Believing the gospel and applying the gospel go hand in hand, but the order is important. Of first importance is what God has done for us in Christ. God’s grace toward us in Christ is the foundation of all our obedience and application. Yet, in the midst of all the practical instruction, we must not lose sight of the principle that the gospel changes us from the inside out. Without that, we are doing little more than whitewashing tombs.

Note: Posts in this series have been adapted largely from a study called “Christian Recovery” from Providence Church.

So we must learn to believe and apply the truth that we “have been saved” (justified) by Christ’s work at the cross; we are “being saved” (sanctified) by the Holy Spirit in our daily struggle against sin; and we will “be saved” (glorified) when Christ returns for us. We must also learn to believe and apply the truth that we have been created with a deep longing to worship God but we suppress the truth about God and try to satisfy our deep longing to worship by replacing God with lesser things, such as possessions, success, family, prosperity, comfort, partying or sex. These idols lure us down the path of unrighteousness and slavery to sin. In short, our addictive and compulsive behaviors are a manifestation of our worship disorder and our worship disorder is the direct result of our failure to believe and apply the gospel of our salvation to our daily struggle against the sin of idolatry.

DISCOVERING THE PRINCIPLE IN SCRIPTURE

Let’s look at a passage that will help us understand more about what it means to not only believe the gospel but also apply the gospel. As we read this, look for what we learn about the connections between what we must believe (truth we trust) and what we must apply (truth we obey). Read Colossians 3:1 – 17

1: Make a list of the truths we must learn to trust in this passage. (Look for truths about who God says, “he is” and who God says, “we are”).

2: Make a list of the truths we must learn to obey in this passage. (Look for what God says we must do or not do).

3: Compare the two lists and discuss how the “believing” affects “applying”. What happens if you say you believe the first list while not obeying the second list? What happens if you try to obey the second list while not believing the first list?

 

APPLYING THE PRINCIPLE

The diagnostic questions below are designed to help you apply the principle of believing (truth we trust) and applying (truth we obey) to specific situations in your life.

  1. What 2 – 3 items do you find the hardest to believe on the first list?
  1. What 2 – 3 items do you find the hardest to obey on the second list?
  1. What 2 – 3 items do you find easiest to believe on the first list?
  1. What 2 – 3 items do you find easiest to obey on the second list?
  1. How do the things you struggle to believe connect to the things you struggle to obey? (Or how does your struggle with specific sin reveal your specific struggle to believe?)
  1. How do the things you find easier to believe connect to the things you find easier to obey? (Or how does your victory over specific sin connect to you growing in what you believe?)
  1. What is the number one truth from this study that you think you need to believe or trust?
  1. What is the number one truth from this study that you think you need to apply or obey?
  1. What specific action steps can your GC take to help you believe (trust) and apply (obey) the truths of this passage daily as you continue to grow?

 

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FOR GOING DEEPER

Make copies of the two lists you made during the Scripture study and highlight the areas that you struggle with believing (trusting) and applying (obeying) the gospel and then highlight the areas you see victory in (with a different color highlighter). Hang these lists somewhere prominent in your home (like on your bathroom mirror or your refrigerator) and spend 15 minutes every day thanking God for the areas of victory and asking him for help with areas of struggle. Lastly, be intentional about connecting with your mentor to discuss what you’ve learned and how you want to grow based on what you are learning. Spend time meditating on Romans 12:1 – 21this week.