Category: Gospel
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Moralism Trap
To reach people in our day, the gospel will have to be distinguished from moralism, because moralism is what most people outside the church think Christianity is all about – rules and standards and behavior and cleaning yourself up. Millions of people, both inside and outside the church, believe that the essential message of Christianity…
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Gospel Greater Than Conservatism & Liberalism
The gospel is neither conservative nor liberal; and at the same time the gospel is both liberal and conservative. This causes a lot of confusion to folks both inside and outside of the Church. On the one hand, the gospel is conservative because it declares that there is such a thing as right and wrong,…
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Malignancy of Sin
Sin is a spiritual and moral malignancy. Left unchecked it can spread throughout our entire being and contaminate every area of our lives. Even worse, it will often metasticize from us into the lives of others around us. ~ Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins
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Appropriating the Justifying Work of Christ
Only a fraction of the present body of professing Christians are solidly appropriating the justifying work of Christ in their lives. Many have so light an apprehension of God’s holiness and of the extent and guilt of their sin, that consciously they see little need for justification. Below the surface, however, they are deeply guilt-ridden…
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Expressing the Gospel in Less Than 30 Seconds
Jerry Bridges communicates the gospel accurately and clearly in less than 30 seconds.
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Effect of Coming Empty Handed
“As we come to Christ…empty-handed, claiming no merit of our own, but clinging by faith to His blood and righteousness, we are justified. We pass immediately from a state of condemnation and spiritual death to a state of pardon, acceptance, and the sure hope of eternal life. Our sins are blotted out, and we are…
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Deconstructing the Twin Enemies of the Gospel
Perhaps the two of the most effective enemies of the gospel within the Church in North America are the twins: Moralism and Legalism. While there are other enemies at work, such as Relativism and Licentiousness, these are far more obvious in their opposition to the gospel. Moralism and Legalism, however, are so potent, especially among…
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Erasing Hell
Recent discussion about Judgement and Hell, spurred largely by a recent book by Rob Bell, have prompted many to rethink what they believe – what Scripture teaches – about this subject. Among them, Francis Chan in this video titled Erasing Hell. I had thought I was done with this thread, but Chan’s reflections warrant hearing.
