Hard Truth

I became a Christian at a young age. I grew up in the church with my incredible, ever-strong mother as the principal spiritual leader in my life. I was baptized at 15 and unconsciously assumed that was the end of the process. I assumed that my act of obedience placed the Holy Spirit into my heart, where He would remain until I moved from this earth into heaven. I knew life would be full of trials, and that the Spirit would be there to guide me, but I never expected for my faith to be so completely shaken as it has been over the past year.

Even today, the way I understand my faith and the truth of the gospel is radically changing.... in the most wonderful, fulfilling way. The most important, most terrifying revelation is that I am utterly, completely dependent on God for everything in my life. I myself bring nothing to the table. This principle flies in the face of everything that society tell us, but it is the truth of the gospel. The problem lies in the fact that we don't want to see it.

"Do we really think that a crown of thorns and whips and nails and a wooden cross and all the other facets of the crucifixion that we glamorize are powerful enough to save us? [...] What happened at the cross was not primarily about nails being thrust into Jesus' hands and feet but about the wrath due your sin and my sin being thrust upon his soul. In that holy moment, all the righteous wrath and justice of God due us came rushing down like a torrent on Christ himself."

This is the gospel.

"The just and loving Creator of the universe has looked upon hopelessly sinful people and sent his Son, God in the flesh, to bear his wrath against sin on the cross and to show his power over sin in the Resurrection so that all who trust in him will be reconciled to God forever."

The first time I read that passage I ended up in tears. It's heart-wrenching, but true. The gospel proclaims our hopeless, sinful situation while the world boasts to us of self-improvement. The raw, true gospel speaks to an unconditional surrender of all that we are to all that is God. 

Quotes from Radical, by David Platt
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