Obeying the Gospel

CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST (JANUARY 27)

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"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

IN THE TEXT ABOVE, PAUL SPEAKS OF “THE LIFE I NOW LIVE.” This, of course, stands in contrast to the way he lived previously, when “faith in the Son of God” was not his guiding principl...

THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH (JANUARY 26)

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". . . to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations" (Romans 1:5).

TEXTS THAT INDICATE SOMEONE’S PURPOSE SHOULD BE STUDIED CAREFULLY. In Romans 1:5, Paul was speaking of the purpose of his preaching as an apostle of Christ: “to bring about the obedience of faith” among all nations. So what is the “obedience of faith,” and why is it so important that Paul could say it was the goal or outcome that he hoped for in his...

EXULTING IN HOPE (JANUARY 25)

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"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2).

HAVING POINTED IN THE PREVIOUS VERSE TO THE JUSTIFICATION FROM OUR PAST SINS, PAUL SPEAKS IN THIS VERSE OF THE PRESENT GRACE AND FUTURE HOPE OF THE GOSPEL. Because the alienation has been removed, the relationship we can now have with God is rich and good — it is a foretaste of the perfect, unblemished re...

JUSTIFIED (JANUARY 24)

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"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).

IN THIS VERSE, PAUL WRITES OF THE JUSTIFICATION AVAILABLE TO US IN JESUS CHRIST. Our situation before God is like that of a lawbreaker in a courtroom. We have no hope of acquittal; because we are guilty (the evidence is clear that we’ve rebelled against God’s law), we rightly stand under the law’s penalty. In an “unjust” condition, what we need is to be “...

DISCIPLES, CHRISTIANS (JANUARY 23)

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"So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians" (Acts 11:25,26).

THE TERM “CHRISTIAN” IS QUITE FAMILIAR IN OUR CULTURE. It is the designation most often used for those who are followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Today, let’s look at the use of this term in Acts 11:25,26, which...

JESUS: THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE (JANUARY 22)

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"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'" (John 14:6).

OF ALL THE REMARKABLE THINGS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST, NONE IS MORE POWERFUL THAN HIS VIEW OF WHAT OUR REAL PROBLEM IS, THE ONE PROBLEM OF WHICH ALL THE OTHERS ARE MERELY SYMPTOMS. Both His mission and His message were aimed directly at the problem of sin. It was the salvation of our souls...

REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED (JANUARY 21)

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"Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit'" (Acts 2:37,38).

WE GET THE BEST ANSWERS WHEN WE ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS. On the Day of Pentecost following...

GOD HAS MADE HIM BOTH LORD AND CHRIST (JANUARY 20)

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"Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified" (Acts 2:36).

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE TITLES ASSOCIATED WITH THE NAME OF JESUS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT? In particular, what are we to make of the fact that at least sixty times He is referred to as the “Lord Jesus Christ”? To see fully who He is in the gospel message, we n...

IN CHRIST: RECONCILIATION TO GOD (JANUARY 19)

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"In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:19).

OF ALL THE EVENTS IN HUMAN HISTORY, THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT. And the gospel of Christ is the most important of all messages. But what is it about? If Jesus was truly the Son of God, what was the point of His being sent into the world? Paul the apostle...

ALPHA AND OMEGA (JANUARY 18)

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"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (Revelation 22:13).

ALPHA IS THE FIRST LETTER IN THE GREEK ALPHABET, AND OMEGA IS THE LAST. From “alpha to omega” is, as we would say, everything “from a to z.” When Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” He was making a claim to be God Incarnate, nothing less than the Eternal God who came into the world in human form. But why should this...

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD (JANUARY 17)

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"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'" (John 8:12).

SINCE THE BEGINNING OF HISTORY, LIGHT AND DARKNESS HAVE BEEN UNIVERSAL SYMBOLS. Light stands for truth/goodness; darkness stands for untruth/evil. When Jesus said He was the “light of the world,” He was claiming to be the only truth through which the darkness of evil can be dispelled. If it w...

WITH WHAT ATTITUDE SHOULD WE COME TO JESUS? (JANUARY 16)

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"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

THE GOSPEL ALWAYS HAS AN INVITATION ATTACHED TO IT. Jesus’ invitation is, “Come to me.” In His day, however, some came to Jesus seeking things other than what He offered, some came for wrong motives, and some were simply unwilling to accept Jesus’ conditions and commandments. In our day, people still “come to Jesus” for a wide range of reasons. So...

SHARING THE FAITH (JANUARY 15)

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"Tell everyone God’s message. Be ready at all times to do whatever is needed" (2 Timothy 4:2 ERV).

IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, ORDINARY CHRISTIANS WERE EVANGELISTIC. It wasn’t just the evangelists — everybody “preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went” (Acts 8:4 NLT). Even under persecution (especially under persecution, it seems) the followers of Jesus spread the word of forgiveness and eternal hope.

Today, it is tragically true that we who follow Jesus are not as evangelistic as they were. We a...

KEEPING THE FAITH (JANUARY 14)

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"When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose" (Acts 11:23).

SADLY, SOME PEOPLE MAKE A COMMITMENT TO CHRIST, BUT THEY GET TO WHERE THE COMMITMENT DOES NOT MEAN ANYTHING TO THEM. They do not “remain faithful to the Lord,” as Barnabas urged the new converts in Antioch to do. And the New Testament is clear about the consequence of unfaithfulness: to go back on our...

DYING WITH CHRIST (JANUARY 13)

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"The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him" (2 Timothy 2:11).

THE LITTLE WORD “IF” IS A POWERFUL WORD. If salvation depends on dying with Christ, it’s important to know what this means.

BAPTISM. If it is in baptism that we die with Christ (Romans 6:3,4), we should not expect the benefits of Christ’s death unless we’re willing to die with Him in this way. But there is more.

INTENT T...

MAKING THE COMMITMENT (JANUARY 12)

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"Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, 'See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?' And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him" (Acts 8:35-38).

IF (1) GODLY SORROW IS MOVING US TO SEEK GOD’S FO...

TRUSTING OUR FATHER (JANUARY 11)

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". . . for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13).

SIN IS THE RESULT OF FORSAKING THE TRUST WE WERE MEANT TO HAVE IN GOD. We see it first in the Garden of Eden, where as soon as Adam and Eve’s confidence in God’s goodness had been broken, they were willing to violate His will to get what they want...

COUNTING THE COST (JANUARY 10)

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"For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?" (Luke 14:28).

BEFORE EMBARKING ON A PROJECT, MOST PEOPLE THINK ABOUT WHETHER THEY ARE WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE. Halfway through the work is not a good time to start wrestling with whether the results are going to be worth the sacrifice. We should have already done that. So Jesus said those considering obedience to His gospel...

GRIEVING OUR SINS (JANUARY 9)

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"For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death" (2 Corinthians 7:10 NKJV).

IN AN AGE WHEN “FEELING GOOD” OUTRANKS EVERY OTHER VALUE, IT IS HARD FOR MANY TO SEE THAT OUR FIRST RESPONSE TO THE GOSPEL MUST BE GRIEF. Yet if the gospel is about redemption from our sins, we are not ready for what the gospel offers until we see our sins for what they are and grieve them in a go...

HEARING THE TRUTH (JANUARY 8)

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"Take care then how you hear" (Luke 8:18).

IF THE GOSPEL HAS A PREREQUISITE, IT IS THAT WE MUST BE WILLING TO HEAR IT. The process that the gospel was meant to initiate can go no further if there is anything that filters it out of our thinking. Whatever else it may be, the gospel is a message, and like any message, the gospel requires not just a hearing but a fair hearing.

First, we must be open to being...

THE HOPE OF THE GOSPEL (JANUARY 7)

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". . . if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven" (Colossians 1:23).

HOPE IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL TRAITS WE CAN POSSESS. Without it, we languish, but with hope, almost no obstacle can keep us from our goal. And one reason the gospel of Christ is the greatest of all messages is that it offers the greatest of all...

CONTINUING TO OBEY THE GOSPEL (JANUARY 6)

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"You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?" (Galatians 5:7).

PAUL’S QUESTION “WHO HINDERED YOU FROM OBEYING THE TRUTH?” WAS ADDRESSED TO A GROUP OF CHRISTIANS. He was concerned about some in Galatia who, having been baptized into Christ, were turning away from the truth. They were no longer obeying the gospel, and Paul was worried about their salvation.

Beginning with the initial response to the gospel that brings one into a forgiven relationship with G...

OBEYING THE GOSPEL (JANUARY 5)

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". . . in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus" (2 Thessalonians 1:8).

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST IS THE “GOOD NEWS” OF GOD’S SALVATION. But at this point, we encounter a misconception that is firmly lodged in the minds of many people: the notion that the gospel is unconditional and requires no response on our part.

Now certainly, anything we might do would be no mor...

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST (JANUARY 4)

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"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1).

WHEN THE TIME CAME AND GOD BROUGHT TO COMPLETION HIS PLAN TO PROVIDE SALVATION, THE PLAN WAS COMMUNICATED IN WORDS. In the Scriptures, this announcement of the deliverance from sin that God made possible is called the “gospel.”

It is an interesting fact that God chose to use the medium of human language as He did. Crucial to His rescue plan was its communication by m...

SALVATION (JANUARY 3)

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"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel" (Genesis 3:15).

EVEN BEFORE SIN BROKE THE PERFECTION OF GOD’S CREATION, GOD HAD FORMULATED A RESCUE PLAN. A descendant of Adam and Eve would crush Satan, the one who had lied to them, enticing them to sin: “he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” As it turned out, this One would live a perf...

SIN (JANUARY 2)

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"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die'" (Genesis 2:16,17).

ADAM AND EVE WERE FREE, BUT THEY USED THEIR FREEDOM TO REJECT GOD RATHER THAN HONOR HIM AS THEIR MAKER. We must not underestimate the seriousness of their decision to do what God had said they...

