Page 41 - In Defense of the Gospel PUB

our ETERNAL salvation. But when it comes the EARTHLY here and

now, most preaching declares it is all up to us. A very common form

of preaching is where the pastor says, “God try A-B-C this week and

see how it works. If it doesn’t work, come back next week and I’ll
give you X-Y-Z to try.” They preach that how well we live life is

what controls our relationship with God.

This is totally defeating because Paul says tells us that under

this system there is “None righteous, no not one. All have sinned

and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:10, 23). Living under the

Old Covenant, rather than in the gospel, puts us in a NO-WIN
situation. Paul calls it condemnation and death.

This is especially true if we are GENTILES, to whom the law

was never given in the first place — and yet we blindly choose to

live in it.

The Spotlight

To me, the test all comes down to what I call the spotlight.

The acid test is this: where does spotlight shine?

If the spotlight shines on ME, as it does in most churches, this
is designed to check me out for any spot or blemish. This is the way

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