The Gospel JD Greear (Chapter 1)
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Recoering the Power tht Mde
Christ inity Reolut ionry
J D G R E E A RForeword by TIMOTHY KELLER
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J.D. lear o te gopel, umle ad umorou. He wrttea oo tat good for te Crta lag aurae, te Crtatempted to legalm, te Crta tempted to gult, te Crtatempted to elfe. If you wat to e moal ad fatful, rea-
g out wle oldg fat, t oo wll eourage you.Mar Deer, eor pator, Captol Hll Baptt Cur ad
autor ofNine Marks of a Healthy Church
Wt t oo J.D. Greear oldfe poto o a team ofyoug eagelal oe allg te twety-frt etury ur ato te gopel. He powerfully ad progly ow tat te gopel uta eeary ad releat after you eome a Crta a t eforeeaue te gopel doet mply reue u from te pat ad reue ufor te future; t alo reue u te preet from eg elaed totg le fear, eurty, ager, elf-relae, ttere, ettlemet,ad gfae. J.D. mae te lear ae tat we te word of tegopelCrt loe for u wtout trg attaedgrp our eart,t et u free ad age eerytg.
Tulla Tda, pator of Coral Rdge PreyteraCur, Ft. Lauderdale, Florda,
ad autor ofJesus + Nothing = Everything
My oul otue to e eouraged y te trrg up of trogoe to pot people to te gopel ad wat appear to e a geuemoemet a to tat tg tat Paul oder of frt mportae.
J.D. a doe a materful o of larfyg ad wrgg out te gopelmplato for te lfe of te eleer. Weter you are a pator, aeee ur your wole lfe, or ae reetly eome a Crta you
wll f d t oo to e elpful.Matt Cadler, lead pator, Te Vllage Cur
My fellow pator, J.D. Greear, troug oo, a elped u t quet for gopel-aturated lg. He tae te prple of gopeletralty ad ow u ow to oret our le aroud t. I appre-ate ow refreg ad real way e mae te gopel aele tooter o tat tey a experee t traformg power. I epeallyle te oo pratal eto o gopel prayer a a way to at u reearg tee trut deep to our eart ad md. Weter you
are explorg Crtaty for te f rt tme or are logg to loo totee tg aga ad aga, let me te you to ped tme wt telpful oo.
Tmoty Keller, eor pator, Redeemer Preytera Curad autor ofThe Reason for God
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Radal oedee to te pero of Crt a oly prg from re-le trut te uffey of Crt. I am grateful to God for my fred
J.D. Greear ad all to plat our le ad ure oldly te olof te gopel. T oo wll elp you ret daly God great grae a
you le otually for God great glory.Dad Platt, eor pator, Te Cur at Broo Hll
ad autor ofRadical
Wt darmg oety, J.D. offer a gtful loo at te pr-tual realte w fae u today. I loe te eto o Your New Idetty!Perap te mot pogat ad etral trut for me eg gopelCetered ot mog pat te gopel ut otually wmmg deeperto t. I eourage you to read t oo.
Dr. Fra Page, arma of te Exeute Commttee of teSouter Baptt Coeto
J.D. Greear oe of te greatet me of God I ow. Ad oe ofte mot rllat. H alty to ommuate te gopel a fre yetfatful way perfetly poto m to pea te lfe-gg meage of
Jeu to you a way tat you ae eer expereed. Ad a way tatwll age your lfe foreer.
Stee Furt, lead pator, Eleato Curad autor ofSun Stand Still
Ie led log eoug to ow tat tere oly oe ope, oe tgtat a atually eal u ad traform u: te grae-aturated gopel of
Jeu. J.D. Greear te u to de to te ottomle ed of te gopelpool ad fd lfe tat deeply atfe.
Jud Wlte, eor pator of Cetral Crta Cur,La Vega ad autor ofTorn,
Wat left f te gopel lot? Tat queto ould aut teeagelal md a we are ow urrouded y o may fale Gopel,partal Gopel, ad ofued Gopel. Addreg t emergey,
J.D. Greear offer oud ouel, lear lal tg, ad te fullmeaure of oto elpg Crta ad ure reoer teautet gopel of Jeu Crt.
Dr. R. Alert Moler Jr., predet,te Souter Baptt Teologal Semary
ad autor ofHe Is Not Silent
Te gopel truly age eerytg. I Gospel Pator J.D. Greearmae tat trut rytal lear. I t oo you wll lear tat Crt
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preee ad approal are al l you eed today ad alway for eerlatgoy. I loe t oo for te leg t wll e to te ody of Crt. Ita a word for u all.
Dael L. A, predet,
Souteater Baptt Teologal Semaryad autor ofEngaging Exposition
I elee God ad J.D. wrte t oo for u a tme a t,for tere a eer ee a tme te ur were we o deperatelyeeded to ee te gopel more learly, ad te pero of Crt oetral to te gopel. T oo a gft from God to H ur adto te world.
Clayto Kg, predet of Croroad Worldwdead autor ofDying to Live
If youre ot amazed y te lood-oaed good ew tatrpped you from te grae, te you ut mgt e o your way toeg ored to deat. Ad oredom lead to te futlty of rote per-formae, pretedg, ad ultmately depar. Im taful oe of myfaorte preaer te world, J.D. Greear, tae all tat o too. Wt preo ad pu, J.D. rg te o ad awe of
gopel power. T oo wot ut egage your md, tll queyour pule.Ruell Moore, dea of te Sool of Teology ad eor
e-predet for Aadem Admtrato at te Souter BapttTeologal Semary ad autor ofAdopted for Life
I ae pet my etre lfe tudyg moemet. Great pr-tual moemet le Great Awaeg or moary moemetae at ter eter te reoery of te gopel. We deperately eed
u a moemet our tme, ad I for oe elee we are eeg t.J.D. Greear ge larty ad perpete to t growg gopel moe-met. T oo ould e read y eery pero reatg, wetereleer or ot, weter leader or ot. Get to ow afre te God
wo ae y readg t oo, ad fd reue for your oul.Al L. Red, profeor of Eagelm ad Studet Mtry,
Baley Smt Car of Eagelm atSouteater Baptt Teologal Semary
Notg a affeted my lfe more ta te gopel. My trty-fe year of patoral mtry ae ge me a eer-reag loefor, ad deeper awe of, t power. Dr. Greear a mu to offer te ody
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of Crt emrag t gopel all t glory. Te gopel really te power of God for alato, o read ad e foreer remded!
