The immense power of the Gospel

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I used to have wild dreams when I was a young Christian (I’m still growing) of what it really means to be a true mature Christian. I thought there probably would come a day when I wouldn’t be guilty of a single sin. Sounds crazy but maybe I was not the only one. Blame it on immaturity, unbiblical teaching and to some extent Roman Catholic influence as that’s what I thought being a saint entailed.

I used to love the stories where people talked of their completely wretched past and how the Gospel fixed them. I thought such kind of experience to be the true manifestation of power of the Gospel. Isn’t it? Problem is even though I had a past that I’m ashamed of and I have clearly seen transformation, I didn’t think it was that much. So I thought either the Gospel is more powerful in the lives of some or maybe a day would come that I would be so transformed as to have experienced real power. How naive!

Is the Gospel really powerful? I’m I really a Christian? What more do I need to do so that I can look as holy and lead such a holy life as my friends seem to? I struggled with these questions in silent afraid that if I told anyone of my struggle they would think I was still unconverted and probably needing more prayer or more “Spirit work”. What I didn’t know was that there were many more in this camp than I could imagine.

So is the Gospel powerful and should we expect transformation? Yes and yes. As a matter of fact there’s so much more power in the Gospel than we can account for in a million years by simply looking. There’s much more power than the evidence of transformed lives. The kind of power that goes beyond just a change of lifestyle, the power that gives breath to dead people. And if that wasn’t beyond our imagination, there’s more to this power. For in Jesus, a Christian isn’t just raised to life but like Christ, we are raised to dwell in the heavenly places with Christ.

What I mean is that in spiritual terms being a Christian is the most privileged status one can ever have.  And in Jesus and through his Gospel is the greatest power ever manifested since the creation of the world, Ephesians 2:1-10. So it follows that a Gospel so powerful would make significant transformation in a person but it might not be measurable by the physical eye. A Christian will inevitably undergo transformation as they keep feeding and maturing by God’s Word through the Bible and the church, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 2:2 and we can attest to this.

But we see even more power in the Gospel not because we have now been fixed and are sinless but that we have been freed from sin to serve God in righteousness, Romans 6. And how powerful is this Gospel that a sinner could be declare righteous and holy by faith in Jesus, Romans 3:21-30. And that the same would turn around from serving sin and ones flesh to serve King Jesus in righteousness as we wait for his return. Oh! How powerful this Gospel is, nothing is even closely as powerful; a true masterpiece of the Lord God Almighty.

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