Look Away from Yourself to Christ
Dr. Stephen Yuille has been married to Alison for thirty-three years. They have two daughters and one grandson. Dr. Yuille is a Content Director/Editor at Reformation Heritage Books, while also serving as a Professor of Church History and Spiritual Formation at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He has over thirty years of ministry experience and is currently the preaching pastor at Fairview Covenant Church in Granbury, Texas. He has published an extensive list of academic articles and books in Puritan studies. He has also published several popular works in biblical studies.
The following article is adapted from Week 1 of Gospel Realities: Lessons from Galatians, “Christ Alone.”
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Are you convinced of the sole sufficiency of Christ? Give careful attention to the following three questions:
Are you convinced that Christ offered Himself upon the cross to make atonement for sin?“[Christ] was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). He paid the penalty for our sin on the cross, and God testified to His acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice by raising Him from the dead. Christ’s work, therefore, is enough to atone for our sin, to secure God’s forgiveness, and to reconcile us to God. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18, NKJV).
Are you convinced that God offers Christ to sinners for their salvation? We do not need to fulfill any conditions. We do not need to get our act together. We do not need to meet a certain standard of behavior. We do not need to be sorry enough, ashamed enough, good enough, or holy enough. We simply need to receive God’s offer. A spirit of legalism lurks in each of us. Deep down, we are convinced that there is something we must do that will make the difference between heaven and hell. Yet, Paul makes it clear that “those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8). Our only hope is to look away from ourselves to Christ, who has done all. The gospel is not a work for us to perform but a message for us to receive.
Are you convinced you receive God’s gift (Christ) through faith? When we realize we are physically sick, we look for a doctor. Similarly, when we realize we are spiritually sick, we look for a savior. This means that Christ is sweet when sin is bitter. When we see our sinfulness before a holy God, we extend the hand of our soul to receive Christ as ours. Having become one with Him, we take possession of all the benefits and blessings in Him. To be united to Christ is justification, adoption, reconciliation, and sanctification. To be united to Christ is salvation.
There is no other gospel!