On this Easter Sunday, I am reminded of the words of Tullian Tchividjian in Jesus + Nothing = Everything as he describes the gospel…
- Rediscovering the gospel enabled me to see that:
Because Jesus was strong for me, I was free to be weak;
Because Jesus won for me, I was free to lose;
Because Jesus was someone, I was free to be no one;
Because Jesus was extraordinary, I was free to be ordinary;
Because Jesus succeeded for me, I was free to fail.
- The everything we crave is so vast, so comprehensive, so deep, so high, that it extends even this far—to God himself.
- Whatever deficiency lies at the deepest root of our restlessness—no matter how big or small, whether it’s life-gripping or comparatively trivial—the missing component is something very specific that Christ has already secured for restless sinners like you and me.
- Reigning eternally, Jesus alone possesses the eternal resources we need to satisfy our eternal yearnings. That’s why looking to anything or anyone smaller than Jesus to save us is an exercise in futility.
- The gospel frees us from this pressure to perform, this slavish demand to “become.” The gospel liberatingly declares that in Christ “we already are.”
- The Spirit’s continuing subjective work in me consists of his constant, daily driving me back to Christ’s completed objective work for me.
God demonstrates His own love towards us in this, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
[Romans 5:8]