A few years ago I came across this remark by Ray Ortlund Jr, in the final chapter of his meditations on Romans. He says so well why Gospel driven living is so important:
Raymond C Ortlund,
Jr, A Passion for God, Crossway
Books,
“Imagine the evangelical church without the
Gospel . . . . What might our evangelicalism, without the evangel, look
like? We would have to replace the
centrality of the Gospel with something else, naturally. So what might take the place of the gospel in
our sermons and books and cassette tapes and Sunday school classes and home
Bible studies and, above all, in our hearts? A number of things, conceivably. An introspective absorption with
recovery from past emotional traumas, for example. Or a passionate devotion to the pro-life
cause. Or confident manipulation of
modern management techniques. Or a drive
toward church growth and “success.” Or a
deep concern for the institution of the family. Or a fascination with the more unusual gifts of the Spirit. Or a clever appeal to consumerism by offering
a sort of cost-free Christianity Lite. Or a sympathetic, empathetic, thickly-honeyed cultivation of
interpersonal relationships. Or a determination to take America back to its Christian roots through
political power. Or a warm affirmation
of self-esteem. The evangelical
movement, stripped of the Gospel, might fix upon any or several of such
concerns to define itself and derive energy for its mission. In other words, evangelicals could
marginalize or even lose the gospel and still potter on their way, perhaps even
oblivious to their loss.”(205-206)
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