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Gospel

Pursuing the Gospel Or Its Fruit ?

The Gospel Changes Everything.

But if the Gospel changes everything, why do we reach for “doing” rather than “believing”?

People love, love, love their religion. Religion makes us feel good. When we participate in religion, we gain a sense of accomplishment. A sense that we are actually doing something good for God. We think we are accepted by God based on our doing.

Surrender to God? Check. Loving others? Check. Seeking peace? Check. Acceptable to God? Not so much (See Isaiah 64:6).

These things are fruit. Fruit of the Spirit–the Spirit of Christ that dwells within us.

There is a difference between focusing on the Gospel and focusing on the fruit of the Gospel.

Focusing on “surrender” inherently draws our attention and action inwardly. “Can I muster enough effort to surrender enough?” But focusing on the Gospel automatically motivates me to surrender.

Do you see the difference? This is subtle but so freeing. One is looking at the fruit, but the other looks to the Tree of Life (Jesus and His Gospel) and the fruit of looking at the Gospel is produced in our lives.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

The fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5 is not an exhaustive list. We could add surrender to Jesus, humility, wisdom, godliness, growing in faith for faith, eating and drinking to the glory of God, abhorring and running from sin, orphan care, and the list could go on and on.

The bottom line: Pursuing the fruit establishes religion. Looking to Jesus and His Good News (the Gospel) produces fruit.

Pursuing the fruit is religion. Pursuing the Gospel is Christianity.