A synod centered on the gospel
A synod centered on the gospel
Every cell of your body is influenced from the time it forms until the time it dies by something called DNA. The DNA in your cells determines nearly everything about your physical body. It governs the color of your hair and eyes, your general health and fitness, and your susceptibility to certain diseases. Your DNA is an inseparable part of what you are.
There is something very special at the heart and center of who and what we are as a synod. It’s the very foundation of what we believe. It permeates the life and work of our synod and all of its members. It’s the source of our joy now and our confidence for the future. It’s the reason and motivation for all we do. And it’s the treasure that we strive to share with the world. At the heart and center of all we are and do as a synod is nothing less than the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news that God, in Christ, has made us his people solely by his grace and mercy.
The gospel of Jesus Christ first touches us individually. It’s the life-giving message that the Holy Spirit has used to work faith in our hearts. The gospel has brought us into God’s family and changed our lives—and our eternity. It assures us daily of God’s full and free forgiveness. This good news gives sinners genuine peace of mind and heart: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). Such a message gives hope to people who had no reason to hope and joy in a sad and sinful world.
The gospel of Christ not only brings us into God’s family. It also is the reason for all we do as God’s people. In a world where people have many different motivations to “do good and be good,” the gospel gives the only God-pleasing motivation: “We love, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). We don’t do good in order to get something from God, to look good when compared with others, or to avoid divine punishment. Rather, we strive to live for God because of the thanks we have for what he has done for us. As individual Christians, it’s the gospel that moves us to worship, to be faithful spouses and parents, and to serve others with our words and actions.
There is something very special at the heart and center of who and what we are as a synod. It’s the very foundation of what we believe. It permeates the life and work of our synod and all of its members. It’s the source of our joy now and our confidence for the future. It’s the reason and motivation for all we do. And it’s the treasure that we strive to share with the world. At the heart and center of all we are and do as a synod is nothing less than the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news that God, in Christ, has made us his people solely by his grace and mercy.
The gospel of Jesus Christ first touches us individually. It’s the life-giving message that the Holy Spirit has used to work faith in our hearts. The gospel has brought us into God’s family and changed our lives—and our eternity. It assures us daily of God’s full and free forgiveness. This good news gives sinners genuine peace of mind and heart: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). Such a message gives hope to people who had no reason to hope and joy in a sad and sinful world.
The gospel of Christ not only brings us into God’s family. It also is the reason for all we do as God’s people. In a world where people have many different motivations to “do good and be good,” the gospel gives the only God-pleasing motivation: “We love, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). We don’t do good in order to get something from God, to look good when compared with others, or to avoid divine punishment. Rather, we strive to live for God because of the thanks we have for what he has done for us. As individual Christians, it’s the gospel that moves us to worship, to be faithful spouses and parents, and to serve others with our words and actions.
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