This post is the manuscript of a seminar that was originally written for a men’s retreat. But even though I wrote it specifically for men, it has application for all who desire to be gospel-driven. If you want to save the document in WORD format, click on the link below. Blessings!

Real Men are Gospel-Driven lecture notes

Real Men (and women) are Gospel-Driven
Dan Cruver

Introduction: The title of my session is “Real Men are Gospel-Driven.” I could have entitled it “Real Men are Gospel-Centered” just as easily. But in either case, the topic as it stands has broad application. I could talk about men being gospel-driven as husbands, as fathers, as congregants, as servants, as leaders, as employees or employers, etc., but my emphasis here is not so broad. What I’m primarily concerned with here is men being gospel-driven as students of Scripture. Why? Because it seems to me that if men are gospel-driven in this way, if men are gospel-driven in their study and application of Scripture, then they will increasingly become more gospel-driven in all these other areas of life. A husband and father who is a gospel-driven student of Scripture will find that he is becoming more gospel-driven as a husband and father. A single man who interprets and applies Scripture from a gospel-driven or gospel-centered perspective will find that he is becoming more gospel-driven in all of his relationships. So even though my primary concern here is with the study of Scripture, I’m not losing sight of the big picture.

At this point someone might say, “What does it even mean to be gospel-driven? I’m not sure I know what it means in general let alone what it means to be gospel-driven as a student of Scripture.” For now let me merely introduce an answer to that question by quoting Jerry Bridges from his article entitled “Gospel-Driven Sanctification.” Hopefully, by the time we conclude this session today you will have a fuller understanding of what it means to be gospel-driven particularly as it relates to Bible study. Regarding progressive-sanctification Bridges writes:

“We must always keep focused on the gospel because it is in the nature of sanctification that as we grow, we see more and more of our sinfulness. Instead of driving us to discouragement, though, this should drive us to the gospel. It is the gospel believed every day that is the only enduring motivation to pursue progressive sanctification even in those times when we don’t seem to see progress. That is why I use the expression ‘gospel-driven sanctification’ and that is why we need to ‘preach the gospel to ourselves every day’” (from “Gospel-Driven Sanctification” by Jerry Bridges).

What is gospel-driven sanctification? According to Jerry Bridges, it is sanctification that is motivated and empowered by the gospel. At the heart of gospel-driven sanctification is the conviction that the gospel is the very power of God for growing in Christ-likeness (cf. Romans 1:16-17). So, what is a gospel-driven man as it relates to life in general? To state it succinctly, a gospel-driven man is a man who lives and breathes the gospel. He is a man (1) who believes that the gospel is not just the power of God to give him entrance into the Christian life, but also the power of God to live the entirety of his Christian life; and (2) who lives accordingly.

What is a gospel-driven man as it relates to the study of Scripture in particular? He is a man (1) who believes that the center and ultimate reference point of Holy Scripture is the life, death, and resurrection of Christ; and (2) who interprets and applies Scripture accordingly. That being said, let’s consider the following two points as it relates to being gospel-driven men in our study of Scripture: (1) The Essential Centrality of the Gospel: A Biblical Perspective; and (2) The Functional Centrality of the Gospel: A Biblical Paradigm.

I. The Essential Centrality of the Gospel: A Biblical Perspective

I believe that both explicit biblical statements and the overarching storyline of Scripture require us to be gospel-driven in our study and application of Scripture.

A. Explicit Biblical Statements

1. Bookend One (Romans 1:1-4, 16-17)

I think the two bookends of Paul’s epistle to the Romans are very significant as we consider the essential centrality of the gospel in the study of Scripture. Consider bookend one:

Romans 1:1-4—Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, [2] which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, [3] concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh [4] and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord

