There are many self-professing Christians whose lives do not bear the fruit of a true believer. For example, most politicians who claim they are Christians support abortion, which God hates. They lack a biblical worldview and can not see God’s sovereignty and sanctity in every life from the moment of conception. Why is there a discrepancy between what people profess and how they live? Since it is by the gospel that one is saved and transformed, their understanding of the gospel must be different from what the Bible says. Without the gospel, man can not know the true God, and his life will not bear the fruit of Christ-likeness. It is only by the gospel that man can be prepared to meet God after death.
What is the gospel? And what happens when one believes in the biblical gospel?
If your gospel is biblical, it is the gospel of Jesus Christ alone. Only the good news of Jesus Christ is able to transform men. There are many false saviors in the world. That is why the angels told the shepherds of the specific sign that the Messiah who was born would be in a manger, wrapped in cloths. God became man to bear our sins and sorrows. His birth in a manger was a picture of His humility, and it was the sign that indicated that He was the promised Savior.
Jesus is the center of the gospel. If your gospel is in Christ alone, it will surely be fruitful. He is able to save us from the power of sin, because He alone overcame it to reconcile us to God. Jesus Himself is the gospel, and the new life that He gives to believers is supernatural. (Matt 1:21; 1Cor 15:3-4) The gospel is applied to the dead heart through repentance and faith, and the believer is grafted into the life of Christ, he is transformed. Those who were once proud are now humble, and they begin on the path of sanctification, continually growing and bearing fruit. They single heartedly love Christ, and they live for the Kingdom of God. There is no power that could reverse the effects of the gospel in the life of a true believer. The biblical gospel brings about an undying passion for and commitment to Christ.
If your gospel is biblical, you would live a Christ-centered life. It is by God’s power, love, goodness, and holiness that He established the means of salvation for the hopeless. The angels praised God before the shepherds, saying, “Glory to God in the highest,” as they heralded the good news of Christ’s birth. Every time a person is saved, God’s glory is hailed in heaven, and Christians who taste the glory of God in the gospel become determined to give glory to God with their whole lives.
How can you glorify God?
- Surrender to God, to be His instrument for His Will to be done. Regardless of circumstances, our hearts must be dedicated to the Lord, aiming for His glory.
- Worship Christ alone.
- Become more like Christ in sanctification. Every Christian has the desire to become more like Jesus to the glory of God. (Phil 3:10-11)
What hinders a God-glorifying life? If all activities become a performance with no heart, and God’s Word, prayer, and fellowship with the church have no impact on you, there is no life of Christ in your life. There is no glory to God in a pretentious, religious lifestyle.
If your gospel is biblical, you have peace. Peace is supernatural. Without God, you can not know peace. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. He died for us, placating God’s wrath, erasing our guilt, and making us children of God. Christians knows peace through their salvation. No matter the circumstances, they have peace because the Lord is with them. (2Cor 5:18-21) God gives us peace to enable us to obey, and we experience His peace as we commune with Him in prayer.
The true gospel is the good news of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. It transforms men to be Christ-centered and at peace. The gospel is not to be just preached, but to be experienced through the power and love of God in Christ.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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