Excursus on the Gospel - Living Into the Gospel

Various factors have contributed to a feeble understanding of the biblical gospel among professing Christians. Two such factors are a general ignorance of the Scriptures and a tract mindset when it comes to the gospel message. But whatever the causes, the outcome is that multitudes of Christians reduce the gospel to a handful of propositions, the belief of which will result in the hearer being "saved." This sort of simplistic reduction of the gospel's content and purpose has disastrous effects, not only for the Church's witness to the gospel, but for individual Christians as they seek to live out their faith. The gospel isn't confined to a few statements regarding Jesus' death at Calvary for sinners; it informs and directs every aspect of Christian life and practice because it tells the believer who he is, and therefore what it means for him to live an authentic life. To the extent that a Christian misconceives or minimizes the gospel, to that extent he insures that he will fall short of living out his life in Christ with integrity and authenticity. This final message in the series considers what it means for Christ's people to live into the gospel - to live into the truth as it is in Him.