The Gospel is the Reason Why
Over the past couple months, an epiphany has shaped and taken root in my life: The gospel is the reason why.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, this sounds like Bible 101. Furthermore, as a Bible college graduate, this should've been the truth I was steeped in from freshman year day one, right? Yes, but I believe, with all of our cognitive knowledge, each one of us needs to be sooner or later slapped in the face (maybe "challenged" would be a more gracious way of putting it?) with experience in order to ground us in what truth even is. And in raw honesty, that has been the theme of these past couple months for me- one big slap.
Some days I think to myself, "I am everything our modern day, progressive world hates: conservative, pro-life, anti-covid-mandate/vaccine poster child, white Evangelical Christian." Yet simultaneously I also realize, "I am so much like the world and I hate it." Because ultimately, putting those labels to my name doesn't make me a Christian (before you judge me prematurely, I would love to chat with you IRL about these topics further... always willing to listen, clarify, & grow!). In fact, I know many strong, Jesus-loving people who have the exact opposite convictions that I do. But I hold to these convictions, and I strongly defend these convictions. The question is, why? Why does it matter what I believe, what they believe, what you believe? Does it even matter? Is it worth fighting the good fight over? After all, all that truly matters is the gospel, correct?
And what about the "other things" in life? What about career and lifestyle? Marriage versus singleness? Watching movies and creating art? What about house cleaning and putting on makeup? Do our convictions on these things even matter and if so, why do they matter?
Since graduating Moody Bible Institute last May, I feel like my faith has been pushed back to the basics. On the daily, I find myself wrestling with the significance of the gospel. Ultimately I keep coming back to the same place: I feel so powerless. I can have the whole church, all my Christian brothers and sisters, cheering me on and supporting me (which praise the Lord, I've only felt love from these people!), and yet in the silence, I find myself still wrestling with those same old insecurities. I become obsessive in my thoughts and my gut turns over with anxiety. There are still those days when I come back from church and feel inadequate, silly, wondering what I'm doing with my life. Most days I question why I'm not in a more "successful time career." Here I am, plugging along in life, outwardly looking all put together (or so they tell me) and inwardly, crumbling. And yet I know I am where God wants me and I keep pressing forward- but for what? Just so I can feel powerless and like I'm fighting a losing battle over and over again? God forbid! All praise to Him, I am beginning to see that in this place of feeling powerless is exactly where I can experience just how powerful Jesus is.
So, we come back to the question: Why does it matter what I believe, how I approach life, how I live my life? Well, it all ties back to my original epiphany- The gospel is the reason why!
Pick up your Bible and flip the pages all the way to Revelation 19:7-8. You'll want to underline this passage! As a side note, if ever I do get married, this is the passage I want to be read at my wedding ceremony because the truth is, this passage sums up the reason we, as Christians, do anything. The author writes the following regarding the marriage supper of the Lamb: "'Let us rejoice and exult, and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted for her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure'- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints."
For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
As my pastor preached on this passage a couple weeks back, it was a mind-blowing moment for me. It all came together: everything I am doing here on the earth is in preparation of being presented before the Lamb, who is Jesus Christ. Literally everything matters and is significant because it is preparing me to be presented before my Creator! How amazing is that?!! The significance of the gospel is that it propels me to live a life of righteousness that will one day be presented before Jesus (face to face with my savior!!). The gospel of Jesus Christ (who He is and what He did) is everything and impacts everything.
Who Jesus is matters because He defines all I am and all I do. My identity sets my trajectory. His command for my life is so simple yet so hard: abide. He calls His children to abide in Him, to follow Him, to be obedient to Him. To the world, living the Jesus-way looks crazy. The book of Philippians reminds me, however, that my citizenship is in heaven; I am not of this world. I am an exile in a strange land. Recently, I had it explained to me like this: "Exiles don't find their values in the strange land they're passing through; By living out the life of a sojourner, we point to a different, greater story of another kingdom."
My convictions are shaped by my theology. Who I believe Jesus is in truth determines the reality of how I see the world, how I respond to the world, and how I interact with the world. Both on a social and public level as well as on a personal level. A preacher I greatly respect once quipped the following: "Interact with the world with the integrity of a different kingdom." This is why it is essential that, as a believer, I take every thought captive. Our culture flings so many opinions around that it's easy to be swept up with every wind of doctrine- yet my anchor must be Jesus. Yes, Jesus is king- but how does this reality impact every aspect of my life? As the world around me falls deeper into sin and deception, how am I going to allow the gospel to shape my response, my convictions, my day-to-day living?
The bad news is, the world is only going to get worse and harder to live in. The good news is, all that I am called to do by God and He sets before me is preparing me to be presented before Jesus! Yes, even if I am living within the will of God, I am going to struggle with insecurity, sin, pride, etc. because I am still in this world and though the spirit is willing, the flesh indeed is weak! I am a work in progress, as we all are! God may also let me sink far enough to realize I can't live on my own- I need Him for my own survival. I find comfort in the words of John in 1 John 3:1-3 which says, "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies Himself as He is pure."
The gospel shapes everything. It shapes theology. It shapes political convictions. It shapes the way one reacts to the world. It shapes career, work, and job choices. It shapes the way one makes art and takes up certain hobbies. The gospel shapes humanity and defines humanity individually and collectively. The gospel shapes how one sees oneself. When I cling to anything other than Jesus for that "identity" and "meaning" I spiral into emotional misery. My thoughts need grounding, and that grounding must be true and steadfast. Jesus is Truth and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So my charge to both myself and to you is to go further up and further into the glory of our Creator and learn the art of abiding in Him. Remember, all we do on this earth is in preparation of being presented before Him! That is why all this earthy-living matters.