There’s a lot of talk these days about “the gospel” and how it ought to be defined. The word itself means “good news,” but what exactly is it?
For the apostle Paul, the gospel is that Jesus came and died and rose from the dead so that we could be reconciled to God (1 Cor 15). For Martin Luther, the gospel is that we are justified to God by faith alone in Christ alone. For Mel Gibson, the gospel is that Jesus suffered on our behalf. For Rick Warren, the gospel is that Jesus restores us to God so that we can live a purposeful life.
But the New Testament Gospels have a different take. The Gospel of Mark was the very first of the four Gospels written, and the first person to use the phrase in that book is none other than Jesus Himself. For Jesus, the word “gospel” means, “The kingdom of God is here—so close you can reach out and touch it with your hand. The time you’ve been waiting for has now arrived. Now act like that’s so.”
Of course, this brings up an important follow-up question, What exactly is the kingdom of God (or Kingdom of heaven in Matthew’s Gospel)? Well, by definition, a kingdom is wherever the king’s will is realised — where that king’s thoughts determine reality. In that light, God’s kingdom is wherever His will is done fully and completely — wherever what God wants to happen happens.
Jesus’ Good News was this, Your life can be lived in such a place. Your life can actually be that place where God’s will is done fully and completely.
Imagine that! This God we’ve learned so much about, this God who wants to bless people, wants people to live free of regret, fear or anxiety, this God who wants you to live in such harmony with Him and with others that your very presence is a blessing to the whole world — He’s made a way for it to happen.
Jesus has come to give us a chance at life — really living life the way we always wanted to live. We have a shot at being that person we always wanted to be, to have the power and freedom we always wanted to have. Because of Him, it’s possible for love to conquer fear; for security to defeat anxiety; for ordinary, fallen, broken people like us to be extraordinary people of integrity and strength. It’s possible to not only do the right thing now; it’s actually possible to do the right thing in the right way at the right time for the right reason.
It’s possible to be completely transformed into the people we were created to be.
Because God’s kingdom has broken into our world, the momentum has shifted once and for all. And this kind of life is available to absolutely everyone. And — this is the best part — it’s absolutely free.
That’s what we’d call “good news.”
The only question that remains is this, If that kind of life is really available, why are so few of us living it?
Father, I anticipate the day when Your will shall be fully realised not only in heaven, but also on earth. Even now, I want to be a follower and doer of Your will on this earth as I live between the present age and the age to come. Only in You can I discover the resources to become the person You intended me to be and to live the life You have called me to live. I ask You for the grace to fulfil Your will in my relationships, in my work, in my aspirations and with my possessions. I willingly affirm that Jesus is Lord of all, and that there is no part of my life that should not come under His guidance. Whenever I am tempted to retreat from Your loving rule, may I recall anew where I was without You, where I would be without You and where I would be destined without you. Apart from You I can do nothing.
In Jesus’s name, Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment