The Unending Depths of the Gospel
Have you seen photos of the latest organisms discovered in the deepest parts of the ocean lately? Many of these creatures look so otherworldly, it’s difficult to comprehend that they exist on our planet. And scientists are still finding new, previously undiscovered organisms to this day. Despite all of the scientific and technological advances we’ve made on land, there are things about the great depths of the sea that are still a mystery. And this seemingly never-ending unknown is equally daunting as it is exciting to explore.
For those who have been walking with Jesus for a while, I wonder if we treat the gospel like living on an ocean-front property you’ve become overly accustomed to. You know the beach is right outside your window, but you pass by that window every morning, your ears become dull to the crashing waves, and you become nose-blind to the salty air. It becomes familiar to you - which isn’t completely bad, because that means - on some level - it feels like home. We learn to live our daily lives according to the new life we have in Christ and we can have joy in that as we grow in our knowledge and experience. But I think our natural tendency can be to drift towards apathetic complacency if we don’t intentionally reckon with the power and majesty that lies right in under our noses. The sea that crashes quietly right outside your balcony is the same sea that contains a depth of wonders we can’t even begin to imagine.
Our hearts and minds are so limited in our understanding of spiritual matters. God’s character qualities exist in infinite supply. INFINITE. And the benefits we receive from the gospel are too big to fit nicely into the limited space in our hearts. There will always be some part of our flesh that will block our full heart-level understanding of Christ as long as we are on Earth. Even with our peripheral vision, our perspectives are not 360°. We must constantly be turning our eyes to ponder and soak in the majesty of each aspect of our God who saves.
Especially when we feel stale or losing joy/wonder in our worship, this may be a great indicator that we need to grapple with an aspect of God’s character and/or the gospel that has gone untouched or unrecognized by our hearts recently. A great place to start is to simply look at a list and pray through whichever characteristic feels less real or deep within our hearts. Why don’t we look at two lists that may be helpful places to start?
Let’s start with the aspects of salvation and the attributes of God. Because the gospel is the natural outflowing of God’s character, you may find that the most convicting aspects of these lists are actually connected in profound ways in your heart.
The Benefits of Salvation (listed in Deeper by Dane Ortlund):
Justification - no longer condemned - (Rom. 5:1; Titus 3:7)
Sanctification - no longer defiled - (1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Thess. 4:3)
Adoption - no longer orphaned - (Rom. 8:15; 1 John 3:1-2)
Reconciliation - no longer estranged - (Rom. 5:1-11; 2 Cor. 5:18-20)
Washing - no longer dirty - (1 Cor. 6:11; Titus 3:5)
Redemption - no longer enslaved - (Eph. 1:7; Rev. 14:3-4)
Purchase - no longer in debt - (1 Cor. 6:20; 2 Pet. 2:1)
Liberation - no longer imprisoned - (Gal. 5:1; Rev. 1:5)
New Birth - no longer nonexistent - (John 3:3-7; 1 Pet. 1:3, 23)
Illumination - no longer blind - (John 12:35-36; 2 Cor. 4:4-6)
Resurrection - no longer dead - (Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:1)
The Attributes of God (listed from this article from biblestudytools.com):
God Is Infinite – He is Self-Existing, Without Origin
God Is Immutable – He Never Changes
God Is Self-Sufficient – He Has No Needs
God is Omnipotent – He Is All Powerful
God Is Omniscient – He Is All-Knowing
God Is Omnipresent – He Is Always Everywhere
God Is Wise – He Is Full of Perfect, Unchanging Wisdom
God Is Faithful – He Is Infinitely, Unchangingly True
God Is Good – He Is Infinitely, Unchangingly Kind and Full of Good Will
God Is Just – He Is Infinitely, Unchangeably Right and Perfect in All He Does
God Is Merciful – He is Infinitely, Unchangeably Compassionate and Kind
God Is Gracious – God Is Infinitely Inclined to Spare the Guilty
God Is Loving – God Infinitely, Unchangingly Loves Us
God Is Holy – He is Infinitely, Unchangingly Perfect
God Is Glorious – He is Infinitely Beautiful and Great
*You can find scriptural references and a brief description of these attributes in the article hyperlinked above.
I would encourage you to wade carefully through these lists. Which item(s) come with the most natural objections, questions, or hesitations? Does your heart respond with, “that can’t be completely true” or “but….” to any of them? Which seems the furthest from your current reach in mental understanding? I’d narrow it down to one or two main focuses. Read through the referenced verses. You could search in-depth articles about these concepts from reliable resources (my go-to’s are the Gospel Coalition and Desiring God). Or you could even find a book that dives into the theology of that topic. But most importantly: pray and meditate. You can fill your head with so much knowledge but it ultimately comes down to the Holy Spirit to mold and shape hearts to feel and accept these truths. We cannot embark on this endeavor without trusting Him to work on our souls.
In all of this, I want to caution us to monitor how we process our own lack of understanding. This practice isn’t meant to shame you for how little you know about God. It is meant to show us new and exciting ways to feed our ever-changing appreciation for the Lord. I really truly believe that the Spirit is faithful to guide our hearts and perspectives towards appreciating Him more, which leads us to worship the Lord more deeply. It may take time and it may reveal some nastiness that we didn’t know existed within ourselves, but ultimately this leads to our growth as worshippers of a worthy God. What more could we ask for?
So put on your scuba gear. It’s time to take a dive.