, this is not honoring to God. Were not saying to deny the fact that youre a sinner; the truth is, you must come to grips with the reality of your sinful condition if you are ever to be saved. However, Romans 8:1 says, There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, and Mahaney states, God is glorified when we believe with all our hearts that those who trust in Christ can never be condemned. If Gods Word promises that you have been forgiven if you believe in Christ, why wont you forgive yourself?
Subjectivism is basically when we base our decisions and behavior on how we feel rather than what we know to be true. Humans are emotional beings, but unfortunately like every other aspect of the natural man, our emotions have been affected by sin. On top of that, our feelings are always changing. Much of the time, we have to fight the tendency to react to situations based on our feelings at the time. We let our circumstances dictate how we behave and what we say. As Mahaney puts it, we let our view of God and life be shaped by our constantly shifting feelings about our ever-changing circumstances. On the other hand, God and His truth never changes. When situations arise that tempt us to look around and within us for an answer, we must keep the Gospel foremost in our thinking and let it govern our decisions and attitudes, looking outward and upward to Christ.
Mahaney next offers several practical suggestions to help us keep the Gospel central in our everyday lives:
1. Memorize the Gospel - Some key passages that speak of Christs accomplishment for His people are suggested.
2. Pray the Gospel - The gospel should be woven in throughout our praise, our petition, and our intercession.
3. Sing the Gospel Find times in your day to listen to hymns and worship music.
4. Review how the Gospel has changed you Write out your personal testimony! Share it with others!
5. Study the Gospel 2 Peter 3:18 encourages believers to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Along with of course making the commitment to read through the entire Bible, Mahaney offers a short list of recommended books.
Every Christian should be a student of theology, which is simply the study of God. Of course, the topics related to God and the Bible are many and wide which we may be interested in delving into, but none are as important as the gospel itself. Mahaney explains that The gospel isnt one class among many that youll attend during your life as a Christian the gospel is the whole building that all the classes take place in!
Unfortunately, many Christians after hearing and believing the Gospel seem to put it on a shelf and move on to what they may think are more relevant and practical matters as they walk the Christian path. But the Gospel is always relevant; it helps us to keep our focus on the reason and object of our faith. Mahaney comments,
"In our never-ending desire to move forward and make sure that everything we do, say, and think is relevant to modern living, too many of us have stopped concentrating on the wonders of Jesus crucified. Too many of us have fumbled the most important truth of the Bible, and therefore weve suffered the consequences."
Mahaney believes that if we lose sight of the Gospel, there is a likelihood of falling into one of three mindsets which he identifies: legalism, condemnation, and subjectivism. He takes a chapter to discuss each of these tendencies, sprinkling in some examples from his own personal experience. Let me share a little bit on each of them here.
Legalism can sneak in as a Christian begins to think that his obedience and service to God somehow earn him more love, approval, or acceptance by God. Do you see how this attitude undermines the importance of Christs death? If I believe that my performance in any way earns merit from God, then what Im really saying is that Christs death was insufficient. Attending and being actively involved at church, reading the Bible, giving sacrificially to various ministries, witnessing to the lost all of these are wonderful and even necessary activities to be engaged in. But as Mahaney puts it, we can so easily turn what God intended to be a means of experiencing graceinto a means of earning grace. Here Mahaney takes some time to briefly explain the important difference between justification and sanctification terms that every Christian needs to understand. Justification occurs at the time we are converted; its the one-time pronouncement by God of our being not guilty because of the work of Christ on our behalf. On the other hand, sanctification is the ongoing process of becoming more holy, and its a process that continues throughout our life on earth.
Condemnation can affect any Christian, not just the really sinful ones. Its basically the weight that plagues a person who harbors a sense of guilt, shame, regret or failure for something in the past or present. While claiming to believe in Christs death for his sin, this person cannot seem to accept the free forgiveness of God that Christ earned for him. If your sin overshadows the work Christ accomplished on your behalf, this is not honoring to God. Were not saying to deny the fact that youre a sinner; the truth is, you must come to grips with the reality of your sinful condition if you are ever to be saved. However, Romans 8:1 says, There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, and Mahaney states, God is glorified when we believe with all our hearts that those who trust in Christ can never be condemned. If Gods Word promises that you have been forgiven if you believe in Christ, why wont you forgive yourself?
Subjectivism is basically when we base our decisions and behavior on how we feel rather than what we know to be true. Humans are emotional beings, but unfortunately like every other aspect of the natural man, our emotions have been affected by sin. On top of that, our feelings are always changing. Much of the time, we have to fight the tendency to react to situations based on our feelings at the time. We let our circumstances dictate how we behave and what we say. As Mahaney puts it, we let our view of God and life be shaped by our constantly shifting feelings about our ever-changing circumstances. On the other hand, God and His truth never changes. When situations arise that tempt us to look around and within us for an answer, we must keep the Gospel foremost in our thinking and let it govern our decisions and attitudes, looking outward and upward to Christ.
Mahaney next offers several practical suggestions to help us keep the Gospel central in our everyday lives:
1. Memorize the Gospel - Some key passages that speak of Christs accomplishment for His people are suggested.
2. Pray the Gospel - The gospel should be woven in throughout our praise, our petition, and our intercession.
3. Sing the Gospel Find times in your day to listen to hymns and worship music.
4. Review how the Gospel has changed you Write out your personal testimony! Share it with others!
5. Study the Gospel 2 Peter 3:18 encourages believers to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Along with of course making the commitment to read through the entire Bible, Mahaney offers a short list of recommended books.
Every Christian should be a student of theology, which is simply the study of God. Of course, the topics related to God and the Bible are many and wide which we may be interested in delving into, but none are as important as the gospel itself. Mahaney explains that The gospel isnt one class among many that youll attend during your life as a Christian the gospel is the whole building that all the classes take place in!
