The Ruler: “Human beings were custom-designed to find meaning and fulfillment and life in our Creator above all else….”
The Revolt: “…our first parents, Adam and Eve, turned their backs on God and chose to call the shots themselves, fracturing his creation and plunging his image-bearers into an ocean of sin…. The tentacles of sin have deformed our hearts and disordered our loves.”
The Rescue: “On the cross, God treated Christ as if he had lived a believer’s sinful life so he could treat us as if we’d lived Christ’s spotless life.” “God’s redeemed people will inherit a remade world, unmarred by the scourge of sin.”
Your Response: “First, we turn from sin.” “Second, we trust Jesus Christ.” “We also treasure Jesus.”
122 words
I found Matt Smethurst’s article, “The Gospel Explained” on the Gospel Coalition website and took the liberty of quoting snippets from it. I hope you’ll read the entirety. I wanted to share his four-Rs. Gospel tellers and gospel hearers often benefit from a simple, alliterative outline.
You and I could easily remember these four words: Ruler, Revolt, Rescue, Response. Then we could fill in the rest. Smethurst describes his four “R”s with an economy of words. I’m partial to his phrasing in “The tentacles of sin have deformed our hearts and disordered our loves.” Until we believe that, we’re not ready to “turn from sin.”
Instead of diving into theories on the atonement, Smethurst simply says how “God treated Christ” so “he could treat us….” In an OMG you can’t explain everything, but I wish he had mentioned the this-life transformation of those who turn from sin and then trust and treasure Jesus. Still, I commend Smethurst’s OMG as a clear, concise, compelling expression of the gospel.
Next post: Tuesday, January 23, 2024, “The Only Lasting, All-Satisfying Source of Joy” from John Piper
Got a thought? Leave a comment.
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