Katie and I have been reading through a devotional by Sam Storms called The Hope of Glory.
Sam has unpacked nearly every verse in the book of Colossians with 100 daily meditations. Chapter 9 he focuses on what Paul calls “the word of truth, the gospel…” in chapter 1 verse 5…
Sam writes that “..the consistent testimony of Scripture, such as we find in Colossians 1, is that truth is absolute and accessible and universally relevant for all people in all times. Certainly we must be sensitive in how we communicate it. We must contextualize the gospel in a way that is both faithful to the revelation of Scripture and meaningful to the people whom we minister. The truth of the gospel is not a hammer with which to oppress those who may disagree, but a key that unlocks the mind from slavery to idols, a light that dispels the darkness of errant thinking, a power that liberates and delivers us “from the domain of darkness” (Col 1:13) and transfers us “to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son” (Col 1:13).
This truth is found in the gospel, in the good news that God has become human in Jesus Christ and has lived and died and risen from the grave for the redemption of his people. This truth is now embodied and expressed for us in the written word of God, the Scriptures. Hear it. Study it. Ingest it. Relish it. And above all else, by God’s grace, let it transform your heart and renew your mind and govern your steps each day.”
The challenge to Hear it, study it, ingest it, relish it, and allow it to transform our lives is the battle we face each and every day. The devil and our sin will do everything to keep us from understanding “the word of truth”… Our tendency as humans with indwelling sin is to minimize the gospel. We do this in countless subtle ways, most of the time without even realizing it. I’m sure each of us can make a list of what those may be… I just recently got A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent. It is helpful in the fight against gospel-minimizing… I highly recommend it!