“This then is the gospel with
which we need to become thoroughly familiar and that we need to preach to
ourselves every day. Jesus by His death and shed blood completely satisfied the
justice of God and the claims of His broken law. By His perfect obedience He
positively fulfilled the requirements of the law. Thus in both its precepts and
penalty, the law of God in its most exacting requirements was fulfilled by
Jesus. And He did this in our place as our representative and our substitute.”[1]
So what does it mean to “preach the Gospel to yourself”? Again Jerry Bridges gives us some great
help. Here’s is my summary:
The certain hope I have today is the historic reality that I “… like sheep, have gone astray, [I
have] turned to [my] own way; and the Lord has laid on him [my] iniquity” (Isaiah 53:6, NIV).
I believe that “Christ
redeemed [me] from the curse of the law by becoming a
curse for [me], for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on
a pole’” (Galatians
3:13, NIV); and I believe that “When [I was] dead in [my] sins and in the
uncircumcision of [my] flesh, God made [me] alive with Christ.
He forgave [me] all our sins” (Colossians 2:13, NIV). In this act of
my Savior “as far as the
east is from the west, so far has he removed [my] transgressions
from [me]” (Psalm
103:12, NIV).
God’s Word to me is this: ““I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and
remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25, NIV). Consequently “there is now no condemnation for [me
because I am] in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1, NIV).
Therefore today I take at face value that “I am blessed because my ‘transgressions are forgiven, [my] sins are
covered. I am blessed because I am one whose sin the Lord will never count
against [me]’” (Romans
4:7–8, NIV).
I am absolutely certain that “he has reconciled [me] by Christ’s physical body through
death to present [me] holy in his sight, without blemish and free from
accusation” (Colossians
1:22, NIV).
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[1] Bridges,
Jerry (2014-02-01). The Discipline of Grace: God's Role and Our Role in the
Pursuit of Holiness (p. 58). NavPress. Kindle Edition.
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