Everything Now, and More Coming

This is the title of Chapter 9 in Tchividjian's book, Jesus + Nothing = Everything.  He shares some important truths for us to understand here as well as for the future.  I hope this post is an encouragement of what is yours now.

"That's because the gospel isn't the first step in a stairway of truths but more like the hub in a wheel of truth."

"The daily reality of the gospel is the reason we can enjoy and revel in the fact that "all the promises of God find their Yes in him"-in Christ. (2 Corin. 1:20)"

"It's all there for us--in his promises! Everything we need for life and godliness is there."

"The gospel liberatingly declares that in Christ "we already are." If you're a Christian, here's the good news: who you really are has nothing to do with you--how much you can accomplish, who you can become, your behavior (good or bad), your strengths, your weaknesses, your sordid past, your family background, your education, your looks, and so on. Your identity is firmly anchored in Christ's accomplishment, not yours; his strength, not yours; his performance, not yours; his victory, not yours.  Your identity is steadfastly established in his substitution, not in your sin."

"The Bible's big picture is not only about the mighty dimensions of who God is and what he does, but also about all that we're given and promised by him through Christ."

"Nothing whatsoever could ever cut us off from the magnificent comprehensive of the Lord's devoted care and nurture. His promise of everything is for our darkest days as well as for our brightest."

"It is the Spirit of Christ who daily bears testimony with our spirit that we are "in" forever-that it is finished!"

Tchividjian closes the chapter by listing "seven biblical words that are particularly associated with the everything that's ours in the gospel of Christ.  They are justification, freedom, grace, peace, hope, joy, & love."

"We obey from the secure basis of grace, not guilt. And nothing could be more liberating."

"Grace is the root of the gospel; peace is the fruit of the gospel."

"Christianity is the only faith system where God both makes the demands and meets them."

"Christ's life, in other words, is just as central to our rescue as his death."

"The peace that the Bible has in view is a harmony, a serenity, a tranquility coming only from God's rescuing grace . . .This quiet confidence is what my grandmother referred to as a quiet knowing--that deep, abiding sense of wholeness, completeness, and calmness; that regardless of what is happening in our life and world, regardless of the tragedy we may be facing, there's a peace of God that transcends all understanding, going deep into the fabric of our being."