Something we never outgrow

"And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 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, and of which I, Paul, became a minister." ~ Colossians 1:21-23

"You never, never, never outgrow your need for it. Don’t ever think of the gospel as, “That’s the way you get saved, and then you get strong by leaving it and doing something else. No! We are strengthened by God through the gospel every day, till the day we drop. You never outgrow the need to preach to yourself the gospel." ~ John Piper




The video posted was downloaded from the "Desiring God" web site and is an excerpt of a message by Pastor and author John Piper.

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/2007/2389_The_Gospel_in_6_Minutes/

Recently the President of my alma mater, Stephen Jones wrote this very important statement; "Judging by our practice, it might be safe to say that many Christians have tended to view the Gospel's importance to Christian living as finished at the point of salvation (and up until this year I would have included myself in that group.) The biblical picture, however is that the Gospel has continuing value to believers--something meriting frequent repetition even to the saved (I Corinthians 15:1-2; Romans 1:15). The Gospel is meant to change the remainder of our lives (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)"

The Gospel is the source of our atonement, redemption and for on-going holy living and sanctification. The letters to the early church all stressed the ongoing importance of the Gospel not only for our salvation but also for our continued spiritual growth and avoidance of sin. The Bible constantly reminds us that we need to remember the Gospel and the grace in which we stand. Other than the Bible itself I would highly recommend "The Pursuit of Holiness" and "The Disciplines of Grace" both by Jerry Bridges which through scripture show the importance of the Gospel for holy living.

We never outgrow the need to preach the Gospel to ourselves on a daily basis. It is as relevant to the believer just as it is to the seeker.

"On Christ, and what he has done, my soul hangs for time and eternity. And if your soul also hangs there, it will be saved as surely as mine shall be. And if you are lost trusting in Christ, I will be lost with you and will go to hell with you. I must do so, for I have nothing else to rely upon but the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived, died, was buried, rose again, went to heaven, and still lives and pleads for sinners at the right hand of God." ~ Charles H. Spurgeon.

For more on the Gospel visit http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/resources/video/What-Is-The-Gospel---John-Piper