At first look it appears that Paul is talking primarily about himself in verse 1. But at second look, you’ll notice that Paul is not so much talking about himself in this verse, though he is, as he is about someone else. He is talking about himself, just not primarily. Verse 1 has three parts that are on one level descriptive of Paul, but on another level they are much more than that. Part One: Paul identifies himself as a “doulos” or “slave” of Christ Jesus. This says as much if not more about Christ than it does about Paul because Paul is a slave precisely because of who Christ is, namely, the Lord. Part one identifies not just Paul as a slave but also Christ as the Lord who is to be served. Part Two: Paul states that he was “called to be an apostle.” Who called him? Christ did (Acts 22:21 – “I will ‘apostle’ you far away to the Gentiles”; Acts 26:17 – “I am ‘apostling’ you to the Gentiles”). So Paul was called by Christ to be an apostle. Part Three: Paul then adds that he was “set apart for the gospel of God.” This third part is parallel with “called to be an apostle.” When Christ called Paul to be an apostle, he also set him apart for the gospel, which, as the text indicates, finds its origin in God himself (“the gospel of God”). I think it is important to recognize that Romans 1:1 is not so much centered on Paul as it is centered on Christ. Christ is the Lord who both called Paul to be an apostle and set him apart for God’s gospel.

As it relates to the primary subject matter of Paul’s epistle to the Romans, the first word of verse 2, the relative pronoun which, is of critical importance. Its antecedent is the word gospel found at the end of verse 1. So, what Paul does here is introduce this epistle by talking about the gospel to which he was set apart by Christ. There is a huge stress in these first few verses upon Christ and the gospel of God. Notice that God’s gospel concerns, or regards, His Son (verse 3, “the gospel of God…concerning His Son”). In his Lectures on Romans, Martin Luther makes a fascinating comment regarding Paul’s phrase “concerning His Son.” Luther comments, “Here the door is thrown open wide for understanding the Holy Scriptures, that is, that everything must be understood in relation to Christ” (Luther’s Works, Volume 25, Lectures on Romans, p. 4). Now, how could Luther claim that everything in Scripture must be understood in relation to Christ? Because of what immediately precedes the phrase “concerning His Son.” Paul’s first statement about God’s gospel is that God “promised [it] beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures” (verse 2). When Paul says “prophets” he is not merely referring to those who held the official office of prophet (i.e. Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.), but to all those who wrote the books of the Old Testament (see John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans, p. 4). Paul, therefore, is stating that the entirety of the Old Testament contains the gospel concerning God’s Son in the form of promise. This accounts for why Paul spends a considerable amount of space in the book of Romans quoting the Old Testament in his exposition of the gospel. To Paul the gospel in the Old Testament is in the form of promise, and the gospel in the New Testament is in the form of fulfillment. This is how Martin Luther could claim that everything in Scripture must be understood in relation to the person and work of Christ.

Now with verses 1-4 in mind, consider the significance of Romans 1:16-17.

Romans 1:16-17—For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. [17] For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

In verse 16, Paul is telling us why it is that he is not ashamed of God’s gospel; namely, because God’s gospel is His power for salvation to everyone who believes (“I am not ashamed of the gospel, [because] it is the power of God for salvation”). There are several things of note here. First, because of what Paul has already written in verses 1-4, we should conclude that the gospel that is the very power of God unto salvation is not just that which is found in the New Testament. No, it is also that which is found in the Old Testament in the form of promise. As John Murray notes, “The gospel was efficacious for those [i.e. OT saints] who received it in the form of promise” (Ibid.). In other words, the gospel was the power of God unto salvation for those who received it in the form of promise. So the gospel as promised beforehand through God’s prophets in the Holy Scriptures is able to save (cf. 2 Timothy 3:15).

Second, the larger context of Romans requires us to understand the term “salvation” in Romans 1:16 as referring to more than just our deliverance from the present wrath of God. It includes in large measure the concept of deliverance from wrath particularly as we see the term “salvation” in its logical connection with verse 18 (“For the wrath of God is revealed…”), but not just that concept. It also has reference to deliverance from the future wrath of God (note the future tense of Romans 5:9), from the power of sin (Romans 6-8:17—this is “salvation” as it is experienced in what theologians call progressive sanctification), and ultimately from the presence of sin (i.e. glorification, Romans 8:18-30). So when we consider the larger context of Romans, we learn that the gospel, as it is promised in the Old Testament and proclaimed as fulfilled in the New Testament, is the power of God not only to bring us into right relationship with God, but also to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-30). In other words, it is the power of God for progressive sanctification.

How are these thoughts from Romans 1:16-17 relevant to our discussion concerning gospel-driven Bible study? Because it is the gospel, which is promised in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament, that is the power of God unto the full package of salvation. This has huge implications with reference to the study and application of Scripture (particularly with reference to our study and application of the Old Testament). With Romans 1:1-4 and 1:16-17 in mind, consider what Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:15-17.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 [Paul exhorts Timothy to remember] …how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. [16] All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [17] that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Notice, first, that Paul says that the Old Testament Scriptures (i.e. sacred writings) are able to make us wise for salvation “through faith in Christ Jesus” (verse 15). If you synthesize our Romans 1 verses with 2 Timothy 3:15-17, what I think we learn is that the Old Testament is able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ, precisely because in it God gave the gospel in promise form. This seems to account for the reason Paul says that the sacred writings are able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. When it comes to the work of God in salvation, Paul puts the gospel at the very center of the Old Testament.

Observe, second, that immediately after making this bold statement about the Old Testament in 2 Timothy 3:15, Paul says that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable…that [i.e. in order that] the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” I would argue that given the fact that (1) in Romans 1:16 Paul says that it is the gospel that is the power of God unto becoming progressively like Christ, and that (2) in 2 Timothy 3:15 Paul says that the Old Testament is able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ, “all Scripture” equips us for every good work not apart from faith in Christ but through faith in Christ. At the very center of all Scripture (with reference to its saving and sanctifying power) is God’s gospel concerning His Son. It is through God’s gospel as it is promised in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament that we are delivered from the condemnation, power, and, ultimately, presence of sin.

2. Bookend Two (Romans 16:25-27)

Romans 16:25-27—Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages [26] but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— [27] to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

In his doxology, Paul states that God is able to establish believers because of (I take “according to” to mean because of—Arndt & Gingrich, Kata, II.5.a.d., page 408) the gospel that he preaches and because of “the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed.” Before we go any further, it’s important to identify what this mystery is that has been revealed. I believe the mystery is that God would save both Jews and Gentiles through faith in His incarnate Son. So, God is able to establish believers because of this mystery that has now been revealed.

Question: How is it that this mystery that was “kept secret for long ages” has now been made known through the prophetic writings? How has this previously kept secret mystery now been made known through the Old Testament Scriptures? In other words, how can God be making this mystery known now through the Old Testament when the Old Testament was around centuries before the New Testament? Answer: Paul is using the word now in eschatological terms, that is, in terms of what God has done in time to accomplish redemption. The now of Romans 16:26 refers specifically to the time of Christ in his incarnation and exaltation (this is the stress in Romans 1:3-4). Paul is telling us in Romans 16:25-26 that it is through the life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ that the meaning and significance of the Old Testament becomes clear.

So what do both of these bookends tell us about the central message of Scripture? The essential message of all of Scripture is the gospel message. Do you remember what I said it means to be a gospel-driven man as it relates to the study of Scripture? To be a gospel-driven student of Scripture is to be a man (1) who believes that the center and ultimate reference point of Holy Scripture is the life, death, and resurrection of Christ; and (2) who interprets and applies Scripture accordingly.

B. Overarching Biblical Storyline (Luke 24)

Luke 24—[13] That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, [14] and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. [15] While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. [16] But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. [17] And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad… [21] “We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened”… [25] And [Jesus] said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” [27] And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself”… [30] When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. [31] And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. [32] They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”… [44] Then [Jesus] said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” [45] Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, [46] and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead…

Setting the Context: Jesus had risen from the dead earlier in the day. So the experience of the disciples here in Luke 24 takes place on the day of Christ’s resurrection. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women had gone to the empty tomb at early dawn. Two angels asked them why they were seeking the living among the dead (verse 5). They then announced his resurrection to them calling them to remember that Jesus himself had told them that he would be “delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise” (verses 6-7). Returning from the tomb they told the eleven disciples and others what they had seen and learned (verses 8-10). But Luke says that when the disciples heard the news, it “seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them” (verse 11). So at this point on the day of Christ’s resurrection, the disciples are languishing in unbelief and dashed hopes.

It’s within this context that verses 13-14 say, “That very day two of them [who had heard the news from the women] were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, [14] and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.” Luke makes it very clear that we are still reading about events that took place on Resurrection Sunday. They’ve heard the news about Christ’s resurrection; yet, we learn in verse 21 that they still believed that Jesus had failed in his mission to redeem Israel. At this time, the disciples harbored a very low view of Christ in their hearts.