Joy Hut, eor pator,Frt Baptt Cur of Woodto
I loe te gopel ad te way tat te gopel fuel zeal . . . adI loe te way tat J.D. wrte aout t. T a gopel aturated ootat wll gude you your dere to loe te Lord ad your egor.I gly reommed t.
Elye Ftzpatr, autor ofGive Them Grace: Dazzling YourKids with the Love of Jesus
Wt te larty ad oto of a propet, J.D. Greear allu to more ta auray ad aadem wt te text. I ooe allege u to e ure tat te gopel more ta etral to ourteology . . . ut tat t a traformed our le.
Ma Bruo, eor pator,Frt Baptt Cur of Jaolle
Are you tred of te doet etwee ead-relgo adeart-relgo? Read t oo. Are you tred of te treadmll of
performae-dre Crtaty? Read t oo. Are you ulearaout ow your loe for te gopel ould play-out your daly walwt God? Read t oo. Are you tred of te empty gopel-argotat, regrettaly, a eome ogue our day? Read t oo. It ort olume, J.D. Greear a gfted te ur wt ometg
woderful: e all u to redoer te Soure of te traformgpower of te Crta lfe. I ort, e eo u, woo u, ad dreu to Crt, our great treaure ad eteral oy. Hopeful ad lfe-gg, I gly reommed t oo.
Sott Adero, exeute dretor, Derg God,Meapol, Meota
Te frut we raeoy, peae, loe, goodepertetlyelude our teque ad formulae. J.D. Greear remd u tat Jeuad gopel are ot te mea ad te ed. Saor t oo.
Gle Lue, predet, Doet Reear Group
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Copyrgt 2011 y J.D. Greear
All rgt reered.
Prted te Uted State of Amera
978-1-4336-7312-2
Puled y B&H Pulg Group
Nalle, Teeee
Dewey: 226
Suet Headg: BIBLE. N.T. GOSPELS \ GOD \
DOCTRINAL THEOLOGY
Ule oterwe tated all Srpture tae from
te ESV Ble (Te Holy Ble, Egl Stadard
Vero) opyrgt 2001 y Croway Ble,
a pulg mtry of Good New Puler.ESV Text Edto: 2007. All rgt reered.
Alo ued: Holma Crta Stadard Ble (hcsb),
opyrgt 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2011 y Holma Ble
Puler. Ued y permo. All rgt reered.
Alo ued: New Kg Jame Vero (nkjv), opyrgt
1979, 1980, 1982, Toma Nelo, I., Puler.
Alo ued: New Iteratoal Vero (niv), opyrgt
1973, 1978, 1984 y Iteratoal Ble Soety.
Alo ued: Te Kg Jame Vero (kjv),w pul doma.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 15 14 13 12 11
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Dedated to te memer of te Summt Cur,
wo ae patetly waled wt a pator wo wa
redoerg te reolutoary power of te gopel.
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Agaist the orl; for the orl.
St. Athaasis
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i x
Ackolegmets
To my wfe, wo a led out te gopel a well a ayoeI ow. Her paoate loe for Jeu a ofte reued my
tedey toward eparatg owledge from pao. Ta
you for your patee wt me, ad for extedg to me te
grae of te gopel. I er grae I ae ee tat I am frt,er; oly eod, ed agat.
To my paret, wo fatfully modeled a loe for Jeu for
te twety year I pet ter ome. Tey eer ued te term
gopel-etered, ut tey led awe of te God of gopel.
Tat, a I ee t, te wole pot of gopel-eterede.
To Tm Keller, woe tg a o permeated my
ow tat I a o loger really tell were top ad me
tart. I am ealy deted to m for may of te dea
t oo, partularly apter 2, 3, ad 6. I ae lteed
to ad read Tm Keller o mu tat I ted to plagarze
terpretato of a paage efore I ee ear m tea o
tat paage. I told m tat oe, ad e lauged ad ad e
dd te ame tg wt Ed Clowey. I ae met Dr. Kelleroly twe, for a omed total of x mute. Te eod
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x GOSPEL
tme we met, I aed f I ould all m my fred. He ad
ye. So, to my BFF Tm Keller, ta you. I ae tred to ote
were I reout a pot I eard from m. Howeer, ag
lteed to ad read o mu of teag, I ometme
forget we I eard ometg from m frt. Ay omo
of tato adetal.
To Paul Carlle, Sam Wllam, Dad Powlo, Elye
Ftzpatr, ad Ed Wel, woe ouelg ad wrtgae profoudly f lueed my tg. Se my frt ou-
elg la emary, Ie alway ad tat f I ould prea
le ayoe, Id prea le a ouelor.
To my fred Brue Aford, Day A, Mar Droll,
Tyler Joe, Clayto Kg, Stee Furt, Dad Platt, ad
Tulla Tda: Hearg your gt, lteg to you
prea, ad oug dea off of you ae aged te ar-
ater of my mtry foreer. You ae ee gft of God to me.
Fally, I wat to ta te loyal, patet team at B&H
Pulg Group, partularly Jedda Coppeger, Mael
Kelley, ad Tom Walter for our ad our of laor wt me
o t proet. At tme t eemed you were ee more om-
mtted to t oo ta I wa! Ta you for your dedatoto mag teologally rgorou materal aele to all.
T oo mu etter eaue of your laor.
I ae o dere at all to e orgal. I ae ad oly tree
orgal tougt my lfetme, ad tey weret tat good.
