Beware of gospel fatigue! I hope Today’s post in our Gospel Jump-Start Series serves as both a warning and encouragement. There is a very real temptation to begin thinking; “I know the gospel, what I now need is some deeper theology.” Yet, we never graduate from or move on from the gospel. In the introduction to his study of Galatians entitled, Galatians for You, Tim Keller wrote:
It’s very common in Christian circles to assume that “the gospel” is something mainly for non-Christians. We see it as a set of basic “ABC” doctrines that are the way in which someone enters the kingdom of God. We often assume that once we’re converted, we don’t need to hear or study or understand the gospel-we need more “advanced” material.
But in this short letter, Paul outlines the bombshell truth that the gospel is the A to Z of the Christian life. It is not only the way to enter the kingdom; it is the way to live as part of the kingdom. It is the way Christ transforms people, churches and communities.
We’re going to watch Paul challenge them, and us, with the simple truth that the gospel is not just the ABC of Christianity, but the A to Z—that Christians need the gospel just as much a non-Christians. (pg. 9)
Indeed, there is nothing more “advanced” than the gospel. There is also the pitfall of not reflecting deeply on the gospel and how it applies to all of our life because we become overly familiar with it. You know, the familiarity that breeds contempt. So when we hear or read gospel truths our mind disengages from serious thought because we automatically shift into “I already know all of that” mode. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul writes that he was called by God to preach the “unsearchable riches of Christ” to the Gentiles (3:8). Reflecting on this verse Robert Murray M’Cheyne wrote:
Often the doctrine of Christ for me appears common, well known, having nothing new in it; and I am tempted to pass it by and go to some scripture more taking. This is the devil again—a red-hot lie. Christ for us is ever new, ever glorious. ‘Unsearchable riches of Christ’—an infinite object, and the only one for a guilty soul. I ought to have a number of Scriptures ready, which lead my blind soul directly to Christ… (pg. 177, emphasis original)
Christian, be encouraged, in Christ are infinite riches, meaning in His gospel work are depths we will never fully plumb or exhaust. Therefore, dive deep and by God’s grace we will see how these truths apply to every area of our lives. Not only that, but we will be continually amazed by God’s grace to us in Christ.
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” –Colossians 2:6-7
Written by Matt Baker