The Gospel that Saves Us

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her (John 20:17-18).

It was a woman that had previously delivered the words of the serpent that brought death… “The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate’” (Genesis 3:12). It was a woman that first brought the words of the gospel that brings life… “Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18). What exactly was the message we call the gospel? Notice the carefully chosen words of our risen Lord. The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle John to write very carefully… “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”. These are words only the Christ could have spoken. These are words of hope and redemption. These are words of truth worth embracing and holding onto. These are the words of the gospel that saves us.

The One who descended was ascending. He conquered death by satisfying sin’s penalty… “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18). He loosed the grip of death and became the first to be raised to new life… “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep… For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:20, 22).

His Father was now our Father. Our broken relationship is restored… “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). Our severed fellowship is reconnected… “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:6-7).

His God was now our God. Because Jesus had so clearly demonstrated God’s sovereignty over death we can confidently surrender to and enjoy the blessings of the rule of God over our lives by declaring Jesus Christ to be our Lord… “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). The blessings of citizenship in God’s kingdom are now ours to enjoy… “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

The good news Jesus commissioned Mary to share with the disciples was that hope in life beyond the grave, intimacy with our loving father, and the benefits of being subjects in God’s kingdom are available to all who would hear and believe His gospel… “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:8-10). The Holy Spirit exhorts those saved by this gospel to live a life that reflects its power and glory to others… “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27). Following the example of Mary, the first evangelist, earnest disciples appreciate the benefits of the gospel and we are diligent to reflect its power to the unsaved world around us.

As we grow up into Christ we enjoy the blessings of and strive to be a witness to …

The Gospel that Saves Us.