Recovering What the Gospel Creates

Good morning Immanuel. Something greater than human niceness is energizing a truly orthodox church.

“Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7).

Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash

At Immanuel, we believe that gospel doctrine creates gospel culture. On February 24, 2023, Dr. Ray Ortlund Jr. wrote an article on Desiring God titled, Resilient Together: Recovering What the Gospel Creates, which articulates the beauty and necessity of gospel culture in the church today. Here is an excerpt:

“Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Embedded in that magnificent verse is this simple insight: gospel doctrine creates gospel culture. You can see it in the text: “Welcome one another [gospel culture] as Christ has welcomed you [gospel doctrine], for the glory of God.” That is the cheering truth and the beautiful community that can prevail over all this world.

Let’s think it through, starting with the phrase “for the glory of God.” Nothing less than the display of God’s glory in the world today is at stake here. And where can his glory be seen? The Grand Canyon, the Swiss Alps, the beaches of Hawaii, for sure. But an easier way to see his glory is to drive down to a healthy church on Sunday morning, walk in, take a look around, and notice how the people welcome one another with the welcome of Christ himself. That church is translating its doctrine into its culture, and the glory of God is so obvious you might be moved to tears.

To read the whole article on the Desiring God click here.