In recent weeks, following Lent, I have been preparing a series of leadership workshops to be held before the “summer break” we all need.
One of the persistent questions I receive from interactions with people on both secular and spiritual levels is: “What does it mean to be a person formed by the Gospel?”
It’s a question that bears answering. First, because people ask it out of a judgment of the Church and its members; second, many of us really want to deepen our relationship with the Creator, Son, and Spirit.
Here then is a summary of some thinking around what it means to be “formed by the Gospel.”
Being formed by the Gospel is a narrative about lives that have been personally changed—transformed, actually—by the power of the Gospel message of sacrifice, death, and life. This Gospel of grace, received through faith in Jesus, is central to transformation in the Christian life because it affirms that true righteousness and relationship with God are grounded in faith in Christ’s work of redemption, not in human works. It removes any justification for judging others by rules and doctrinal regulations, leaving room only for love.
This formation by the Gospel is a lifelong process that requires much humility, for that alone is the pathway to spiritual growth. It is that humility and faith that give Jesus permission to dwell in the believer’s life. (The Word became flesh and dwelt among us—as indeed he does—but we remember he only dwells within those who would receive him: those who are being formed by the Gospel.)
So we remember that the Gospel provides the means for personal change, guiding believers to become more like Christ in their thoughts, actions, and character.
So we remember, our witness to the world is evident in what we say and do.
If you wish to spend a little more time reflecting on this, I offer these additional thoughts:
Think of three stories in relation to being formed by the Gospel:
God’s Story
The Gospel is the story of God’s work and sacrifice to dwell among us and to prove the power of love. We are invited to know and share this story, and to grow in our understanding and participation in it.
Your Story
You reflect on how your faith has been discovered and formed. In that process, you are glad to ask yourself regularly:
• Is my faith in Jesus transforming me, or am I merely a participant in a diminishing traditional Christian culture?
• Am I growing in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?
• Do my actions reflect trust in God, or am I insisting on walking in my own strength?
The Church’s Story
Listening to others’ journey stories and fellowship along the way are at the heart of the Church’s mission. Ours is a history—obscured and damaged as it is—of God walking with us and sharing our road. People formed by the Gospel stay together because love guides us through the ages.
Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