I dere for people to udertad te oept tat are t
oo. Coder me, ad t oo, merely a rea of trut
tat God reealed to H people aet tme. God te
oure; te ur te odut. I tad grateful det to
ot.
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x i
Cotets
Foreword x
Itroduto 1
Part 1: How the Gospel Does What
Religion CannotCapter 1: Te Mg Gopel 9
Capter 2: Wy Relgou Cage Doet Wor 25
Part 2: The Gospel Prayer
Capter 3: Te Gopel a Gft-Rgteoue 45
Capter 4: Caged wtout a Commad 59
Capter 5: God I Better 69
Capter 6: Caged y Sgt 87
Capter 7: Gopel-Cetered Relatop 109
Capter 8: Extraagat Geeroty 123
Capter 9: Urget Mo 145
Capter 10: Expet Great Tg 161
Capter 11: But f Not . . . 177
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x i i GOSPEL
Part 3: Toward a Gospel-Centered
Understanding of Life
Capter 12: Wy Are Tere Commad Srpture? 191
Capter 13: Wat I te Rgt Way to Wor for God? 205
Capter 14: Wat Doe a Gopel-Cetered Cur
Loo Le? 221
Coluo 241
Appedx 1: Te Gopel Proet 249
Appedx 2: A Gopel-Cetered Warg
to Youg Zealou Teologa 253
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x i i i
Foreor
BY TIMOTHY KELLER
Oe of te mot tartlg paage te Ble oet temagfee of agel wt te mytery of te gopel. Agel
are redly maet ad powerful eg, lg God
eteral preee. Yet tere ometg tat a appeed
o te eart tat o tupedou tat ee tee mmortal
eg experee te pertet logg to loo to teetg (1 Pet. 1:12 niv). Wat are tee tg tat ould
poly ad otetly oume te atteto of God-
fxated reature? Te awer te gopel.
Coerg t alato, te propet, wo poe of
te grae tat wa to ome to you, eared tetlyad wt te greatet are. . . . It wa reealed to tem
tat tey were ot erg temele ut you, we
tey poe of te tg tat ae ow ee told you
y toe wo ae preaed te gopel to you y te
Holy Sprt et from eae. Ee agel log to
loo to tee tg. (1 Pet. 1:10, 12 niv)
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x i v GOSPEL
Te agel eer get tred of loog to te gopel.
T mea tat tere o ed to gopel explorato. Tere
are dept te gopel tat are alway tere to e doered
ad appled ot oly to our mtry ad daly Crta lfe,
ut aoe all to te worp of te God of te gopel wt
reewed o ad umlty.
Te uderlyg oto my preag, patorg,
ad wrtg tat te gopelt eterally faatg me-age raed y te agela age a eart, a ommuty,
ad te world we t reoered ad appled. Te gopel
lfe gg, eaue t geerate age tat are reeed oly
y grae troug fat. T foudatoal trut, oweer, get
ypaed, oured, ad forgotte, eaue, a Mart Luter
oted, relgo form te default mode of te uma eart. It
eetal, te, tat we dtgu relgo from te gopel.
Relgo, a te default mode of our tg ad prate,
aed upo performae: I oey; terefore, I am aepted y
God.Te a operatg prple of te gopel, oweer, ,
ot urprgly, a aout-fae, oe of umerted aeptae:
I am aepted y God troug Crt; terefore, I oey.To
truly udertad t paradgm ft at a lfe-alterg leelrequre tat te gopel e explored ad looed to at eery
opportuty ad regular, ytemat way.
We te gopel explored t way, t produe
uommo properte. Blae Paal, wrtg te ee-
teet etury, reeal ow t our:
Without this divine knowledge, how could we help feeling
either exalted or dejected? The Christian religion alone
has been able to cure these twin vices, not by using the
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FOREwORd xv
one to expel the other according to worldly wisdom, but
by expelling both through the simplicity of the gospel. For
it teaches the righteous that they still bear the source of
all corruption which exposes them throughout their lives
to error, misery, death, and sin; and [yet] it cries out to
the most ungodly that they are capable of the grace of
the Redeemer. Thus, making those whom it justifies to
tremble, yet consoling those whom it condemns, it so nicelytempers fear with hope through this dual capacity. . . .
Grace and sin! It causes infinitely more dejection than
mere reasonbut without despair, and infinitely more
exaltation than natural pridebut without puffing us
up! (Penses 208)
It oe tg to udertad te gopel ut qute
aoter to experience te gopel u a way tat t
fudametally age u ad eome te oure of our
detty ad eurty. It oe tg to grap te eee of
te gopel ut qute aoter to t out t mplato for
all of lfe. We all truggle to explore te mytere of te
gopel o a regular a ad to allow t meage to flueeour tg.
My fellow pator, J.D. Greear, troug oo, a
elped u t quet for gopel-aturated lg. He tae
te prple of gopel etralty ad ow u ow to oret
our le aroud t. I appreate ow refreg ad real
way e mae te gopel aele to oter o tat tey
a experee t traformg power. I epeally le te
oo pratal eto o gopel prayer a a way to at u
reearg tee trut deep to our eart ad md.
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x v i GOSPEL
Weter you are explorg Crtaty for te frt tme or
are logg to loo to tee tg aga ad aga, let me
te you to ped tme wt t elpful oo.
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1
Itroctio
I am a profeoal Crta. But for may year I foudCrtaty to e wearome. Tat a ofeo you wot
ofte ear from a pator, ut t wa true of me.
I frt put fat Crt we I wa g ool. My
oero, a far a I a tell, wa ere. I udertood tatCrt ad pad te full pealty for my , ad I urredered
to do wateer God wated me to do. I got a g lt of tuff
to tart ad top dog for God.
