Living with a Gospel Lens
/Dictionary.com says that a lens is a piece of transparent substance - used in correcting defects of vision. Being that I can barely see without my glasses and contacts, this is incredibly true in my life! Applied to our faith, we can literally be transformed by asking God to change the lens in which we look at life! Simply amazing…
The past few years in particular have been especially life-changing; I have experienced the power of Christ’s gospel in a highly personal way and learned to use it as a lens to look at ALL of life - how I view myself, my hurts, emotions, motherhood, marriage, friendship, education, and more!
You might be asking, what is the definition of the gospel? Simply stated, the gospel is “good news or glad tidings.” More specifically, the gospel is good news and glad tidings of the grace of God for the forgiveness of sins to everyone who believes in Jesus!
Lovely cross at Christ’s Church in Midtown Atlanta, GA ~ what a beautiful picture of the gospel!
Why live with a gospel lens?
First of all, if we have faith in Christ, we have been redeemed by the Creator of the Universe. Jesus’s decision to leave the comforts of heaven to die in our place is abundant proof that we are precious to Him and of eternal value. Living life with this lens frees us from everything like holding onto shame, living with bitterness, pleasing people, and much more. How BEYOND exciting!
Second, as believers in Christ, we are called to keep growing in the grace & knowledge of our Lord and Savior (2 Peter 3.18a). All of Scripture points to Christ, so the journey of faith is a lifelong process of God giving us eyes to see Jesus on every page of the Bible AND how to apply it to all of life. Furthermore, as we grow in His grace, we gain greater strength to bring Him glory and to truly live for the good of others.
Third, Christ is enough to heal all my shame, take away my sin, & redeem my broken places. In Christ, this becomes your story as well as mine. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that we are a new creation in Christ - the old has gone & the new has come. Our gospel lenses remind us of theses amazing truths!
How on earth do I live this way?
Undoubtedly, there is not a strict plan for this, but I will share some thoughts I have learned along the way.
At our recent church planting assessment, one of the assessors asked my husband and me, “In your opinion, if there was an emoji for how God looked at you, what would it be?” To say that was an eye-opening question is an understatement. I realized that God doesn’t look at me with a frown, smugness, or frustration like I often feel. Instead, He looks at me lovingly and graciously, and declares me as righteous in His sight because Christ has taken away all my sin. Simply said, even though we sin, we must remember Christ smiles over us because of the cross. What spectacular freedom and deep soul rest this boundless love brings!
Jerry Bridges shared a beautiful picture of the cross. Essentially, as we grow in our faith, we come to know more fully the massive holiness of God and the vast depth of our sin. As our understanding of both expands, we will be tempted to doubt and despair. However, the cross of Christ is larger than life and can bridge this gap for us, no matter how wide and deep! We can rest secure knowing that all of our sin & shame is taken away by our gracious Savior.
Extend the same grace to others that Christ extended to me! I am certainly not perfect in this, but a work in progress! Of course, there is a time to rebuke a friend in truth, but living with the gospel at the forefront can bring much peace to relationships. I can forgive others like Christ has forgiven me through the gospel.
There is so much more to share, but may you be encouraged today! “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.” (1 Peter 3.12). Friends, please pray that you and I never forget that our righteousness is in Christ alone. And pray that He would give us gospel lenses - eyes to see how His life, death, resurrection, and ascension apply to everything. May He truly shine His face upon each one of us so that our gospel lenses truly correct any deficit in our vision of all of life!
In His Grace ~ leigh anne
