Day 51: What Does The Gospel Do Within Us?
Today we discuss one of the most important truths: How the Message of the Gospel has the power to transform us. Not only is the Power of the Gospel a profoundly important truth, it is also one that gives us great insight into what Father God does for us and to us because of His great love for us.
WORDwork:
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4:4 In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God… For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
From whom is the truth of the Gospel hidden or “veiled” ?
Why is the Gospel hidden from this group?
What does God do to counteract this “veiling”?
The Gospel brings LIGHT.
Make no mistake about it—we are engaged in a war. Satan – the god of this age, as Paul calls him in this passage – is blinding the minds of all those who do not believe the Truth that is revealed in the Gospel so that they cannot see the glory of Jesus. The good news is that God intervenes.
Notice how God takes this initiative toward us. He is the One “shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of Himself in the face of Christ.” Some call this the act of illumination. God the Father working in Christ through the Spirit gives us “light” to see reality that is proclaimed to us in the powerful words of the Gospel.
Remember, in our spiritually dead, lost, and condemned state, our hearts and minds were darkened being cut off from the light of truth and reality. In Ephesians Paul says,
Ephesians 2:1-3
And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2:2 in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience, 2:3 among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest… {NET}
“In Adam” we had three “strikes” against us: 1) we were dead in our trespasses and sins, 2) we were held captive by our Adversary, the Devil (the Ruler of the Kingdom of the Air) and 3) we were enslaved to our own sinful desires. We were “children of wrath” which means we were people condemned because we had rejected God’s truth, goodness, and glory. The first step in seeing the light of the Gospel is to believe and accept that this is true of you; this is where we all start.
But God the Father intervenes, He finds us when the Gospel comes to us. Not only does the Gospel give us hope, it also has the power of God to “turn the lights” on for us so that we can see what is really real. Take a look at the circle diagrams now:
God the Father begins his work at the core reality of who we are, in our hearts. Paul tells us that this is where He “shines,” illuminates us so that we can see His glory in the face of Christ. Jesus is the “True Light.” He is the One who reveals the One True God to us truly.
John 1:9-10
The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not recognize Him.
The Gospel brings New LIFE.
When we hear the Gospel and receive its good news by faith our fellowship with God is restored and we are given new life—the eternal life of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Hear the way Jesus defined eternal life:
John 17:3
This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent—Jesus Christ.
Eternal life comes from our personal knowledge of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This new life is also a certain way of life—life defined by God’s goodness and glory. God is the One who initiates toward us and “makes us alive” through our faith in Christ. Notice how Paul concludes Ephesians passage we just read:
Ephesians 2:4-7
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 2:5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 2:7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. {ESV}
Even thought we were dead and alienated from God, because of His great love for us, He has come to find us and give us the gift of new life in Christ. The life that is offered to us in Christ is an essential aspect of a key growth stage:
KEY Growth Stage: ALIVE
Becoming ALIVE. Life is not just about being physically alive. More importantly, we need spiritual life—connection with Father-God in Christ through His Holy Spirit, the source of all life. Once we are AWARE of all that God done for us to provide us with spiritual life, we have to decide what we will do with that knowledge.
Take a moment to be grateful for what Father-God has provided. You may want to pray, giving thanks for all that He has done for us in Christ!
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
