Have you ever met someone who says they love the gospel but don’t like the church?Despite what these people say, loving the gospel but not loving the church is, in fact, impossible; and I want to help you understand why.
The gospel is a message. This message, once adopted and believed, creates a people that, in turn, demonstrates the promises and truth of the message. Call it the greatest virtuous cycle in history. The gospel creates the church and the church protects and presents the gospel.
- What is the gospel? This is the good news that proclaims that Jesus loves an unworthy and sinful people.
- Saving them from the wrath of God (Romans 5.
- 8; 1 John 4.
- 10).
- He saves us individually.
- But saves us in a village.
- Are we getting it? Members of the same body? Through the gospel?(Ep 3.
- 6).
- Peter observes.
- “Yes.
- Yes.
- That you were not a people before.
- But now you are a people of God.
- That you had not obtained mercy.
- But now you have obtained mercy” (1Pe 2.
- 10).
- Becoming a people and receiving God’s mercy happen together.
What is the church? Invisibly, it is to the people to which Christ saves; Obviously, this is where we dress all the individual and collective realities of the gospel; we gather to listen to the gospel and affirm everyone’s participation in the gospel through the sacraments (Rom 6:1?3). ; 1C 10. 15?17) protects the gospel. And then we disperse to obey all that Jesus commands, he shows the gospel, to love one another as Jesus loved us, with sacrifice, and in the face of sinful indignity, this shows that we are his disciples (Jn 13:34 – 35). .
Now suppose someone says, “Has Christ declared me righteous ?! But never persevere or assume this life of righteousness. We would doubt this person’s profession of faith. Likewise, we must doubt the testimony of anyone who claims to be a member of the body of Christ but never assumes participation in a local church. Those who love the gospel will love a church, while those who leave the church will, in effect, abandon the gospel. Peter learned all these things from a severe reprimand from Paul. When Peter separated himself from the Gentiles in the church, did Paul tell him that he was not acting in accordance with the truth of the gospel? (Galatians 2:14). Paul even suggested that Peter’s actions negated the gospel of justification by faith alone: “Knowing, however, that man is justified not by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ? (v. 16). If the apostle John was on the scene, he could have said to Peter, “If someone says, I love God and I hate your brother, are you a liar? (1Jo 4. 20). Less inspired, but still incisive, Kevin DeYoung observed: “Someone says, ‘I love Jesus, but can’t I stand church? it’s like saying to my wife, “I love you, but I can’t stand your body!” The gospel creates the church. The Church protects and displays the Gospel. You can’t have one without having the other.