The Solidification of the Gospel.


Since the beginning of man-made religion people have known about a gospel, paid homage to a gospel, celebrated a gospel, preached a gospel, without fully understanding "THE" gospel. It is as if THE gospel goes only as far as the cross and is a spiritual secret known only to the seminarian denominated trained professional, this has led people as to the“art” of hearing the voice of God’s appointed Teacher, dull of hearing.

The gospel is the message of the resurrection. The gospel IS the resurrection. Grace is the expression of the resurrection. Grace IS resurrection. Religion says: "Yes the gospel is about the cross but the gospel is also more than the cross!" Jesus said, "I AM the Resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). Jesus is the content of the gospel and Jesus did not end with the cross, if there was no resurrection there would be no gospel. Jesus never said, "I AM the Cross", but He did say, "I AM the resurrection and the life". The resurrection is the expression of the dynamic of all that Jesus is. In fact, the resurrection is the reality of all that relationship with the Divine is. The vital understanding of everything that is godly is in the resurrection. Resurrection life is the focal point of all grace teaching, grace is the starting point from which everything must be appraised, evaluated and interpreted...EVERYTHING!

Allowing the "grace of God" to remain statically solidified in a religious cocoon is a spiritual tragedy. Grace is often depicted as merely the "undeserved favor of God," nothing more than the graciousness, mercy or pity of God expressed on the cross. Yes, that is the extent of the understanding of grace under the old covenant, because grace in its reality did not come until Jesus.

It is in the light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that we see that grace is the dynamic activity of God in the life of the risen Lord Jesus. "Grace is realized through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17); the "grace of God was given to us in Christ Jesus" (I Cor. 1:4); "grace was freely bestowed on us in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). "The grace of God has appeared (in Jesus Christ), bringing salvation to all men" (Titus 2:11). We have an identity as "believers", participating in the resurrection-life of Jesus, only by the grace of God (I Cor. 15:10). The believers life, the life of the risen Lord Jesus lived out in us, is only lived by the dynamic of God's grace. As believers we do not want to nullify such (Gal. 2:21), but to continue in the grace of God (Acts 13:43) which is ever sufficient (II Cor. 12:9), and that to the very end (Rev. 22:21). The grace of the resurrection-life of Jesus is the essence of the gospel.

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