I wet to a Crta ool tat empazed oformty
to a et of rule. We ddt dae, eaue dag would
mae you ae mpure tougt. Ad we ouldt lte to
mu wt a eat t eaue tat would mae you wat
to dae. We weret allowed to go to ee moe, eaue
moe would mae you worldly. We ouldt ee go ee te
Crta moe we tey ame to te teater eaue f
people aw u at te moe tey mgt aume we were tere
to ee worldly moe, ad tat mgt mae tem t t wa
OKfor tem to ee worldly moe. It wa rule le tee tatreal Crta led y.
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2 GOSPEL
I leared tat real Crta tell oter people aout Jeu,
o I et goal for ow may people I would tell aout Jeu
a ge mot. I ee etaled a maxmum tme lmt (ff-
tee mute) for ow log I would t wt a trager o a
arplae efore rgg up weter or ot tey ew Jeu.
I ollege I leared tat real Crta loe teratoal
mo, o I too lot of mo trp (twety-fe ou-
tre te year!) ad gae lot of moey to mo. I eepaed up my etre lfe to a oerzed duffel ag ad wet
to le a trd-world fudametalt Mulm outry for
two year.
I later leared tat real Crta loe te poor. So I
poored a Compao ld. But wat e ut oe a
edle ea of urtg people tat deperately eeded my elp?
Sould I adopt fe more? Twety-fe more? Dd I really
eed to dr tat Coe wt der? Couldt tat moey
e ued to feed aoter orpa? I otatly felt gulty aout
aytg I owed. Wateer I gae, t wat eoug, eaue
tere wa always more I ould ge. Ad, after all, God
doet udge your gg y te amout you ge, ut y te
amout you ae left. I alway ad a lttle more left ta ted Ida dd.
Ad te of oure, tere wa te ufortuate day tat
I read te ograpy of a moary wo taled aout ow
mu more you ould do for God f you were gle, ad o I
oluded f I wa really erou aout eg ued maxmally
for God, I ad to e gle. Tat wat Paul ad, rgt? To
paraprae 1 Corta 7, e ad, I w you were all le
I am (.e., gle), o you ould e ueumered mtry.
Tu, f I wated my lfe to e maximallyleeraged for God
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InTROduCTIOn 3
gdom, ow ould I dere aytgbutelay? Wouldt
I e wllg to e gle for eety year o oul ould e
aed for eterty? So I tred to gore grl for a emeter dur-
g ollegeut to my agr, tey wouldt leae me aloe.
(At leat tat ow I rememer t.)
By tat tme I wa lg a way tat would ae met ut
aout ayody tadard a a real, ommtted Crta.
But t relgo of o-alled grae ofte felt more to me ledrudgery ta delgt. No matter ow may rule I ept
ad ow dpled my lfe wa, I waled aroud wt a
eer-preet ee of gult. I te deepet part of my eart, I
ewknewGod wa ot really pleaed wt me, eaue
tere wa alway ometg I ould e dog etter. Te really
good Crta were alway dog ometg tat I wat.
To mae matter wore, my marrage ept reealg ow
elf ad petty I wa. Seeg oter more ueful ta
me mtry made me ealou to te pot tat I delgted
te tougt of tem fallg to ad eg dqualfed
from mtry. I tll felt elaed to te lut of my fle. My
ere for God wa feret, ut my pao for Hm were
old. I ertaly ddt desireto ow Hm more.I wa tred, ad wle I would eer admt t, I wa tart-
g to ate God.
He wa te merle tamater alway tadg oer me
yellg, NOT ENOUGH! I wat MORE! He wa alway
tere, wag damato my fae, ayg, If you wat My
approal, tere ometg ele you mut do. H otat
demad were drg me ae. Te more I tred to wal
H way, te le loe I felt for Hm. Te more loely my
feet followed Hm, te more my eart ra away.
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4 GOSPEL
O, I ad te fat dow. I ew He ad tae te pealty
for my . I alo ew tat He wa te uere mot atfy-
g poeo. But f my ead ew tat trut, my eart ddt
feel t. I wa motated to
wal wt God prmarly y
my dere to tay out of ell.
Reetly, oweer, I
doered ometg tata aged eerytg.
Te gopel.
I ow ayg tat oud trage for a eagelal pator
wo leadg a growg megaur to ay, ut t true.
It ot tat I ddt udertad or elee te gopel
efore. I dd. But te trut of te gopel adt moed from
my md to my eart. Tere wa a uge gap etwee my
tellet ad my emoto. Te Purta Joata Edward
leed reawaeg to te gopel to a ma wo ad
ow, ead, tat oey wa weet, ut for te frt
tme ad tat weete urt ale mout. Tat wat
appeed to me.
Redoerg tegopel a ge me a oy
God I eer exper-
eed all my year of
feret relgo. Now I
ee, almot daly, a loe
for God growg my
eart, dplag a loe for
myelf. Te ealouly tat
oe oumed my eart
The more closely my eet
ollowed Him, the more
my heart ran away.
The Puritan Jonathan
Edwards likened his
reawakening to the
gospel to a man who
had known, in his head,
that honey was sweet,
but or the frst time hadthat sweetness burst
alive in his mouth.
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InTROduCTIOn 5
eg replaed y a dere to ee oter proper. I feel elf-
e gg way to tedere ad geeroty. My rag
for te lut of te fle are eg replaed y a rag for
rgteoue, ad my elf-etered dream are eg replaed
y God-glorfyg amto. A power urgg me tat
agg me ad pug me out to te world to leerage
my lfe for te gdom of God.
I tll ae a log way to go, ad I daly ae to truggleagat te God-atg dere of my fle, ut I am ag-
g. I am, a Paul would
ay, mag progre
te gopel.Te gopel a
doe my eart wat rel-
go eer ould.
I elee t a do te
ame tg for you. Tat
wat t oo aout.
Oer te ext eeral apter, I wat to reaquat you
wt te gopel. Not ut wt te dotre, ut wt t
power. Te gopel te aouemet tat God a re-
oled u to Hmelf y edg H So Jeu to de a auttute for our , ad tat all wo repet ad elee
ae eteral lfe Hm. I wat you to ee te gopel ot
oly a te mea y w you get to eae, ut a te
drg fore ed eery gle momet of your lfe. I wat
to elp, ome mall way, your eye to e opeed (aga) to
te eauty ad greate of God. I wat you to ee ow te
gopel, ad t aloe, a mae you geuely paoate for
God, free you from aptty to , ad moe you outward to
oyful arfe o ealf of oter.
