The Gospel

So then, our ultimate calling is to preach the gospel to all the world. But what is the gospel, exactly?

In its most dressed-down form, the gospel is that Jesus Christ, the unique Son of God, has died to redeem the whole world and has resurrected to bring us all into eternal life. Christians know this, hopefully, backwards and forwards. But sometimes we get sidetracked from the gospel and detour into other things.

Oftentimes, it is easy for us to think of salvation, redemption, and sanctification in selfish, self-centered frames of mind. Jesus is saving me, is redeeming me, is sanctifying me. And yes, He is. But I am convinced there is a larger picture that we miss when we think in this way.

I think it more true to reality to say that Jesus is saving us, redeeming us, and sanctifying us. Us, not me. The Body, not the individual. It is important for us to make the distinction partly because of our pre-conditioned individualistic way of thinking that comes from living in America, but mostly because the Church was designed by God to be Christ's body. You can experience Christ by yourself, and you should. But we cannot experience the total Jesus experience, if you will, without fellowship and interaction with our fellow believers.

This is part of the beauty of the Church. The "buddy Jesus" idea has been promoted to such an extent in the western world that we easily lose sight of the Church and the community she represents. Absolutely, Jesus loves you as an individual, knows the number of hairs on your head, etc. But He did not die to save you, He died to save everyone who believes.

I am not denigrating personal relationships with God, I'm saying that the proposition of salvation is a corporate proposition, not an individual one. In terms of the gospel, Jesus died to save everyone who will believe in Him, which can include you.

Therefore, brother and sisters, cherish your one on one time with the Lord. But also cherish your corporate time with the Lord, perhaps even more than the personal.

At the end of history, when we all live together with God, we will all be living together. We don't get little personal heavens. We're a collective, the perfection of the Church. Our experience of God will be as one Body, one pristine Bride of Christ.