A Change of Perspective

When did the Gospel ever become about us? Yes, it's true; Jesus Christ did die on the cross for our sins to bring us back to into a personal relationship with God. And so we teach children to personalize John 3:16 by substituting their names into the verse. That's the intimate aspect of the Gospel that attracts so many people. But have we taken the Gospel too far and made it about us? Are we creating a Gospel that's too "me-focused"?

While it may seem blantantly obvious to you, the fact that the Bible is about God, and not me, was a much needed reminder for me. Many times I have approached my devotionals and ended up thinking "Okay. So here's what the Bible says I should/shouldn't do, now how can I do this in my life?" Now, I'm not saying it's wrong to strive for holiness. But my problem, and the lack of a solution, are inherent in my inadequate acknowledgement for the character of God.

At "The Answer: Forever His" Praise Night @ CEMCQ, Peter Ong preached on John 10:27-29 about the character of God and the human propensity to be self-centered. As I examined my attitude when reading the Bible I realized that I came towards God with a very self-righteous, salvation-by-my-own-merit kind of attitude. Not only did I become aware that I was failing horribly by trying to live a holy life through my own efforts, but I was also abusing God's Grace by simply telling myself that He would forgive my failures, using it as my excuse to continue sinning. Then I realized that it wasn't about how much I failed or succeeded, but it was the character of God, specifically His faithfulness, that the passage was concentrating on.

It was only after I made that connection that I realized Malachi 1 wasn't only talking about how the priests didn't give honorable sacrifices to the Lord, but it was about how the sin springs from their inherent lack of respect and fear for God as the Sovereign, Almighty King. Similarly, 1 Peter 3:8-22 is not only commanding believers to "do good" but it is only after we realize that "Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God" (v. 18) that we can have the strength to be righteous. Thus, the root of all sin is lack of respect for God and failure to fully comprehend the value of the Gospel.

It was only after I understood that the Bible was about God's Power and Grace that I realized how much more precious the Gospel is. Truly our salvation is not by our own merit. Not too difficult a concept to grasp, but it's true, sin is blinding. Like Piper said, we must stay in His Word and be willing to wrestle with God over every word.

Thanks be to God, His Word, and His faithful servants John Piper, Peter Ong, and Daniel Shih for this step forward in my spiritual walk.