Rediscovering the
gospel has given me
a joy in God I never
experienced in all my
years o ervent religion.
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6 GOSPEL
Here ow were gog to go aout t togeter. Te
frt eto of t oo aout why te gopelad oly
te gopel te mea y w we a truly e aged.
I wat to ow you wy relgou (wat were gog to all
meaal) age aolutely, potely, doe ot wor. I
t eto, I wll ow you ow te gopel age u a
fudametally dfferet way ta relgo doe, ad tat t a
do ometg our eart tat relgo utterly uale to do.I part 2 I wat to trodue you to a mple tool tat
a elped me, for eeral year ow, aturate myelf te
gopel. It a mall, four-part prayer tat Ie ome to all
Te Gopel Prayer. Ea part of tat prayer ere a pef
purpoe, potg you to wat God a doe for you Crt
ad ow tat age ow you ee God, yourelf, ad oter.
I elee t prayer a e te mea y w you prea
te gopel to yourelf daly.
A you read te frt two eto, tere wll proaly e
ome queto tat are. Tg le, If we are free Crt,
wy do I tll fd o may ommad te Ble? Wat
ould I do we I dot dere God? How mu doe God
expet me to do for Hm? Wat doe a true, gopel-eteredur loo le? ad o fort. I te trd eto, I wat to
ofrot tee queto ead o, ad I ope to prode old,
lal awer for you. I ope t eto wll oe you
tat te gopel really , a te apotle Peter would ay, all tat
you eed for lfe ad godle (2 Pet. 1:3).
Tat t. Smple eoug? Good. Tme watg, ad
te mot amazg ew all te uere watg to e
doered.
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PART 1
Ho the Gospel doeswhat Religio Caot
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9
CHAPTER 1
The Missig Gospel
I te gopel really mg? If o, were dd t go?
Mot Crta ae te fat tragt: Jeu wa or ofa rg, led a perfet lfe, ded o te ro our plae, ad
wa raed from te dead. All toe wo plae ter fat
Hm wll e forge ad ae eerlatg lfe. So, te gopel
ot mg.
Not o fat.
I metoed te troduto tat tere a dfferee
owg tat oey weet ad ag tat weeteurt ale your mout. Beg ale to artulate te gopel
wt auray oe tg; ag t trut aptate your oul
qute aoter.
Te gopel ot ut uppoed to e our tet to
eae; t to e a etrely ew a for ow we relate to
God, ourele, ad oter. It to e te oure from weerytg ele flow.
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10 GOSPEL
Let me lay all my ard
o te tale: I elee ea-
gelalm, a a wole, de-
perately eed a reoery
of te gopel a te eter
of Crtaty. Ee
oerate deoma-
to le my ow (te Souter Baptt Coeto), tegopel a ee elped y ay umer of eodary tmul
for growt.
I dot mea tat we ae orrupted te gopelo, wee
tll got toe fat rgt. But te goal of te gopel ot ut
tat we pa ome d of tet y aurately reoutg te
mportae of Jeu. Te goal of te gopel to produe a
type of people oumed wt pao for God ad loe for
oter. We ertaly dot eem to ae thatrgt.
A Crtaty tat doe ot ae a t prmary fou
te deepeg of pao for God a fale Crtaty, o
matter ow zealouly t ee oero or ow forefully
t adoate rgteou eaor. Beg oerted to Jeu
ot ut aout learg to oey ome rule. Beg oertedto Jeu learg to o adore God tat we would gladly
reoue eerytg we ae to follow Hm.
I graduate ool my roommate ept a dog amed Max
our oue. Beaue poor Max wa rppled a leg,
lfe oted of lyg o our doortep ad targ up at u
we we waled y. I rememer loog at m oe day ad
tg, Baed o ow mot people ee Crtaty, Max
would mae a fe Crta: e doet dr; e doet
moe; e doet u; e doet get agry; wee ad m
Being able to articulatethe gospel with accuracy
is one thing; having its
truth captivate your soul
is quite another.
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THE MISSInG GOSPEL 11
eutered o tougt-
lfe uder otrol.
Jeu dple are ot
uppoed to e merely
omplat, eutered dog.
Jeu follower are to e
alive wt a loe for God.
We you loe God adloe oter, Jeu ad, all
te ret of te Crta
lfe fall aturally to
plae (Matt. 22:3739).
How Do We Learn to Love God?
How, te, do we lear to loveGod? Tat te dlemma of
te great ommadmet: You all loe te Lord your God
wt all your eart ad wt all your oul ad wt all your
md (Matt. 22:37). But ow a true loe e commanded?
Beg ommaded to loe omeoe you ae o atu-
ral affeto for eome wearome. True loe grow a arepoe to loele. Te frt tme I aw my wfe, I felt te
egg of loe for er. Te more Ie gotte to ow er
oer te year, ad te more Ie ee of er eauty, te more
Ie grow to loe er. My loe a repoe.
Loe for God ommaded Srpture, ut te om-
mad a oly truly e fulflled a our eye are opeed to ee
God eauty reealed te gopel. Te Sprt of God ue
te eauty of te gopel to awae our eart a dere for
God. We loe Hm, te apotle Jo would ay, eaue
A Christianity that doesnot have as its primary
ocus the deepening o
passions or God is a
alse Christianity, no
matter how zealously it
seeks conversions
or how orceully it
advocates righteous
behavior.
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12 GOSPEL
He frt loed u (1 Jo 4:19 nkjv). Loe for God grow out
of a experee of te loe of God.
