Ashamed as I am, there were days when I felt nothing but apathy towards my salvation. I find no need to pray, no need to read the bible, no need for God. I render the gospel weak, powerless, irrelevant, in all the practical affairs of my life. Why does it seem like the light of the gospel of Christ is no longer glorious to me? I thank God for saving me out of my spiritual apathy. I’ve allowed the darkness of the devil, the world, and my own sinful flesh to shut out this glorious light. Beloved, I share as a beggar given bread, go back to the gospel. There is no other way to dispel the darkness of sin, apart from shining the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.
The light comes from the gospel of Christ.
So what is the gospel?
God is our creator, we are His creation. Plainly and simply, we were created for this relationship with Him, and nothing else. This relationship with God was broken because of sin. Apart from this relationship, we exist for nothing. Just imagine that for a moment. “You exist for nothing!” How does that make you feel? At least for me, I feel utterly hopeless upon hearing this. So here comes the “good news”, here comes hope.
The gospel of Jesus Christ restores this broken relationship between God and man by atoning for sin which destroyed it. Consider this. The God who hangs the sun, moon, and stars in its place, who holds each atom and molecule in its position, had no other way to mend this broken relationship, apart from Jesus Christ. This God who is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, had no other way to atone for our sin, apart from sacrificing His only begotten Son. Beloved, count the cost of sin.
I often find it hard for a sinner, like myself, to fully grasp the atrocity of sin.
I often find it hard for a sinner, like myself, to fully grasp the atrocity of sin. Instead, I prefer to consider the prayer of the sinless man who was about to bear the sin of the world. In Matthew 26, after the last supper with His disciples, and before His betrayal by Judas, Jesus went to Gethsemane to pray. It reads:
“My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death.
O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.
Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.
If this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it,
Thy will be done.”
Now this is the same Jesus who miraculously healed the sick, raised the dead, walked on water, and calmed the storm. Observe, in all His power, how exceedingly sorrowful He was that it felt like death to Him. Observe, in all His might, how He was still hoping that the cup of God’s holy wrath for sin might pass from Him. Jesus knew perfectly well that the fearsome justice of His beloved Father for sin will soon be upon Him. This is the atrocity of sin. Nevertheless, He drank that cup, and drank it all obediently. Do you see that it wasn’t the nails of the Romans that crucified Him, it
was our sin that hung Him on that tree. On the cross it pleased the Lord to wound Jesus for our transgressions, it pleased the Lord to bruise His Son for our iniquities. Only by His stripes, are we healed from sin, and reconciled to our Creator.
Beloved, behold the manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us through the Son! Why is the gospel glorious, you ask. It is glorious because of the person of Jesus Christ, and His love for us that made Him to be sin for us. As Spurgeon said, “You stand before God as if you were Christ, because Christ stood before God as if He were you.” This is the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.
On a more practical note: What do we do with this light?
Firstly, bask in this light continually.
Indulge yourself in this light by reading the word of God daily. From Genesis to Revelation, everything points to this glorious gospel of Christ. If you’re stuck, refresh yourself with the gospel. Follow Jesus from the cradle, to the cross, and finally to the crown. The light of the gospel will dispel the daily darkness of sin.
Secondly, look at everything in this light.
Objects appear clearer in light than in darkness. Likewise, our lives and all its joy and pain will appear clearer to us in the light of the gospel than in the darkness of the devil, the world, and the flesh. Take for instance Covid-19. In the light of the gospel, we know that pain, suffering, and death exist in this world because of sin. In the same light, we have hope that all these will soon pass away because Jesus defeated sin at the cross. Live your life in the light of the gospel, and all things will be appear in greater clarity.
Lastly, reflect this light.
Now more than ever in this global crisis, proclaim the gospel and shed light in this world of darkness. Now is the time to prove your faith and salvation sure. Where is the grace irresistible, the joy unspeakable, the hope overflowing, and the peace that surpasses all understanding? In Matthew 5 Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
