The Gospel is Our Why!

FULL DIGNITY

There is such amazing beauty in the world. Why? Everything created by God is good (1 Tim 4:4). After each day of Creation, God surveyed his work and declared five times: “It is good” (Gen 1:4,10,12,18,21,25). On the sixth day, he created humankind and God declared: “It is very good.” God crowned us, his image bearers, with glory and honor (Gen. 1:26-31; Psalm 8; Heb. 2:5-18). Therefore, we affirm the dignity of every human being. Also, creation is not something to escape, but to explore and enjoy as God’s good gift to us. Yes, God delights in his creation, and always will. Will you join God in delighting and stewarding his creation for good?

FULL DEPRAVITY

There is such brokenness in the world. Why? We share inescapable culpability with our first parents. With them and in them, we are rebel sinners. The result is the tragedy of the fall (Gen. 3), the pervasiveness of sin (Ps. 51:5), the inability to redeem ourselves (Rom. 3:9-23) and the idolatry of our hearts (Rom. 1:25) We are far more sinful than we even know. Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of God, justly deserving his displeasure, and without hope save in his sovereign mercy?

FULL CHRIST

There is so much love in the world. Why? We love because he first loved us (1 Jhn 4:19). Christ completes and perfects the salvation story through his life, death, and resurrection (Luke 24:25-27,44-47). He has done everything to bring you to God (1 Pet. 3:18). Your debt is paid in full (John 19:30). Christ brings forgiveness, acceptance, adoption, life, freedom, transformation. By faith, all his riches become ours! We are far more loved than we ever dreamed possible. Do you functionally trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of sinners, and do you receive and rest upon him alone as he is offered in the gospel?

FULL RENEWAL

This is why there is so much hope in the world. God is not out to just redeem souls and whisk them away to heaven. He is out to remake creation itself: a new heaven and a new earth (Is. 65:17-25; Col. 1:20; Rev. 21:1-5). We know the end of the story: God wins. Even now Jesus is enthroned giving gifts to his people as his agents of change in the world. As a result, the church has recovered its central role in God’s mission of renewal (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 3:21). And the gospel has recovered the priority of vocation as image-bearers. We bring His life and light into all the spheres our work touches. We can work hard and with purpose because we know God is even harder at work in us and in the world and our labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Cor 15:58; Eph 2:4-19). Are you willing to partner with Christ and his church in its worship and work to the best of your ability?

This is the story we tell one another! It is why we exist. It is the only thing that makes sense of the beauty and brokenness in the world. It is the true source of love and hope for a world full of sin, suffering and despair. Full dignity. Full depravity. Full Christ. And full renewal. Thanks be to God!