We we fou prmarly o eaor age, we are
gorg te real ue: a eart tat doet wat to loe
God. Tat ertaly ot
to ay tat we ould oly
oey God we we feel
le t; oly tat preagCrtaty prmarly a a
et of ew eaor wll
reate people wo at rgt wtout eer log te rgt.1
T reate yporte, weary ad reetful of God.
What Is Real Spiritual Growth?
I te lat meage Jeu gae to H dple, He told
tem tat te way to frutfule ad oyte eret to te
Crta lfewa to abide Hm. Tey wouldt produe
audat frut y readg oo, tefyg ter elf-
dple, memorzg Srpture, or gettg aoutalty
group. Toe tg all ae ter plae, ut real frut omeoly from oe plae: adg Jeu.
Adg Jeu may oud le prtual mumo umo
to you. It alway dd to me. I aumed tat we you were
adg Jeu youd wal aroud wt a etereal glow
your eye ad explaly wae up at 4 a.m. trummg
pao tue o te golde arp you eep ede your ed.
But te word abide mu more tragtforward ta tat.
Te Gree word meno mea lterally to mae your ome .
We we mae our ome H loefeelg t, aturatg
Love or God grows
out o an experience
o the love o God.
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THE MISSInG GOSPEL 13
ourele wt t, refletg o t, tadg awe of tpr-
tual frut eg to prg up aturally from u le roe o
a roeu.
Sprtual frut, you ee, produed te ame way
pyal frut . We a ma ad woma oee pyal
frut (.e., a ld), tey are uually ot tg aout te
mea of mag tat ld. Rater, tey get augt up
a momet of log t-may wt oe aoter,
ad tefruitof tat log
tmay a ld.
I te ame way,
prtual frut t made
y foug o te om-
mad of prtual growt.
You at ut grt your teet ad ay, I wll ae more log
feelg toward God! I wll e more patet! I wll ae elf-
otrol! Ill expla later te role for deal of te fle ad
elf-dple, ut true prtual fruit ome from gettg
wept up tmate, log eouter wt Jeu Crt.
H loe te ol w all te frut of te Sprt grow.We our root ade there, te oy, peae, patee, d-
e, getlee, ad elf-otrol grow aturally our eart.
So f you wat to ee prtual frut your lfe, dot fou
prmarly o te frut. Fou o Jeu aeptae of you,
ge to you a a gft. Foug o prtual frut wll uually
produe oly frutrato ad depar, ot frutfule.
Hae you eer looed at your lfe ad tougt, Wy
am I tll o mpatet? How ould I really e aed ad tll
ae u a prolem wt elf-otrol? I ertaly ae. If
When we make our
home in His love,
spiritual ruit begins
to spring up naturally
rom us.
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14 GOSPEL
aytg, te more Ie waled wt Jeu te more aware
Ie eome of my fule. Jeu, oweer, dd ot tell me
to ade my frutfule. He told me to ade Hm
H aeptae of me, ge to me freely a a gft.
Adg Jeu mea udertadg tat H aeptae
of u te ame regardle of te amout of prtual frut
we ae produed. Iroally, t oly we we udertad
tat H loe ot odtoed o our prtual frutfuletat we ga te power to eome truly frutful. Oly toe
wo ade Hm produe mu frut. I oter word, toe
people wo get etter are
toe wo udertad tat
God approal of tem
ot depedet o ter
gettg etter.
So wat I really wat
to elp you do t
oo ade Jeu. Te
y-produt of adg
Jeu tat you wll eome more patet your marrage;
you wll deelop elf-dple; you wll eome geerou.Adg Jeu wll produe allof te frut of te Sprt
youut ot y ag you oetrate partularly o ay of
toe tg. You oetrate o Jeu. You ret H loe
ad aeptae, ge to you ot eaue of wat you ae
eared, ut eaue of wat He a eared for you.
To see spiritual ruit
in your lie, dont
ocus primarily on the
ruits. Focus on Jesus
acceptance o you, given
to you as a git.
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THE MISSInG GOSPEL 15
Without Love, Its Ultimately Worthless
My eor year of g ool, I tarted a relatop
wt a redle grl for wom I shouldae ee ead oer
eel. O paper e wa perfet. Te prolem wa tat
we we were togeter tere wa ut o magic, f you ow
wat I mea. I ouldt fd a reao to quitdatg er, ow-
eer, o we ept o datg, ee after I left for ollege 1,200
mle away.
I retured ome for te frt tme oer Crtma rea,
ad we agreed to ee ea oter te day efore Crtma.
All wa well ad good utl te afteroo efore I wet to
er oue, we I ad a alarmg tougt: Was I supposed
to get her a Christmas present?It wa, after all, te day efore
Crtma. If e got me a Crtma preet ad I ddt geter oe, te I would loo le a total leezeall.
Jut to e afe, I topped at te mall o my way to ee
er. I wet to a portg good op, te atural plae you
loo for romat gft, ad tere I aw tte aolutely
perfet gft: a Adda ow-g e-warmer. It wa $7.
I wrapped up te woole materpee ad put t uder te eat
my ar ad droe te forty-fe mute oer to er oue.
Se ame to te door, ad after a few pleaatre, e ad,
I ougt you a Crtma preet. I ad, proudly, I got you
oe too! Se ad, Here your! ad gae me a beautifully
wrapped ox from uder te tree. I opeed t ad too out; to
my orror, t wa oouly a ery expee rt.
Se looed at me expetatly ad ad, Were my gft?I ad, U . . . I left t at ome! (Tg tat wa
afe . . . I ould go ome later, uy a ew gft, ad mal t to
er. Ad I got to eep te e-warmer. W-W.) But te
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16 GOSPEL
e ad, Well, we dot ae aytg to do togt. Maye
we ould go a to your oue ad get t. Id le to ee your
paret, ayway.
Im ure tat durg te forty-fe-mute dre ome
I eemed a lttle dtat. It eaue I wa plottg. Prayg.
