Hello Music Team!
This month’s memory verse is 2 Corinthians 5:21, which I believe sums up the gospel in a verse. It read as follows…
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor. 5:21 – NASB)
The motivation for this month’s memory verse came from Gary Ricucci’s1 brief summary of the gospel, which Lamar shared with us last night. If you ever need a short summary of the gospel that contains the key theological points, then this is it. Enjoy!
The gospel, in brief, is the good news about the person and finished work of Jesus Christ. Consider for a moment that the eternal Son of God relinquished the glories of heaven to become a man, a human being like you and me. He lived a perfect and sinless life (unlike you and me), fulfilling every requirement of God’s holy law in a way we could never hope to accomplish. And then in a glorious display of God’s love for sinners like us, He willingly receives the full fury of God’s righteous wrath against sin by dying for out sins on a cruel Roman cross. Because God’s absolute and perfect holiness demands an equivalent holiness from all who come before Him, in ourselves we are all hopelessly lost and condemned. But Jesus, who had no sin of His own to pay for, took our place, paid our penalty, and suffered our punishment. Because His death as our substitute was perfectly sufficient to pay for our sins, God vindicated Him by raising Him from the dead. So now all who place their trust in Jesus’ work on the their behalf and turn from their sin will be forgiven, counted righteous in Him, and saved from judgment for all eternity…all by God’s marvelous grace. This is the gospel. This is the good news. Better news simply does not exist!
1. Gary is one of the founding members of Sovereign Grace Ministries and has been with CJ Mahaney for thirty-seven years!
