Obeying the Gospel

Gary Henry

5.0 (7)
Christianity
Updated Daily

Why become a Christian? And what is actually required when you do? Gary Henry tackles these questions in Obeying the Gospel. Designed for both the skeptic and the saint, these three-minute, daily episodes explore the initial basics of salvation and the lifelong dedication required to keep our promise to God. Discover why the commitment is worth the cost.

23h ago

Normative Nature of the Apostles’ Teaching (June 11)

NORMATIVE NATURE OF THE APOSTLES' TEACHING (JUNE 11) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/normative-nature-apostles-teaching-june-11/ "Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:1,2). WHEN WE ARE ADRIFT, WE NEED AN ANCHOR. But when it comes to the gospel of Christ, it is extremely important what anchor we choose to employ. Changing the metaphor, we might say that our standard of measurement is important. If we need to know whether a particular belief or practice is valid, we won’t get a helpful answer if we measure by the wrong yardstick. For Christians, the Scriptures are the definitive standard by which beliefs and practices are to be judged. Starting with Genesis and culminating in the writings of the apostles of Christ, these documents are normative. That is, they define what is and what is not an authentic part of the “Way” (Matthew 7:13,14; John 14:6; Acts 24:14). The Bible is, in effect, the “constitution” of Christianity. In the late first century, several decades after the beginning of the gospel, many began to abandon the teaching of the apostles and promote progressive views of discipleship. Against this departure, the apostle John wrote a heartfelt plea to his brethren urging them to ground themselves in what they had been taught by the apostles (1 John 1:1-4; 2:24; 4:1,6). If they left this teaching, they would have departed from Christ (1 John 2:18,19; 2 John 9-11). The crisis in John’s day was the beginning of a trend that continues today. At present, it is fashionable to say that there is no norm — Christianity is whatever we wish it to be. If there is any standard, it is our own subjective feelings. As for the Bible, it is viewed as a “living” book whose meaning changes over time. Yet this goes against the way the apostles themselves viewed the gospel. There was, for example, no hope that the problems in Corinth would be solved if the Corinthians didn’t remember what Paul had taught them as an apostle. “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached.” And what if they did not hold fast? Paul left no doubt that they would have “believed in vain.” "A Christian cannot live by philosophy. Only the light of Christian revelation gives the end as well as the means of life" (John Jay Chapman). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min
1d ago

The Importance of the Apostles (June 10)

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE APOSTLES (JUNE 10) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/importance-apostles-june-10/ "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). IN GOD’S PLAN TO SAVE US FROM OUR SINS, THE APOSTLES HAD AN IMPORTANCE THAT NEEDS TO BE UNDERSTOOD. The entire message of the gospel depended on the resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:13-17), and the apostles served, first and foremost, as eyewitnesses of that event. Each of them had seen Jesus after He had been raised (Acts 1:21,22). And while the apostles were not the only eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:3-8), their testimony was invested with nothing less than the authority of Christ Himself (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). In addition, the apostles could perform miracles that guaranteed the truthfulness of their account (Hebrews 2:3,4). So the apostles were not just disciples or followers of Christ; they were the definitive, authoritative emissaries of Christ. They could regulate the practice of the church in its foundational period. And what we have today in the New Testament is the written record of their definitive teachings. These documents provide the permanent, unchangeable “constitution” of the Lord’s church. In the first century, of course, many people claimed to be apostles who were not. So to separate the false apostles from those actually appointed by Christ, the true apostles were able to miraculously confirm their authority. Paul wrote to the Corinthians (some of whom were questioning his apostleship), “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works” (2 Corinthians 12:12). Jesus said that after His resurrection the Holy Spirit would finish revealing to the apostles the things He had only just begun to teach them (John 14:25,26; 16:12-15). So to get all of Jesus’ teaching, we have to study not only what He personally taught, but also what was revealed to His apostles. Taken together, this body of teaching is definitive. It is authoritative and foundational. So we must not say, as many do, that we should ignore the apostles and only study the teachings of Jesus. The truth is, we can’t have Jesus without the apostles. They were His designated, not-to-be-ignored spokesmen. "Jesus chose the twelve apostles for a unique, unrepeatable role in the history of redemption" (John Piper). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min
2d ago

Saved From, Saved For (June 9)

SAVED FROM, SAVED FOR (JUNE 9) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/saved-from-saved-for-june-9/ ". . . by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire" (2 Peter 1:4). THE QUESTION 'NOW WHAT?' IS ONE OF LIFE’S MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS. Unfortunately, many of us who have sought salvation from our sins do not understand what salvation is for. Like ancient Israel, we’ve been rescued from “Egypt,” but we don’t have a good grasp of the goal God had in mind when He set us free. THE PAST. It is not a good situation if the Christian has “forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins” (2 Peter 1:9). Now that we follow Christ, the dominant note in our lives should be gratitude: “thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed” (Romans 6:17). But we dare not define ourselves solely in terms of the things we don’t do anymore. THE FUTURE. Nature abhors a vacuum, as they say, and the gospel was meant to do more than subtract the evil from our lives (Luke 11:24-26). The question is, why did God want certain things removed from our lives and what does He now want to put in their place? We are not what we used to be, but what comes next? Having forgiven us, God wants us to “become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). His plan is to repair the damage of sin (Peter described it as “corruption”) and transform us into people who think and act as creatures made in His image. In fact, He plans to makes us into people who have the same character as His Son, Jesus Christ. “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29). So a glorious destiny awaits us in Jesus Christ, and even now, we “are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). And it’s not just our character but also our conduct that is being renovated. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10). So let’s be frank: are we participating in God’s plan . . . or not? "We have been holding the letter of truth while at the same time we have been moving away from it in spirit because we have been preoccupied with what we are saved from rather than what we have been saved to" (A. W. Tozer). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min
3d ago