Now, if this is all we knew about the story and we were asked to imagine how Christ might restore the disciples to faith, hope, and joy, we would probably be tempted to say that he restored them by appearing to them. We might guess that all Christ did to lift himself up in their hearts was show them his physical self. After all, seeing is believing, right? But we would be very wrong.

For me, the key verse for understanding the significance of Luke 24, as it relates to the study of Scripture, is verse 16. While these two disciples were discussing the events of the past few days, Jesus himself came to them. It’s at this point that Luke says that “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” Luke will not allow us to think that Jesus appeared to them in some disguised form. In verse 15, he says that “Jesus himself” appeared to them. Later on in verse 31 we are told that “their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” Luke is careful to state that Jesus appeared to them as his recognizable self. The reason they did not recognize him was not due to some change in his physical appearance. Rather, it’s because they were kept from recognizing him (verse 16).

Question: Why were these disciples kept (by God) from recognizing Jesus? After all, their dashed hope was due to the fact that Jesus had died. Why didn’t Jesus just say, “Men, why have you lost hope? Look at me. I have been raised from the dead! I’m alive!” Why didn’t Jesus restore their confidence that he was the Redeemer by letting them recognize him? Why was it that “their eyes were kept from recognizing him”? Or how did they come to recognize Jesus? The answer is found in verses 25-30. In verses 25-26, Jesus says to these two disciples, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. [26] Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And then Luke adds, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” It’s not until after Jesus interprets the Old Testament for them and breaks bread with them (verse 30) that “their eyes were opened, and they recognized him” (verse 31).

The eyes of these two disciples were to be opened, not through physical sight, but through the proper understanding of the Old Testament. It’s interesting that verse 31 says that the eyes of these two disciples were opened to recognize him, but when Jesus does the same thing with the eleven later that same day, Luke says, “Then [Jesus] opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (verse 45). So, there is a definite link between recognizing Jesus with the eyes and understanding the Scriptures. The stress is upon the mind being opened to understand the Old Testament Scriptures. Restored faith came to the disciples not through seeing him with the eyes but through understanding and believing the Old Testament Scriptures’ testimony concerning Christ.

It seems clear to me that Luke 24 teaches that the overarching storyline of the Old Testament is the person and work of Christ. What convinces me that this is indeed the case is found in verses 44-46. Jesus says to the eleven disciples, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Luke then adds, “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead” (verses 44-46). So Jesus refers to the entirety of the Old Testament in the words “the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms.” And then he says, “Thus it is written.” Let me quote Daniel Doriani’s comments regarding the significance of the statement “Thus it is written.”

In Luke 24:46, Jesus uses the expression “it is written,” which ordinarily introduces an Old Testament quotation. But no quotation follows, indicating that Jesus was thinking of the Old Testament in its entirety. When Jesus says that “Moses and all the Prophets” (24:27) or “the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (24:44) testify to his suffering and glory, he is making the same point, for the Jews used both phrases to refer to their complete Bible. He is announcing, therefore, that the subject of the Old Testament as a whole is his suffering and glory for the forgiveness of sins” (Getting the Message: A Plan for Interpreting and Applying the Bible, p. 175).

In opening the disciples’ minds to understand the Scriptures, Jesus told them that the central message of the entire Old Testament is the gospel! In other words, Jesus told the disciples that God’s gospel is the overarching storyline of Scripture. What Jesus himself teaches us is that it is only through him in his redemptive work that we can ultimately interpret and understand the Scriptures correctly. Graeme Goldsworthy also comes to this same conclusion.

Whatever transpired in the hermeneutical lecture that Jesus gave when he “interpreted to them the things about himself in the Scriptures” (Luke 24:27), it must have formed the basis for the later apostolic ministry. As Jesus speaks to the larger group of disciples and opens their minds to understand the Scriptures, it would appear that Luke intends us to understand the centrality of his suffering and resurrection for hermeneutics (Luke 24:45-47). This point cannot be emphasized enough for it signifies that the meaning of all the Scriptures is unlocked by the death and resurrection of Jesus (Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture, p. 54).

