Gospel With JD GreearSample

Gospel Change

Hear this plainly. God doesn’t need anything from us. What God wants is the affections of our heart. 

Many Christians are living in a difficult tension. They’re fighting to follow the teachings of Jesus and the commands of Scripture, yet the result isn’t the abundant life they long for. They may be bringing their behavior in line with God’s rules, but their hearts are still running from Him. Usually without realizing it, they’ve let God their Father take a back seat to God their Judge. As a result, they’re left in a daily grind trying to appease God. The end of this road is either empty religious routine or abandonment of the Christian faith altogether. Both are a far cry from the revolutionary power of the gospel that Jesus unleashed on earth.

We need to develop a clear distinction between religious change and gospel change. God doesn’t want more religious conformity; He wants our love. We have a tendency in religious circles to fill our lives to the brim with religious activities. For the most part, these activities in themselves are good, God-honoring pursuits. The reality, however, is that habitual Christianity may be the number-one killer of the joy-filled life Christ has offered us. A good question for us is, are we trying to earn God’s love and affection, or are we living in the joy of God’s love that’s been declared over us in the gospel? Religion changes you externally by adding things to your life. Gospel-centered change is not about giving you a list of things you need to go and do for God but making you stand in awe of what He has done for you.