By Joseph Randall

Have you ever thought of the Gospel as merely a message unbelievers need to hear so that they might be converted to Christ? This way of understanding the Gospel could not be further from the truth. The Gospel is for believers! Once you are converted to Jesus Christ by the Gospel, you also grow in the grace of God by the power of the Gospel. You continually need to find your joy, value, and strength to grow in holiness in the Gospel.

Your joy should be in the Gospel: What makes you happy? You may find a lot of joy in new toys, money, falling in love, marriage, newborn babies, success in a career, etc. But what God has done for you in the Gospel should always be your greatest joy because He is the greatest treasure in the universe, and He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of His Son. All other joys can be taken from you, but not this one. Furthermore, this greatest of all joys will bear much fruit in your Christian life.

Once you are converted to Jesus Christ by the Gospel, you also grow in the grace of God by the power of the Gospel.

God does not want to be served or obeyed out of guilt-driven duty, but from a heart full of delight and satisfaction in Him and His unchanging love for you. The well-spring of this joy flows from the Gospel.

Your value is found in the Gospel: Being absolutely secure with who you are in Christ Jesus will guard you from all the idolatries of this world and help you grow in the grace of God. In Christ:

You are justified and have peace with God (Romans 5:1)

You are free from condemnation forever (Romans 8:1)

You are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10)

All things, even those meant for evil against you, are working for your good (Romans 8:28)

Your heavenly Father, like the “Hound of Heaven,” is pursuing you relentlessly with goodness and mercy all the days of your life (Psalm 23:6)

If these Gospel truths are deeply established in your hearts, you will be freed to love others with reckless abandon and passionately in love with the God Who purchased these gifts for you with the blood of His own dear Son.

Your strength to grow in holiness is in the Gospel: Paul writes: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)

The Gospel points you to your death to sin with Christ and to the newness of life you have with Christ in His resurrection. Paul’s logic is that you cannot live in sin any longer! You died to sin! Be who you are in Christ…holy and blameless!

Dear Christian, you need to hear the Gospel everyday! For a more in-depth study of the necessity of the Gospel for Christians, see these excellent articles:

Centrality (PDF format).

The Transforming Power of Feeling Mercy