We have seen the essential centrality of the gospel from explicit biblical statements and from Jesus use of the Old Testament with his disciples on the day of his resurrection. What I wish to do now is give you an example of how this biblical perspective should direct our interpretation and application of a book such as Colossians.

II. The Functional Centrality of the Gospel: A Biblical Paradigm (Colossians)

A. The Functional Basis

Let’s begin by observing Paul’s emphasis on the centrality of the gospel in his epistle to the Colossians. Notice, particularly, the words in bold. First, in Colossians 1:3-6, we learn of the central place the gospel had in the church at Colossae.

Colossians 1:3-6—We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, [4] since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, [5] because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, [6] which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth

Paul says that the gospel had come to them bearing fruit and growing. It was working in their midst since the day they “heard it and understood the grace of God in truth” (verse 6). Tim Keller makes the following comments on these verses in Colossians:

Here we learn: 1) That the gospel is a living thing (cf. Romans 1:16) which is like a seed or a tree that brings more and more new life—bearing fruit and growing. 2) That the gospel is only “planted” in us so as to bear fruit as we understand its greatness and implications deeply—understood God’s grace in all its truth. 3) That the gospel continues to grow in us and renew us throughout our lives–as it has been doing since the day you heard it. This text helps us avoid either an exclusively rationalistic or mystical approach to renewal. On the one hand, the gospel has a content—it is profound doctrine. It is truth, and specifically, it is the truth about God’s grace. But on the other hand, this truth is a living power that continually expands its influence in our lives, just as a crop or a tree would grow and spread and dominate more and more of an area with roots and fruit (article: The Centrality of the Gospel, p. 1).

So the gospel was at the very center of the church of Colossae. It was bearing fruit and growing among them. The Colossians did not see the gospel as that which only gave them entrance into the Christian life, as that which only brought them into relationship with God, but also as that which God used to grow them in grace, as that which grew them in their relationship with God. Second, consider Paul’s exhortation to the Colossians at the end of chapter one.

Colossians 1:21-23—And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, [22] he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, [23] if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard…

If you remember the occasion for Paul’s letter to the Colossians, evidently there were false teachers who “thought that Christ was no more than a beginning; to go on to spiritual maturity, it was necessary to follow their rules and practices” (Carson, Moo, and Morris, An Introduction to the New Testament, p. 335). What was at stake in Colossae was the church’s steadfastness in the gospel. So what does Paul do? He exhorts them to continue in the faith, that is, to remain steadfast in the apostolic gospel. The Colossians were to keep the gospel central in its corporate existence. Third, consider Colossians 2:6-7.

Colossians 2:6-7—Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, [7] rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

There are a couple things to consider here. First, when Paul says that the Colossians “received” Christ, he is not referring to the acceptance of him into their lives. “Receive” is a technical term referring to the practice of transmitting a body of teaching from one person to the next. It’s not talking about “receiving/accepting Jesus into our hearts.” Whatever the Colossians received, they received it in the form of doctrinal content. Question: What did they receive? Paul says that they received “Christ Jesus the Lord.” In this phrase (“Christ Jesus the Lord”) we find the content of the gospel in seed form. In essence, what Paul is saying is that they received the truth about the Messiah (i.e. “Christ”) who is none other than the crucified and risen Jesus (i.e. “Jesus”) and is now the exalted Lord (i.e. “the Lord”). In other words, when the Colossians “received Christ Jesus the Lord,” they heard and understood the gospel message (Colossians 1:6). Second, the term “understand” refers not merely to intellectual apprehension but to a transforming apprehension. So, just as they received the saving truth concerning Jesus, through faith, so also are they are to walk in him. Paul exhorts the Colossians to keep the truth concerning Jesus, that is, the gospel, central in their thinking and living.

It is very clear that Paul is calling the Colossian church to keep the main thing, namely, the gospel, the main thing. This is why I believe he begins to articulate and apply the gospel in 2:8-21. Consider verses 13-14.

Colossians 2:13-14—And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, [14] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Paul says that God made the Colossians alive together with Christ, having forgiven them all their trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against them with its legal demands. Where did God do this? At the cross. Paul says, “This he [God] set aside, nailing it to the cross.” What we read here of the gospel in Colossians 2:13-14 is described very eloquently by John Stott in his book entitled The Cross of Christ.

