The Point of the Gospel

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. --Galatians 4:5f.

Why did Jesus die? To save you? To take your sin? To give you eternal life? Here's an idea: none of those things are the true point of the Gospel. Redemption is a means, not an end. God gave us righteousness so He could give us something even greater: adoption.

Adoption. Consider that. The all-consuming Fire, the sovereign Creator, the Lord of all wants to make you His son or daughter. He desires to adopt you so much that He gave His only begotten Son to redeem you.

If we get stuck on redemption alone, we miss the point. God wants to be your Father! Never get stuck on redemption and lose sight of this, the greatest grace in the universe, the point of the Gospel.

Jackson Hole! Part 4

Goodbye, Jackson Hole. I have had perhaps the best week of my life here these past days. Chopping wood, giving it away, moving furniture, and all of this work for Jesus has changed my outlook on life to a Kingdom-centered view of my life. I am God's child, Jesus' sheep, the Holy Spirit's temple. I have no right to my own life. My whole life ought to be filled with work for the Kingdom of God. I came to Jackson Hole to teach its residents how they ought to follow God, and instead learned how I ought to follow my Lord. Praise be to God, the Infinite, Preexistent, Preeminent, Glorious, Eternal, Sovereign, Mighty, Benevolent, Gracious, and Just King.

Jackson Hole! Part 3

Hello everyone, sorry I missed last night. We spent all yesterday chopping and stacking wood for our wood giveaway, then helped set up for a relationships class sponsored by Cornerstone Church. Today, we woke up early and headed off to Yellowstone National Park, the first national park in the world. It was an amazing time that can't be expressed in words, so here are some pictures.

Jackson Hole! Part 2

Snow. It never happens in Orange County, so I love it. So, imagine my delight when I woke up to a yard covered in snow. We were supposed to drive into Idaho to chop wood for another church, but the snow on the road there was too slippery to drive. Instead, we chopped wood at the Davises' house for most of the day. It's hard work, but very little is more satisfying than the crunch a log makes when it splits correctly. Tonight, we're having dinner at a Cornerstone member's house, then getting our much-needed rest.

Jackson Hole! Part 1

On Friday (10/2), a team of The Master's College students and I drove through the night to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Jackson Hole is a tourist hot spot not far from Idaho in the We're here to support Cornerstone Church, a church plant led by a Master's Seminary graduate named Eric Davis. I'll try to post about our doings on this blog every night that I can.

Saturday, we took a short break after driving, then headed straight off to the forests to fell trees and chop wood. In between chainsawing forty-foot lodgepole pines and hauling multiple cords of bucked (cut to size) pieces, we shot clay pigeons with a shot gun and admired the view of the Grand Tetons.

Today, we had a great opportunity to show the love of Jesus to the community here in The West Bank, a section of Jackson Hole. Cornerstone sponsored a "Community Day" where anyone in the community could request the church to send workers for manual labor or other tasks. I got to spend three or four hours cutting and chopping wood for a neighbor of the Davises, my host family. As we were splitting wood, I had the thought "This is the gospel's best apologetic." Doubt that the gospel is true? You can't deny that there are three men in your yard working for free on a Sunday morning that could be more enjoyably spent on the sofa. Jesus' salvation continues to touch nonbelievers personally every day through the works of His people. And these works cannot be scoffed at or disbelieved. Our love for others proves God's love for sinners.