5 Realities of the Gospel Worth Considering

“Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
the exceeding righteousness of salvation,
the exceeding glory of Christ,
the exceeding beauty of holiness,
the exceeding wonder of grace.
-Valley of Vision, Continual Repentance”

I’ve been a church girl my whole life. There was a time when I thought of the message of the gospel as something that I didn’t need to hear anymore, something that maybe other people needed to hear, particularly if they weren’t Christian yet- but if it came up in church, in boredom, I’d let my mind wander. What good did hearing it again do for me? I was already saved.

“We have spoken freely to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in our own affections. In return I speak as to children, widen your heart also!” 2 Corinthians 6:11-13

True, I was a Christian, saved by grace, but a very immature one, and I was wrong about the message of the gospel. The message of the gospel is not just a message of one time salvation or a ticket to heaven. The more we meditate on and learn about the relevance of the gospel in our daily lives, the more we grow to become like Jesus. I was missing out. I didn’t understand. Anyone who even starts to understand the message of the gospel can’t help but be excited about it. I understand more now, and it’s amazing. Even though I still don’t fully comprehend His grace (who can?), I want to continue to grow in my understanding of it and share this amazing truth with others.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

In the prayer I shared at the beginning, from The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions, I see a beautiful synopsis of five reasons we should never lose sight of the message of the gospel.

1. The exceeding sinfulness of sin

No sin is “little” or insignificant. It’s what separates us from God, and it’s so terrible, that Jesus paid the highest price imaginable, taking on our sin, through his painful death on the cross and his momentary separation from God. Unless we understand how terrible our sin really is, we won’t really understand the depth of the love and grace that is freely offered to us in the forgiveness of that sin.

2. The exceeding righteousness of salvation

Accepting the gift of salvation means that there is nothing more that we need to do to earn God’s love and forgiveness. We don’t ask for forgiveness of our sins, become saved, and then start working towards our salvation- though so many Christians act like this. It’s already done. There’s nothing more to do. Christ’s righteousness covers us and we are in Him.

3. The exceeding glory of Christ

“We are not merely redeemed by the death of Christ; we are also redeemed by the life of Christ. His death on the cross reveals the nadir of His humiliation as He bears the curse for us. But that is only part of His redemptive achievement. It is not enough for us merely to have our sins atoned for. To receive the blessings of the covenant we must possess real righteousness. We need what we cannot supply for ourselves. This merit of righteousness is earned for us by Jesus’ life of perfect obedience.” R.C Sproul

4. The exceeding beauty of holiness

Do you know that God sees you as holy when you are in Christ? We are beautiful in God’s eyes. When we recognize how our Father sees us, then in gratitude, we begin to act holy. He calls us that which we are not, before we are- not because of who we are, but because of who Jesus is.

5. The exceeding wonder of grace

“Grace is the most perplexing, powerful force in the universe, and, I believe, the only hope for our twisted, violent planet. – Philip Yancey”

I’m no longer bored by the message of the gospel, anything but. The truth of it is alive in me, through the grace of the Holy Spirit. It has relevance to my daily life and I want to live in light of it's truths. I know that these five aspects of the gospel, as outlined in Valley of Vision, are worthy of study and meditation. They are beautiful realities that I invite you to acknowledge, for your good and God’s glory.