Nov 13, 2015 Words of Grace – The Dynamic of the Gospel in the Heart
Discipleship is not dry duty, but the result of a spiritual dynamic at work in the heart of a person made new in Christ. This is seen clearly in the activity of love.
The command to love God and our neighbor is given, implied, or illustrated on every page of the New Testament. Jesus said the first and second most important commandments are to love God and to love our neighbor (Mark 12:28-34).
But the commands to love are not the sum of the gospel. The gospel is the love of God for us in Christ and the work of the Spirit in our hearts. God’s love for us is the dynamic that produces the activity of our love for him and others.
God’s love for us is most clearly seen in the fact the Jesus died for our sins. God’s love for us is most powerfully communicated to us by the Holy Spirit who makes our hearts new and awakens us to him. God’s love, in Christ and by the Spirit, is dynamic. It is a power that accomplishes salvation for us and produces responsiveness to God in us. Our energy to love God and our neighbor comes from the love of God for us.
To obey the command to love, we must first have the dynamic of the gospel at work in us.
Receive the love of God for you in Christ. Christ died for your sin because you cannot remove the guilt of your sin on your own. Repent of your sin and trust in Christ for your salvation.
Renew your heart in the love of God for you in Christ. Open your Bible (Romans 8 is a great place to start), and let the Spirit of God communicate to you the deep love of God (Romans 5:5). See the love of God for you in the cross of Christ (Romans 5:8). Grasp the greatness of God’s love for you (Romans 8:31-39).
Respond from the heart to the love of God for you in Christ. Let the gospel become a power in you to love God and your neighbor. Let daily activities be done in love because God loves you.
I look forward to talking more about the dynamic of the gospel in our hearts this Sunday at Grace.
– Scott