Jesus’ Community

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, “ The righteous by faith will live.” Romans 1:16-17 NET

Jesus Himself warned His disciples against being ashamed of Him, which shows that He anticipated they might be (Mark 8:38). The message of the cross undermines self-righteousness and challenges self-indulgence. Whenever the Gospel is faithfully preached, it stirs opposition, often contempt and sometimes ridicule.  But we instead remember Jesus’ teachings, that the same message which some people despise for its weakness is in fact “the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” 

We know this because we have experienced its saving power in our own lives. God has reconciled us to Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ, forgiven our sins, made us His children, put Holy Spirit within us, begun to transform us and introduced us into His new community. How can we possibly be ashamed of the gospel?

Moreover, the Gospel brings salvation to “everyone who believes”. Saving faith is the great leveller. Everyone who is saved is saved in exactly the same way, by faith. Equally.  There is no distinction between them.  The Gospel is the saving power of God.  It gives us a sense of obligation (we have been entrusted with the good news), and it gives us a sense of conviction (if it has saved me, it will save others). 

God, limitless in authority and power, was determined to provide an adequate solution to the disastrous pain of sin. The separation that sin has caused between humanity and God needed resolve. Jesus Christ came to be the perfect and full payment for sin.

Because of the unrelenting grace of God we can enter back into harmonious relationship with God through faith in Jesus and true repentance, this is the Gospel.