We believe that the Gospel separates Christianity from any and every other religion.
On one hand, the Gospel teaches us that we are so bad Jesus had to die for us. It absolutely humbles us because it teaches that our sin is offensive to a holy and just God – and our sin is worse than we know or would ever dare admit. On the other hand, the Gospel lifts us up and causes us to rejoice because it says that we are so loved by God that Jesus delighted to die for us. It was God’s plan to rescue us by sacrificing his own Son, and in doing so God brings us great joy and himself great glory.
As Christians, we want to remember, rejoice in, and live out of what God has done for us in Jesus.
This means both a growing awareness of our sinfulness (leading to deeper humility) and a growing awareness of how good and gracious God is toward us (leading to greater confidence).
We don’t ever move past the Gospel.
Where we begin is where we stay. True Christianity always springs from growing Gospel-centeredness in our lives. We are to grow in grace each day, to more fully work the reality of what God has done for us – the Gospel – into the everyday parts of our lives. Christianity is fundamentally about learning how to live as a new person in Christ, where your heart is set on Jesus Christ and your life is the overflow of your joy in God. As one author has said, it’s about “doing everyday things with Gospel intentionality.”