There have been seasons in my life where I believed that I had it all figured out. I knew how to fix everything. I had the answers. I could tell all of “those people” what they needed to do. Why? Because I had it all together.
I continue to learn that I don’t have it all together. I am broken, flawed, and completely imperfect. Every morning I am reminded that I need the gospel. The older I get, the gospel becomes more and more sweet. I’m just now scratching the surface on understanding what Paul said in Ephesians 2:17,
And he [Jesus] came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. (Ephesians 2:17 ESV)
Jesus preached one message of peace to the Jew and to the Gentile. There weren’t multiple messages. The Jews didn’t need a different message than the Gentiles just because they had the “promises of God” and the “prophets.”
Jesus preached the one gospel of peace. God the Father breaking down the wall of hostility between himself and his creation.
Contemporary followers of Jesus need to understand that there is one message preached to the follower of Jesus and the one who is not a follower of Jesus. We all have need of mercy, grace, and forgiveness. There is nothing more and nothing less.
One message.
The message of peace.
The gospel of grace.
How much do you need grace?