What We Need to Be Saved From (June 8)

WHAT WE NEED TO BE SAVED FROM (JUNE 8) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/what-need-saved-from-june-8/ "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander" (Matthew 15:19). THE CANCER THE GOSPEL WAS MEANT TO CURE IS MUCH MORE SERIOUS THAN MANY PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO ADMIT. If we want any help at all, it is usually just with our outward behavior or our external circumstances. But the gospel proposes to help us with our character — which in the Scriptures is often called our “heart.” It is our character that produces our conduct, and so the gospel works on the cause of the problem and not just its symptoms. Sin is any transgression of the will of God, but sin may occur at different levels, some more basic than others. We may sin by doing things “on the surface” that are not right, but these sins are the symptoms of a deeper problem: our hearts are in rebellion against God. Looking back at Matthew 15:19, Jesus said that it’s “out of the heart” that evil thoughts and sinful deeds arise. That’s where the real problem lies, and that’s where we need the most help. One of the most fascinating of the prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures is Ezekiel 36:26,27, where God said, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” Jews in the first century who were looking for the coming of the kingdom of the Messiah could not have done better than to be longing for the new hearts the Messiah would make it possible for them to have. One of the most important things in life is to take responsibility for our faults. In the gospel of Christ, we are asked to take responsibility at the deepest level. If we are to be saved from our sins, we must humbly acknowledge not just that we have done sinful deeds, but that we are sinful people. Whatever sins we have done outwardly, it is from our hearts that such deeds have come. We need to be saved not just from the penalty for our sins, but from the sinfulness of being the kind of people who would do such things to begin with. Recognizing this is the first step toward repentance. "Christ's definition of sin penetrates far deeper than a list of sins on a membership card. It goes to our inner desire, motivations, and secret thoughts" (Erwin W. Lutzer). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min
4d ago

From God, for Our Profit (June 7)

FROM GOD, FOR OUR PROFIT (JUNE 7) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/from-god-our-profit-june-7/ "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16,17). MANY OF US, LIKE TIMOTHY, HAVE BEEN ACQUAINTED WITH THE SCRIPTURES SINCE WE WERE CHILDREN. But we, also like Timothy, need to be reminded of the extraordinary nature of these books that comprise the sacred writings. In 2 Timothy 3:16,17, Paul points to several fundamental facts about these documents. SCRIPTURE. The Jews, and later the Christians, recognized a very special body of writings which they knew as “Scripture.” The word basically meant “writings,” but when referring to this unique collection, it meant writings that came from God. Of all the writings in the world, these are the most treasured and the most authoritative. BREATHED OUT BY GOD. The uniqueness, and hence the authority, of the Scriptures derives from their having been “breathed out by God,” as Paul says. We do not know precisely the process through which this took place (indeed, the writer of Hebrews indicates, in 1:1,2, that it was not always in the same way), but the end result is clear: the books that can be called “Scripture” originated in the mind of God. In the words of Peter, “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). PROFITABLE. The Scriptures are not merely for our study; they are for our profit. God has revealed Himself for the purpose of our betterment. When mankind departed from God, one of the most tragic results of this alienation was the loss of the knowledge of God. But God reached across the gap and progressively reintroduced mankind to the truth about Himself. So the record in the Scriptures of this revelation is extremely profitable to us: “for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” We are right to say that the Scriptures are unfathomable. That is not to say they are mysterious or impossible to understand, but simply that they are inexhaustible. No matter how many years we study, there is always more to learn — and more to profit from. Indeed, the inexhaustible nature of the Bible is one of the clues that it was not produced by merely human wisdom. "God's Book is packed full of overwhelming riches; they are unsearchable -- the more we have the more there is to have" (Oswald Chambers). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min
5d ago

Delivered from the Power of Death (June 6)

