I had a fantastic time out west this past week. I flew into Las Vegas last Wednesday to hang out with my friend Marty, the pastor of Anthem Church in Henderson, NV. He picked me up at the airport, and we headed northeast, cutting the corner of Arizona and into the southwest corner of Utah. We drove into the Dixie National Forest to a cabin surrounded by pine trees and aspens, where red sandstone cliffs and buttes created a remarkable backdrop for a Pure Heart Weekend. We were joined at that cabin by John, Josh, Jim and Eric, plus two Dave’s. Men of purpose. Men of passion. Men who walk with Marty, in the pastoral leadership of their church.
One of the issues we talked about was out of the ordinary for a Pure Heart Weekend. It was this question: What is the Gospel? That is, what is the content of belief that a person needs to put their faith in, to ensure salvation? If Satan believes in God, and, as well, also believes in the resurrection —since he has seen the resurrected Lord with his own eyes!— is there something different that we are believing which grants us salvation, but sends Satan to hell with the same facts in his head?
The answer is . . . ummmm . . . Yes. Salvation is more than just believing some information that Satan also has. For Satan’s knowledge does nothing for him, but what we believe changes Who we are. The Gospel enters our hearts by an epiphany of grace (Titus 2:11), and changes us at the level of spirit, the level of identity. Our faith changes us into spirit-persons who did not exist before. By receiving Him, we are changed in the spirit at the level of identity.
Romans 6:3-6 tells us that The Holy Spirit has baptized us (“dipped us; immersed us into”) into Christ. We are identified now with Christ Jesus our Lord in His Righteousness, in His death, burial and resurrection, and in His ascension to the throne room of Heaven. The Holy Spirit takes our spirit and immerses us invisibly, but actually, into the life of Christ. His righteousness becomes our righteousness. His death becomes our death. His resurrection becomes our resurrection, and we are “seated with Him in heavenly places” (Eph 2:6).
That is the gospel.
That is the content of the gospel. You don’t have to understand it all before you believe and receive Him as savior. But if you are taught the epistles of the New Testament, then you will hopefully be taught this fullness of the gospel.
The gospel changes us at the level of identity, the level of spirit. We go from being unbelieving sinners to believing saints. We are transformed from being called ungodly (Rom 4:5) to becoming the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:21).
This is the Gospel:
Christ gave His life for us;
So He could give His life to us;
So He could live His life through us;
as us.
You don’t really add Jesus to your life. You come to His cross, you die, and then you are born-again with His life. Let His life be put on display again on planet earth, through you.
-Carter