Forgetting the Gospel

We need to hear the gospel.

Most christians think they know it inside and out.

Like the back of their hand

But we don't.

At least we don't live like it.

Derek Webb, on his House Show album tells a story

he says:

There’s a great quote by Martin Luther in the sixteenth century. He had a church that he was the pastor of and some came to him and said, “Pastor, why is it that week after week after week all you ever preach to us is the gospel?” – implying that “we’re ready to move on to something else. Certainly we know this by now.” Luther’s response was, “Well, because week after week you forget it, because week after week you walk in here looking like a people who don’t believe the gospel. And until you walk in looking like people who are truly liberated by the truth of the gospel, I’m going to continue to preach it to you.” And, until his dying day, he did.

I don't know how historically accurate that is,
and wouldn't know where to find that in a book
But the fact is we do forget
We forget that we have been bought with a price
We forget that we have been raised from the dead
We forget that we once were blind, and have received sight
That we once were lame, paralyzed and broken, but now we can walk
and it is only by His grace

And we need to be reminded of that.
We need to remember what we are saved from
and what has been done for us
We need to understand the depth of our sin
that every inch of us is depraved from the bottom to the top
It overtakes us and we don't even try to stop it sometimes
all of the time.

We need the Gospel preached to us on a regular basis
because we need to be reminded of the sacrifice
That blood was shed on our behalf
so that we could be made clean
washed white as snow
A debt was paid for us
a ransom for sin
We need to see the beauty of Propitiation
that Gods wrath towards our sin was quenched
by his son on  a cross

We need the Gospel because we need to know that we are not alone
that we have a Helper in the Holy Spirit
that he Lives and breaths in us and through us
and it is only through him that we live and breath
He directs our paths
He lights our way

I forget the gospel all the time
sometimes for long periods of time
We need to be reminded that even in that
he still holds us
We are still His
Adopted as sons and daughters

For the glory of God
and the good of His people