Evangelical author and speaker Jerry Bridges addresses the issue of gospel in our daily life. He expounds Galatians 2:15 – 20, to show how the apostle Paul relates on a daily basis to his justification in Christ. Bridges shows how every believer should live consciously in the present reality of their justification in Jesus Christ.
Bridges first lays the foundation of what the Christian doctrine of justification by faith is. After laying this foundation and showing how this serves as the context for understanding Galatians 2:20, he ventures into expounding it. Perhaps you have never heard verse 20 quoted in light of the meaning of its context. Very often Christians quote verse 20 as an isolated verse and completely forget about its context. However Bridges shows how this verse when interpreted in light of its context, teaches the glorious truth of living in the present reality of our justification in Christ.
Like the Galatians, we are so easily persuaded by our flesh that we can gain favor before God through our spiritual performance rather than solely depend on the performance of our Lord Jesus Christ for us. However Bridges reminds us that we should always look outside of us for our justification and this we have to do daily. For we do not earn favor from God by doing our spiritual disciplines, rather we humbly receive the favor which Jesus has earned for us. The central thought of Bridges’ sermon is summarized in the following quote, which should humble us and make us radically Christ dependent and gospel centered.
“Through His death on the cross and His sinless life, Jesus Christ has earned every blessing and every answer to prayer that you will ever receive.”
In these days of resurgence of a gospel-centered theology and methodology, especially among Reformed Christians, Bridges offers an excellent, wise, exegetically sound and deeply practical sermon on living the gospel-centered life. He shows how this is not a novel concept we are inventing in our day and age, but rather one believed in and taught by Christians of past centuries. Bridges specifically notes how the Puritan John Owen used to teach the same things in his day. However Bridges reasons that living the gospel-centered life is older than even the Puritans and goes back 2000 years into apostle Paul’s teaching in Galatians 2:20.
This message will make the hearer deeply grateful for the gospel of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ and will constrain him to live in light of the gospel everyday.
Very highly recommended.
Jerry Bridges (born December 4, 1929, Tyler, Texas, United States) is an evangelical Christian author, speaker and staff member of The Navigators. He is author of several books, including, the Pursuit of Holiness, the Gospel for Real Life, and the Discipline of Grace. He has been on the staff of The Navigators since 1955 and currently serves as a resource person to the Navigators University Students Ministry in the United States. Jerry and his wife Jane live in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They have two married children and six grandchildren.
