Sanctification: Because I am here to reflect Christ, I will seek to apply my complete salvation through God’s grace, Spirit, Word, and people. I am not here in 2015 to change my circumstances or fix my feelings. I am here to reflect Christ. So, I’ll be asking, “How can I cooperate with God’s grace, God’s Spirit, God’s Word, and God’s people to become who I already am in Christ?” I’ll especially be applying Romans 6:1-14 to my daily growth in grace.
As 2015 begins, many of us make resolutions for the new year. Some even do so with a “theme.” I’ve never been one for new year’s resolutions—themed or theme-less.
However, in 2015, I’m making an exception. For me, by Christ’s grace, I want 2015 to be: The Year of Gospel-Centered Living
8 Gospel-Centered Life Questions
But what does it even mean to live gospel-centered? I’m going to defined gospel-centered living as my attempt to live according to the Bible’s answers to life’s 8 ultimate questions.
In Gospel-Centered Counseling, I outlined life’s 8 ultimate questions as:
- The Word: “Where do we find wisdom for life in a broken world?”
- The Trinity: “What comes into our mind when we think about God?” “Whose view of God will we believe—Christ’s or Satan’s?”
- Creation: “Whose are we?” “In what story do we find ourselves?”
- Fall: “What’s the root source of our problem?” “What went wrong?”
- Redemption: “How does Christ bring us peace with God?” “How does Christ change people?”
- Church: “Where can we find a place to belong and become?”
- Consummation: “How does our future destiny with Christ make a difference in our lives today as saints who struggle against suffering and sin?”
- Sanctification: “Why are we here?” “How do we become like Jesus?” How can our inner life increasingly reflect the inner life of Christ?”
8 Gospel-Centered Life GPS Points
In 2015, I want to follow God’s wisdom in addressing each of these questions each day. InGospel-Centered Counseling, I offer gospel-centered answers to life’s ultimate questions. These answers are like a GPS—God’s Positioning Scripture—which provide biblical insight for living.
Let’s consider each one together…
- The Word: I will seek to discover wisdom for how to live life in a broken world from the wisest person who ever lived—Christ!
So, my guide is not simply WWJD—What Would Jesus Do? My guiding question is, HWJT—“How Would Jesus Think?” “Do I have the mind of Christ as I think through life issues?” I’ll especially be thinking through the mind of Christ as pictured in Philippians 2:1-5.
- The Trinity: Because Satan attempts to plant seeds of doubt about God’s good heart, I will seek to crop the Christ of the cross back into my picture.