1. New Life through the Gospel

The first part of our vision for The church in DeKalb is that we will see God bring people to new life through the Gospel. This was the heart of Jesus’ mission on earth, “I have come that you may have life” Jesus says in John 10.10. Likewise it is our desire, to proclaim the Gospel to the people and the city of DeKalb and to see God bring new life.

Most people will learn that anytime you use the word, “but” in our language you basically cancel or nullify what you have just previously said. If someone were to say, “I like you but…” or, “this tastes good but…” whatever they are about to say next cancels what they have just said.

The greatest “but” in all of scripture is found in Ephesians 2.4.

⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved- ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

“But” here works in the same way, canceling and nullifying the previous statement, just as it does when we use it. Paul has just said that we were dead in our trespasses and sins in which we once walked, following the course of this world, pursuing disobedience, living according to the passions of our flesh, the desires of our bodies and our minds, and that we were by our very nature children of God’s wrath.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us…made us alive together with Christ!

God secures new life in Christ by the Gospel, the good news that Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures, that He was buried, and that He was raised from the dead according to the scriptures. Paul says to the Romans, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is the same love we see in Ephesians 2.4.

The Bible is clear that Jesus was our substitute on the cross. While we were the ones who have sinned against God and it was us who deserved only His punishment and none of His goodness, Jesus took our place. It is fair to say that God is more a just God than He is a forgiving God. While He forgives sinful people He did not just let our sinfulness pass, He took out the full wrath and penalty of our sin on Christ. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God.

This is grace, and is what Paul says in Ephesians 2.8-9 is how we are saved and brought to new life.

⁸ “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

While God secures salvation through Christ’s death on the cross it remains our responsibility, through God’s enablement, to turn from our sins and believe in the Gospel.

Jesus’ words in Mark 1.15 are a summary of His entire ministry. “The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.”

Repent is a word which simply means to feel sorry or regret for sinful actions or attitudes and to willingly decide to turn from them towards pure actions and attitudes.

We realize that God has given us new life when we comprehend the gravity of our sinfulness against a perfect God. It is then that we must believe in the Gospel, believe that our sins are forgiven because Christ has paid our penalty. And too, we must desire to no longer walk according to ways we once walked, but to walk in a new way, pleasing to God.

The Apostle Paul says it this way in Romans 6:

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ² By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? ³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ 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.”

Paul points out how our response to God giving us new life through the Gospel mirrors the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Just as Christ died, was buried, and was raised to new life so we, in receiving the Gospel have died to sin and ourselves, and through baptism have been buried and raised to walk in newness of life.

Our vision for The church in Dekalb is that God would bring people to new life through the proclaiming of the Gospel. Yet not new life alone, but too that God would grow, develop, and mature us all as we walk in newness of life. That the Gospel wouldn’t only save us from God’s wrath alone but that through daily recognizing our sinfulness and failures we would mediate on the cross and rest assured in the security of our salvation purchased by Jesus. And that in new life we would also become a community by the Gospel and do life together for the Gospel.