IN THE BEGINNING (JANUARY 1)

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"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).

LONG AGO, GOD MADE THE WORLD, AND WHEN IT WAS NEWLY MADE, IT WAS PERFECT. In its original state, as yet unmarred by any rebellion on the part of its inhabitants, the world reflected the perfection and glory of its Creator, ideally and supremely.

God is the only uncreated being. As Meister Eckhart wrote, “Outside of God, there is nothing but nothing.” Yet God was moved by His wisd...

WHAT HINDERS YOU? (DECEMBER 31)

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"And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name" (Acts 22:16).

WHEN ANANIAS FOUND SAUL OF TARSUS, THE NOTORIOUS PERSECUTOR OF THE CHURCH, SAUL HAD BEEN FASTING AND PRAYING SORROWFULLY FOR THREE DAYS. “And now why do you wait?” Ananias asked. “Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” Saul did as he was instructed, received the forgiveness of his sins, and served Jesus Christ fervently for the rest...

HAVE YOU OBEYED THE GOSPEL? (DECEMBER 30)

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"For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17).

WHEN PETER SPEAKS OF “JUDGMENT,” HE PRESENTS US WITH A SOBERING THOUGHT. The marvelous gift of the freedom of our will is accompanied by responsibility and accountability to our Creator. The time will come when we will be judged. In our conscience, we all know...

HAVE YOU DIED WITH CHRIST? (DECEMBER 29)

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"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3,4).

IN THE GOSPEL, THERE IS AN INSEPARABLE LINK BETWEEN CHRIST’S DEATH AND OUR BAPTISM. The death of Christ is obviously important; it is...

EXAMINING OURSELVES (DECEMBER 28)

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"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? -- unless indeed you are disqualified" (2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV).

GIVEN THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD, THERE IS NO HIGHER PRIORITY FOR US THAN SELF-EXAMINATION. Are we, or are we not, in a right relationship with Him? Do we, or do we not, have the hope of eternal life? And no less critical is this question: by what standard...

FORGIVEN, SAVED, BORN AGAIN (DECEMBER 27)

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"For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live...

HAVE YOU ACCEPTED CHRIST? (DECEMBER 26)

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"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving" (Colossians 2:6,7).

PAUL’S COUNSEL TO THE COLOSSIANS IS ONE THAT APPLIES TO ALL OF US WHO HAVE OBEYED THE GOSPEL. He said, “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.” Having accepted Christ, we need to live like persons who have actually done that.

We oft...

ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN? (DECEMBER 25)

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"Then Agrippa said to Paul, 'You almost persuade me to become a Christian'" (Acts 26:28 NKJV).

THE QUESTION “ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN?” IS PERHAPS MORE CONFUSING TO PEOPLE TODAY THAN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE FIRST CENTURY. But when Agrippa said, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian,” he knew what a Christian was. He understood the word “Christian” in its original sense: a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Sadly, there is no evidence that Agrippa ever became a Christian...

WHEN YOU RETURN, EXPECT A CELEBRATION (DECEMBER 24)

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"But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate" (Luke 15:22-24).

IT SHOULD GIVE US COURAGE TO READ THE WORDS “AND THEY BE...

COME TO JESUS, DO NOT TARRY (DECEMBER 23)

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"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life" (John 5:39,40).

WHEN JESUS INVITES US TO COME TO HIM, IT IS POSSIBLE TO REFUSE. Tragic as such a refusal is, many do refuse. But many others simply delay, thinking an easier time will come later.

It is always important for us...

A VICTORY GIVEN BY GOD (DECEMBER 22)

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"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57).

GRATITUDE IS ONE OF THE MAJOR MOTIFS THAT WE HEAR IN THE GREAT SYMPHONY OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. The apostle Paul, for example, uses the expression “thanks be to God” six times in his letters. And he uses it in 1 Corinthians 15:57 as he reaches the climax of his magnificent discussion of the resurrection of Christ.

“Victory” is a powerful word, but it i...

REAL RESTORATION TO GOD (DECEMBER 21)

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"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10).

IF WE WANT SALVATION AT ALL, MOST OF US ONLY WANT SALVATION FROM OUR CIRCUMSTANCES, NOT SALVATION FROM OUR SINS. We’d like help with the difficult, painful aspects of our lives, especially the unjust things other people have done to us. It is the unpleasantness and hardship of this broken world that we want God to fix.

Now and then, though, we...

WHAT PROFIT? (DECEMBER 20)

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"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26).

IN THE LAST TWO THOUSAND YEARS, MANY DIFFERENT MESSAGES HAVE BEEN PREACHED BY THOSE CLAIMING TO UPHOLD THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Today, most of what goes by the name of “Christianity” is a far cry from what Jesus taught and what He instructed His apostles to teach. To be specific, the original emphasis on t...

THE TWO GREAT ALTERNATIVES (DECEMBER 19)

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"He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury" (Romans 2:6-8).

JESUS SAID THAT EVERY TREE IS KNOWN BY THE FRUIT IT BEARS. Our outward deeds are important because, in the end, they will have shown the kind of...