"The Gospel Changes Everything"

"The gospel changes everything. The gospel is not the A-B-C’s but the A-Z of Christianity. It is not just the minimum required doctrine for salvation, but it is the heart of and the point of all doctrine. The gospel is the hub in the "wheel" of truth. It is not just the entrance to the kingdom, but the way we make all progress (Gal. 3:1-3) and become renewed both individually (Col. 1:6), and socially (Gal. 2:14). The gospel renews us as we come to grips with our personal and corporate "idols." Idols are always alternative works-salvation ways of avoiding Christ’s grace-salvation. Psychologically, all despair, guilt, fear, anger come to the degree that something besides Jesus and his grace (career, family, moral performance, romance) is operating as our functional savior. Sociologically, all injustice, violence, strife, dependency, intolerance come to the degree that something besides Jesus and his grace (wealth, race/blood, the state, human reason) is operating as our functional savior."