Recently, I finally finished reading the book
Gospel Transformation, written by Dr. Neil H. Williams and published by World Harvest Mission. Embarrassingly, I had owned this book for several years before reading it; I had bought it at the recommendation of my pastor when I was a graduate student in Illinois all of the way back in 2008! But I want to give a shout-out that this book is a fabulous resource for understanding what the gospel message is and how it transforms your heart and life.
What the author says in the book's introduction is a good synopsis of the contents: "You are worse than you think!" But also, "Cheer up! The gospel is far greater than you can imagine! (pp. i-ii)" The 36 lessons of the 372-page book are grouped into 6 units: "Introducing the Gospel," "Enemies of the Gospel," "Believing the Gospel," "The Power of the Gospel," "The Fruit of the Gospel," and "The Gospel in Relationships." The book is an inductive study, often used in a group format (apparently especially for college students), but also an effective tool for personal devotions. It is a great book for not only the person like me who has grown up in church all of her life, but also the person who is unfamiliar with the Christian faith. The many diagrams and illustrations helped me to simplify and synthesize the information, and then the leader's notes in the back of the book helped me to understand the concepts on a deeper level. Overall,
Gospel Transformation was very thought-provoking, very practical, and very encouraging! I loved working through it.
And I must say that while I am thankful for this book, I am even more thankful for the actual message of the gospel itself! I think of the book of Romans in the Bible and how it so clearly spells out the gospel message.
- Romans 3:10-11, 23--As it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God....For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
- Romans 5:8--But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- Romans 6:23--For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Romans 10:9, 13--Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved....For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
And then I think of God's work in my own life and how He has transformed me and continues to transform me. I may not have the most dramatic testimony, but I think that any testimony of God's mercy and grace is beautiful.
- God allowed me to grow up in a Christian home and in a Bible-believing church, and I honestly do not remember a time when I did not know about Jesus. When I was 6 years old, I read a story about a little girl who prayed to receive Jesus as her Savior, and then I realized that even though I knew about Jesus I had never received Him as my Savior. I prayed, confessing to God that I was a sinner and asking Jesus to come into my heart.
- Even though I believe that I became a Christian that day as a 6 year-old girl, my understanding of the gospel has been a journey and continues to be so. I struggled with doubts and fears in upper elementary and junior high school. Perhaps due to a lack of good teaching, I worried that my conversion experience had not been emotional enough and that my faith was not good enough. In desperation, I prayed the sinner's prayer over and over again, asking God to make me His child. Finally, tired of the drama and not knowing what else to do, I decided to just start reading the Bible and seeking God. Somehow through reading His Word, God gave me peace about my salvation and helped me to start growing in Christ. A few years later, when I was a teenager and my family had changed churches, I learned that faith itself is a gift from God and not something that I can work up on my own strength. That precious, precious doctrine gave me complete peace about the state of my soul. Ultimately, salvation is not about me or the quality of my faith, but about the Triune God--God the Father who has loved me before the foundation of the world, God the Son who died for me, and God the Spirit who has pursued me and given me the gift of faith. I see that God has done and is doing a work in me, and I praise Him for it!
- I like to look back and see all of the lessons that God has taught me through the years. In college and graduate school, I learned about God's unconditional love and His faithfulness. As much as I enjoyed school, I really, really struggled with all of the pressure and stress. I often tried to cope in sinful ways--by binge-eating or by giving way to depression. Horrified by my sin, I would come to God in repentance, and He would always comfort me with a profound sense of His forgiveness, mercy, and unconditional love. And even when it seemed like my programs of study would never end and I would never be able to complete all of the requirements on time, God was faithful and gave me success.
- In graduate school and in my two years as a single professional, I learned about the blessing of Christian community in the local church. I attended small but vibrant churches where people cared about me and showed me genuine hospitality, and where in turn I learned the joy of reaching out to others. I learned about the beautiful unity that the gospel brings among people who might otherwise be very different.
- In the circumstances leading up to my marriage, I learned about God's sovereignty and providence. When all of my plans seemed to be falling apart, God brought my wonderful husband into my life and showed me that He had had a plan for me all along.
- And in this current phase of life of motherhood, God has been exposing my selfishness and teaching me the joy of loving even when it involves sacrifice. I have been learning how making sacrifices for the good of another person is an opportunity to be like Christ and an opportunity to better appreciate Christ!
Thank you, Jesus, for dying for sinners like me and for transforming hearts and lives through the gospel!
