King of kings Archives | Moment to Moment

The gospel we proclaim

This is the message of faith that we proclaim: If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:8-9)

What is the gospel we preach?

It’s not, “If you keep all the rules, maybe you’ll go to heaven.”

Nor is it, “Just believe a bunch of facts about Jesus and you will be saved.”

What is it then?

“Jesus is Lord of all!”

By his resurrection from the dead, he proved himself to the powerful Son of God, King of kings and Lord of all lords. (Romans 1:4)

So trust and follow him. All who do will never ultimately be put to shame. Instead, they will find great blessing by coming under his good reign.

Is that the good news we believe?

Is that the good news we follow moment to moment, day to day?

And is that the good news we’re preaching, inviting people to trust Jesus and come under his good reign?

As Isaiah said and Paul quoted,

How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of the herald,
who proclaims peace,
who brings news of good things,
who proclaims salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7)

The gospel

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures—concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead. (Romans 1:1-4)

“Appointed to be the powerful Son of God.”

I’ve been thinking on those words a lot over the past year.

Jews thought of their kings as “sons of God”. (2 Samuel 7:14, Psalm 2:6-7)

But through his resurrection, Jesus was appointed by the Father to be the ultimate Son of God, King of all kings, and Lord of all lords.

That’s essentially the gospel: Jesus is Lord of all! And this is good news!

So now we call people to “the obedience of faith.”

Put another way, we call them to come back under God’s reign.

Why?

Because we fear the wrath of a harsh Dictator?

No.

Because we believe he’s a good King who truly loves us and who knows and desires our best. That he is our salvation in this broken and dying world.

Is that the faith you live by?

Is that the faith you’re calling others to?