Vowg. We we waled te oue, I pulled my mom
ade ad ad, Hey tere aytg you were plag to
ge my ter tat e doet ow aout yet? My mom ad,Wy? I ad, No furter queto, pleae. My mom wet
ad got a gft teded for my ter (aoter pretty expee
weater) ad we put my date ame o t tead. I too t
to my grlfred ad ad, ofdetly, Here your gft.
I tougt t would e perfet for you.
Ie ofte wodered te year e te wat would
ae appeed tat gt ad I ome lea ad told er te
trut tat my gft to er wa oly doe to ae fae. No dout,
e would ae refued t f latly. No grl wat to e loed oly
out of olgato.
Someow we t God dfferet, a f He pleaed
we we ere Hm eaue were requred to. He ot.
God dere a people wo dere Hm, wo ere Hmeaue tey loe Hm. He ee toe, Jeu ad, wo
worp Hm Sprt ad trut.
I fat, Paul ay wateer we do for God tat ot
fueled y loe for God ultmately wortle to Hm:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have
not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And
if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries
and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove
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THE MISSInG GOSPEL 17
mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give
away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,
but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Cor. 13:13)
Let fae t: Paul lt ere mpree y ayoe
tadard. Speag wt te togue of me ad agel a
to put you te top 1 peret of prtually gfted people.
Udertadg all mytere ad all owledge mea tatyoue got ee te fer pot of Crta dotre dow
pat. Fat to remoe mouta mea you a flat get tuff
doe prayer. Ad giving away even your body to be burned?
Wow. Oedee doet get ay more radal ta tat.
We te offerg plate goe y, you pull out a mat ad
lgt yourelf o fre for God. Tat Varty.
Yet, Paul ay, prtual gftede, dotral matery,
audaou fat, ad radal oedee do not equal te oly
tg tat atually matters to Godloe for Hm. Wtout
loe ee te mot radal
deoto to God of o
alue to Hm.
Let me make sure thatsinks in . . . You a ga
all te prtual gft
te world. You a tae
te mot radal tep of
oedee. You a are
eery meal wt te ome-
le your ty. You a
memorze te oo of Letu. You a pray ea morg
for four our le Mart Luter. But f wat you do doe
Spiritual gitedness,
doctrinal mastery,
audacious aith, and
radical obedienceo
ot eqal the only thing
that actuallymatters to
Godlove or Him.
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18 GOSPEL
ot flow out of a eart of loea eart tat doe toe tg
eaue t geuelydesiresto do temt ultmatelyworth-
lessto God.
Te pot tat to produe real loe your eart for
God tae ometg eyod prtual gft, greater dotr-
al owledge, audaou fat, ad ee radal oedee.
Sometg etrely dfferet. Radally dfferet.
Tat were te gopel ome . Te gopel, ad tegopel aloe, a te power to produe loe for God te
eart. Paul all te gopel God power for alato (Rom.
1:16). Tere are oly two tg tat Paul eer refer to a te
power of God. Oe te gopel; te oter Crt Hmelf.
A te tory of te gopel prolamed, te Sprt Hmelf
mae te eart ome ale to ee te glory ad eauty of God
reealed t. Jut a Jeu ommad to te lame ma to get
up ad wal ad in itselfte power to oey te ommad, o
te tory of Jeu deat ad reurreto a in itselfte power
to mae dead eart ew. A te gopel eleed, troug
te power of te prt, our elf, ardeed eart urt ale
wt rgteou ad godly pao.2 A we eold te glory of
God te fae of Crt, Paul ay, we are traformed toglory (2 Cor. 3:184:14).
Relgo, te, a tell you wat to doamely, to loe
God wt all your eart, oul ad md ad to loe your
egor a yourelf; ut te gopel aloe ge you te
power to do t.
Te gopel produe ot ut oedee, you ee, ut a
ew d of oedee3a oedee tat powered y
dere. A oedee tat ot pleag to God anddelgt-
ful to you.
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THE MISSInG GOSPEL 19
Now, oe larfato: Im ot ayg ere tat eery ar-
fe were aed to mae for God wll e ad of telfdesirable.
Te ro wa ot ad of telf derale to Jeu. Herew
12:2, fat, ay tat Jeu ad to endure t pa, w
mea He ad to umt H dere to God wll. But ee
te rufyg of H fle wa rouded oy for Hm. Te
oy of wat He wa ota-
gte pleaure of Godad eterty wt uwa
greater ta te pa.
Tat ow God wat
our oedee to e a
well. We we p up
our ro to follow Hm, He wat ee te pa of te ro
to e rouded oy oer wat we are otag.
Tat d of oy Jeu aot e produed u y
mple reoluto to oey. Tat d of oy ome oly from
eg aturated te gopel.
Tu, f you are ot were you ould e prtually, te
awer ot mply to get uer for Jeu. It ot ut to get
more radal your deoto to God. It ot oly to eegreater prtual gft or ee to lear more aout te Ble.
It to mae your ome God loe ge to you a a gft
Crt.
Tat wat I mea we I ay te gopel mg.
We ae uttuted all d of omet age for true
eart age. We eourage people to purue ew ad et-
ter prtual gft. We tell tem to reoer aet deotoal
teque. We try to eef tem up o a partular dotral
ytem, a f more orret fat wll do te tr telf.
The gospel produces
an obedience that is
powered by desire.
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20 GOSPEL
We tell tem to ow audaou, mouta-mog fat
prayer. We tell tem to get radally ommtted to te Great
Commo. Tee tg all ae ter plae, ut all we are
dog plg uperfal age oto a eart tat doet
really loe God. None of toe tg a produe loe for
God. Oly te gopel a. Wtout tat, ultmately our
age are wortle.
I am a lazy yardma. To my wfe agr, I dot (wll-gly) plat flower.4 I dot fertlze. I pay omeoe ele to
ut te gra. All I are aout, a t relate to te yard, tat
I dot get omplat letter from my egor ad I a ee
te top of my d ead we tey go outde. My wfe, o
te oter ad, loe a plu, rgt, eatly maured law.
