Gospel Freedom

As we come to the end of Paul’s thoughts on Christian freedom in 1 Corinthians 9, David reminded us of a fundamental point: the kind of freedom God promises flows directly out of the gospel of God’s love for us. Here is part of his conclusion:

The gospel is not God’s commandment. The gospel is not what God orders us to do. The gospel is what God promises to do for us. The gospel is a package of God’s grace through which all the blessings are flowing into our souls, and nothing is missing. The gospel redeems our sins and fills us with the Holy Spirit. The gospel cleanses our conscience and enables us to serve the living God. The gospel sets us free from all the bondages and lifts us to be God’s children. The gospel gives us firm righteousness that protects us from all kinds of accusations. The gospel wakes up our hearts to the love of God until our hearts burst with thanks and praises. The gospel gives us desire to remain in God’s love and rejoice in it. The gospel gives us power to love our neighbor like God loves us in Christ. The gospel paves the way to truth and life before us, and gives us the strength to walk the way in peace and joy and confidence. The gospel leads us to all the glorious promises that God made through Jesus Christ.