Living ‘for the gospel’
A phrase we’ve been using a lot around PCF is ‘living from the gospel and for the gospel.’ What do we mean by that?
Living ‘from the gospel’ means that we approach life, and we do everything we do, as forgiven sinners and children of God. It means that the good news of God’s free pardon shapes the way we understand ourselves and the way we interact with those around us. One biblical example of this way of thinking comes from Colossians 3.12-13: ‘So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.’ Notice that Paul says we are to behave in a certain way, as those who have been chosen by God. We don’t earn this status. Rather, the status has already been granted us. It’s a gift. We live from this status. Notice in verse 13 that we forgive others because the Lord has forgiven us. This is what it means to live ‘from the gospel.’
What about living ‘for the gospel’? What does that mean? Is there biblical precedent for speaking this way? Yes, there is.
In fact, Jesus and Paul both spoke of living and dying ‘for the gospel.’ Paul says he was imprisoned ‘for the gospel’ (Philemon 1.13) and suffered ‘for the gospel’ (2 Timothy 1.8). He says he traveled around preaching ‘for the gospel’ (2 Corinthians 2.12).
Jesus himself is the one who first began speaking this way. In Mark 8.35, Jesus says: ‘For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it…’ In Mark 10.29, Jesus says: ‘Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for my sake and for the gospel’s sake…’ What does Jesus mean? The ‘gospel’ Jesus preaches is the good new that Jesus fulfills God’s promises and bring God’s reign, his Kingdom (Mark 1.14-15). To live ‘for’ this gospel means, according to Jesus, that we’re willing to sacrifice everything – including our own lives – in order to promote the spread of this good news. You can see in both Mark 8.35 and 10.29 that the gospel is inextricably bound up with Jesus himself, because it is in Jesus that God brings his Kingdom. So, Jesus talks about losing your life for his sake and the gospel’s sake. He talks about leaving everything for his sake and for the gospel’s sake. This is what it means to live ‘for the gospel.’
There is good biblical precedent for making it our mission to live from the gospel and for the gospel. Now the challenge is to live in the radical ways Jesus commands.
Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jun 12, 10:02 AM