DELIVERED FROM THE POWER OF DEATH (JUNE 6) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/delivered-power-death-june-6/ "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery" (Hebrews 2:14,15). WHEN JESUS ARRIVED AT BETHANY AFTER HIS FRIEND LAZARUS HAD DIED, HE FOUND MARY AND MARTHA GRIEVING THE LOSS OF THEIR BROTHER. To Martha, Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again” (John 11:23), and she replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day” (v.24). Then Jesus said these words to her: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (vv.25,26). It is a fundamental fact of the gospel that by dying Jesus enabled those who accept His salvation to have a whole new perspective on death. To be able to die, He had to take upon Himself human flesh (John 1:14), but as the Hebrew writer points out in 2:14,15, by sharing in our “flesh and blood” and then dying for us, He took away from Satan the power of death and delivered “all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” We shall all have to die physically, of course, unless we happen to be alive when Christ returns. That is because when Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden, they and their progeny were barred from the Tree of Life — the physical immortality that would have come from eating of that tree was forfeited (Genesis 3:22-24). But in Christ, the fear of death has been broken. The assurance of our own resurrection makes all the difference. In short, it is hope — the anticipation of what is beyond death — that “gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). But actually, what Jesus did was better than just giving us a new perspective on death: on the other side of death, He opened the door to a life much better than what we call “life” right now. I expect heaven will be even better than what Adam and Eve had in the Garden of Eden. Although it seems ironic that Christ gave us this life by dying, that is the good news. He died that we “might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7). "Jesus audaciously abolished death, transforming it from a door that slammed to, into one that opened to whoever knocked" (Malcolm Muggeridge). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min
6d ago

Jesus’ Final Instructions to His Apostles (June 5)

JESUS' FINAL INSTRUCTIONS TO HIS APOSTLES (JUNE 5) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/jesus-final-instructions-apostles-june-5/ "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age'" (Matthew 28:18-20). JESUS’ FINAL INSTRUCTIONS TO HIS APOSTLES SHOULD BE OF MORE THAN PASSING INTEREST. If we wanted to know how Jesus viewed His own mission, we would need to look at the entire body of His teaching, of course, but His last words would be pertinent in a special way. What were the marching orders He gave to those whom He had selected to carry forward His work in the world? “Disciple” is not a word we use much today, but it is a crucial word. The basic meaning is “pupil” or “learner,” but the extended meaning involves something deeper. A disciple is not merely under the instruction of a teacher; he or she is a follower of that person, one who emulates the life and character of the teacher. And that is what Jesus sought: not just students but disciples. His command to “make disciples” was a charge to proclaim the gospel to all who would listen and then to baptize those who sought the forgiveness of their sins. But while baptism was essential (there could be no discipleship without having “died with Christ”), baptism was just the beginning. Now forgiven and restored to God’s fellowship — and with the hope of heaven in their hearts — those baptized were to be taught “to observe all that I have commanded you.” So the mission assigned to the apostles was disciple-making, and that could only be done through evangelism, the proclamation of the gospel itself. Whatever the apostles might have thought was more relevant, Jesus’ command never changed: make disciples. We need to keep coming back to the central concern of Jesus. Yes, He helped people physically and emotionally, but His greater concern was always with their spiritual needs. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). If we follow Jesus, our concern must be for the eternal welfare of people’s souls. So let’s not lose our focus. By God’s grace, let’s do what Jesus told His apostles: teach people how they can be with God when their broken lives in this world are done. "The church has many tasks but only one mission" (Arthur Preston). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min
Jun 4

Sin Strikes Deeper Than We Admit (June 4)

SIN STRIKES DEEPER THAN WE ADMIT (JUNE 4) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/sin-strikes-deeper-admit-june-4/ "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:12,13). MOTIVES MAKE A DIFFERENCE, DO THEY NOT? When we fail to use good judgment, we hope people will see that we “meant well.” But there is another side to this. Actions that are good, at least in their outward appearance, may be contaminated by impure motives. If everybody could see what God sees in our hearts, they would often have to reevaluate even the best of our deeds. So the question I must always ask is not only What did I do? but Why did I do it? The outward deed is certainly important (2 Corinthians 5:10), but the inward motive is even more so (Acts 8:20,21). God, of course, is the only one who knows our motives completely. We are “naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” He knows not only our words and deeds, but He knows “the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” All of this means that when we’re considering the problem of sin, we need to see how deep it really goes. (And please understand, I’m talking about our own sinfulness, not that of other people.) Sin strikes deeper than we admit. If all that had gone wrong was that our behavior had become dysfunctional, that problem would be relatively easy to fix. But the problem is that our hearts have become rebellious. Selfishness taints nearly everything we do, sometimes so subtly that we don’t even see it ourselves. And if the problem is this deep, we should expect the remedy to be radical. Bringing our innermost hearts back to a position of utter unselfishness, God will have to do some serious work. The battle to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) will take more than a few days. And the process will not be painless. It may be that our most pressing need is for greater self-honesty — and deeper repentance. The human heart is “deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9). So when we find ourselves doing something for multiple reasons, do we have the honesty to ask, “Deep, deep down, what was the real reason why I did that?” "Man sees your actions, but God your motives" (Thomas à Kempis). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min

5

out of 5

7 Ratings

Why become a Christian? And what is actually required when you do? Gary Henry tackles these questions in Obeying the Gospel. Designed for both the skeptic and the saint, these three-minute, daily episodes explore the initial basics of salvation and the lifelong dedication required to keep our promise to God. Discover why the commitment is worth the cost.

Creator

Gary Henry
Years Active

2020 - 2026
Episodes

31
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Copyright 2021 Gary Henry & WordPoints
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Obeying the Gospel