Oe day e omplaed tat our flower ed ad too may
weed tem, ad tat I eeded to do ometg aout t.
Now, tere are two way to ll weed. You a get o your
ee ad ped eeral our pullg tem up y te root.
T te orret way. Or, you a apalm tem wt weed
ller. T te lazy way. My way. So, multple tme ea
ummer I lated our flower ed wt weed ller . . . ad
all our weed ded, ut le te adertemet promed. Ado dd qute a few roe ue tat were augt te le of
fre. Beautful, gree e wt uddg arlet flower were
tured to tumleweed.
My wfe, of oure, omplaed aout tat too. I a Sprt-
flled way, of oure. So, let ay tat to mae er appy
I ad goe dow to te flort ad ougt eeral doze roe,
rougt tem ome, ad ega to taple tem to te dead
rae of te roeue. Would I ae fxed aytg? For
a wle, te dead roeue may ae ge te appearae of
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THE MISSInG GOSPEL 21
eg ale, at leat from a dtae. But tey would ot really
e ale, ad I would ot really e out of te dogoue.
Paul Trpp a ad tat mot of te tratege for
Crta growt amout merely to roe-taplg te-
que. Ge away more moey. Be more erou aout your
. Be more dpled your lfe. Read your Ble ad ae
aoutalty parter. Go to a mall group.
Sprtual dple ae ter plae (well get to tatlater). But otg a tae te plae of orga age
te eart.
Oly te gopel, you ee, te power to oey te frt
ommadmet. Oly te trut of te gopel a a eart
tured o telf urt ale loe for God.
For may eagelal te gopel a futoed olely
a te etry rte to Crtaty; t te prayer we pray
to eg our relatop wt Jeu; te dg oard off of
w we ump to te pool of Crtaty. After we get to
te pool, we get to te real tuff of Crtaty: materg
good prple for our marrage; learg rule ad regula-
to of ow to eae; ad fgurg out f Kr Camero wll
e left ed.Te gopel, oweer, ot ut te dg oard off of
w we ump to te pool of Crtaty; t te pool
telf. It ot oly te way we eg Crt; t te way
we grow Crt. A Tm Keller ay, te gopel ot ut
te ABC of Crtaty, t te AZ; t ot te frt tep
a tarway of trut, t more le te u of God weel
of trut.5 All oter Crta rtue f low out of t.
Tat wy growt Crt eer gog eyod te
gopel, ut gog deeper to te gopel. Te puret water
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22 GOSPEL
from te prg of lfe are
foud y dggg deeper,
ot wder, to te gopel
well.
My prayer tat t
oo wll all u to a deeper
udertadg of te go-
pel a te true eter ofCrtaty. I ope t elp you ee tat te gopel ouldt
ut e a tet to eae ut te ore of our etre le. We
you ae made your ome te gopel. You wll e radally
geerou. You wll ow audaou fat. Tee tg are ot
added after te gopel, tey flow from te gopel.
Te apotle Peter ay tat te agel tll log to loo
to te tg of te gopel, eaue t dazzle ter md
(1 Pet. 1:12). Te agel ae ee God fae-to-fae, ad yet
tey tll at get eoug of te gopel! Do we t we are
really ready to moe o to ometg ele?
Wateer prtual dyfuto you ae your lfe, te
ure te gopel. Do we wat to e flled wt pao for
God? We ould dr from te gopel. Do we wat to getotrol of our ode? We mut e aptated y te gopel.
Do we wat to e otet wt wat we ae? We eed to feat
o te gopel. Do we wat to lear to loe our poue? We
ae to e oerwelmed
y te gopel.
Mart Luter ad
Lectures on Romans
tat true prtual prog-
re wa alway to eg
The gospel is not just
the diving board o o
which we jump into the
pool o Christianity;
it is the pool itsel.
Growth in Christ is never
going beyond the gospel,but going deeper into
the gospel.
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THE MISSInG GOSPEL 23
aga. He ad we mut daly emrae te loe ad de
of God . . . ad daly exere our fat tere; etertag
o dout of God loe ad de.6
Alway eg aga wt te gopel. Ade t; wm
t; mae your ome t. See more ad more of your lfe
troug t. Be aolutely oed at eery momet of eery
day of te goode of God your lfe. Tat te oly way
youll eer reallygrow.Te gopel a doe t wor u we we rae God
more ta we rae eerytg ele lfemore ta moey,
romae, famly, ealt, famead we eeg H gdom
adae te le of oter ge u more oy ta aytg
we ould ow. We we ee Jeu a greater ta aytg te
world a offer, well gladly let eerytg ele go to poe
Hm. We we loe oter
le He loe u, well wll-
gly yeld our poeo
to ee H gdom ome
to ter le.
Oedee tat doe
ot flow from loe ed upeg drudgeryot to
u, ad to God. Te gopel tur tat drudgery to delgt.
It age u from eg lae wo haveto oey God to o
ad daugter wo wantto oey God. Aga, God ot ut
after oedee; He after a wole ew d of oedee
a oedee tat flled wt dere.
Dwellg o te re of te gopel a foreer aged
my lfe. It a traformed our ur. I elee wt my
wole eart t a age you too. But te umlg tg for
The gospel has done its
work in us when
we crave God more
than we crave everything
else in lie.
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24 GOSPEL
me tat I at reallyteach ay of t to you. Tee tg
are prtually reealed ad prtually dered. Tey requre
te gft of eaely eye. I ouldt ee tea t to myelf
we t wa rgt frot
of my fae, o wat would
mae me t I ould
llumate your eart?
Ad wat mae yout you a deelop a
pao for God y readg
a oo? So wy ot top rgt ow ad plead wt God to
ope te eye of your eart? You mgt ue te word of Paul
prayer for te Epea,
[I pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation
in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts
enlightened . . . [and I pray that you] may have strength
to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and
length and height and depth, and to know the love of
Christ that surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filledwith all the fullness of God. (Eph. 1:1718; 3:1820)
God is ater an
obedience that is flled
with desire.