Apparently I am, and that is the gospel. The gospel is not only that I’m going to heaven. (And, doubtless, it is good that I am spending eternity with God as a result of the gospel.) But, for the here and now, the Good News is that because of the cross, I’m flawless.
I grew up with this notion that, while I was saved by grace, I had to behave right and religious in order to keep God pleased with me.
I learned that if I behaved right, I was blessed with His presence in my life. And if I sinned, He was displeased and would withdraw His presence from me. I knew that my good works didn’t save me, but I was taught that I had to keep my salvation by doing a list of things and not doing a list of other things.
Apparently not.
"Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?" - Galatians 3:2–3 NLT
My sin no longer separates me from God, because in Romans 8 nothing in all creation separates me from God. If that is true, then I can’t separate myself from God. We have bought into the idea that Christianity is all about behavior modification.
Take a few minutes and watch this video. I have rarely been moved by such a message as this. Watch the symbolism but, more importantly, listen to the message that, if you are in Christ, you are actually and really flawless. Nothing is as good as that news.
