The Power of God for Change: The Gospel

The Gospel is the power of God for change (i.e. sanctification (Tit. 2:11-14)

It is absolutely vital to understand that the Gospel is foundational for every aspect of the Christian life. The Gospel is not simply the way we become Christians, but it is the way we live the Christian life. Tragically, many people believe that the Gospel is the way we become Christians and then obedience to God’s commands and discipline is how we grow in our Christian life. Our churches are full of legalists because once people are saved they are urged to obey God’s commands through fear or shame rather than through a love for their Savior. Titus 2:11-14 reminds us that it is God’s grace that teaches us to renounce ungodliness. Oh how foreign such thoughts are to our everyday lives! When we want someone to obey us, we often use fear or shame or manipulation or coercion, but God uses grace. He uses kindness to draw us to repentance and forgiveness to move us to love (Rom. 2:4).