The Biblical gospel of atonement is the good news of God satisfying Himself by substituting Himself for us. The concept of substitution may be said then, to lie at the heart of both sin and salvation…For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God; while the essence of salvation is God substituting Himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives which belong to God alone; God accepts penalties which belong to man alone (John Stott, The Cross of Christ, p. 160).

This is what happened when God canceled the record of debt that stood against us by nailing it to the cross. Paul is essentially saying that legally Christ became the record of debt that stood against us and in his death destroyed it (per James D.G. Dunn, The Epistle to the Colossians and to Philemon, p. 166). It is within this gospel-rich context that Paul says that the Colossians were buried and raised with Christ (verse 12). Now in Colossians 3:1-2, Paul brings out some of the ethical implications that flow out of the truth of the gospel.

Colossians 3:1-2—If [“since”] then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Paul’s argument, in part, is essentially this: since it is true that, through the gospel, you have been raised with Christ, set your minds on that which you have been given in the gospel, namely, the full favor and acceptance of God. We must be careful to see the resurrection of Christ and his ascension to the Father’s right hand together. Though his ascension did not immediately follow his resurrection, his ascension to the Father’s right hand was the inevitable consequence of his resurrection. When preaching the gospel at Pentecost, Peter brings the resurrection and ascension of Christ together by quoting from Psalm 16:8-11 and Psalm 110:1. In both cases, Peter connects the resurrection of Christ with his ascension to the Father’s right hand. In Psalm 16, Christ’s ascension is spoken of in terms of his entrance into the joy and pleasures of his Father. His ascension to the Father’s right hand was, in part, the proof that he possessed the Father’s full favor and acceptance. So, when Paul tells the Colossians that since they too have been raised with Christ and are therefore to seek the things that are above, where Christ is (and by extension where the Colossians are too), seated at the right hand of God, he is telling them that they too have received the Father’s full favor and acceptance. Paul is, in no uncertain terms, exhorting the Colossians to find their identity in the identity of Christ. In other words, Paul is calling the Colossians to find the totality of their identity in who Jesus is for them-in his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to the Father’s right hand.

What I want you to see here is that Paul intensely desires that the gospel be the functional center of their lives. It is to be what they live and breathe at all times! The gospel is to be that which determines their sense of identity and establishes their perspective on all of life as it is lived in the here and now. With this in mind, consider Colossians 3:16, and then I’ll discuss the relevance of this to gospel-driven interpretation.

Colossians 3:16—Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

The phrase “the word of Christ” is just another way of referring to the gospel. The word that is to dwell richly in the congregation at Colossae is the word about Christ. Paul is exhorting the Colossians to let the message of what God has done in and through Christ fill every aspect of their lives. This is what it means for the word of Christ to dwell richly. Paul goes on to say that not only must the gospel dwell richly in their teaching, admonishing, and singing, but also in everything that they do, in word or deed (verse 17). It is not until after this point in his epistle that Paul begins to make concrete applications to specific areas of life. In other words, it is not until after Paul has established the functional centrality of the gospel in all of life that he gives commands to wives, husbands, children, fathers, slaves, and masters. Therefore, as interpreters of Scripture, we must be very careful not to separate these commands from the gospel message as it is articulated in Colossians.

B. The Functional Connection

1. Marriage Implications

Colossians 3:18-19—[In light of the gospel and your identity in Christ…] Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. [19] Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.

Remember: A church where the gospel dwells richly is a church where believers are actively finding their identity in who Jesus is for them in his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to the Father’s right hand.

What is the functional gospel-connection to this command for wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives? When wives are finding their identity in the gospel, submitting to their husbands is no burden (cf. 1 John 5:3). I would like to suggest (given the overall context of Colossians) that the failure of a wife to submit is due to her attempt to protect or create an identity of her own making. After all, is not creating their own identity what the false teachers were instructing the Colossians to do? Likewise, when husbands are finding their identity in the gospel, loving their wives and not being harsh with them will not be a burden.

What I think we should learn here is that we must not functionally disconnect the indicatives of the gospel, that is, the declarative statements concerning the truth of the gospel, from the imperatives that flow out of the gospel. It is only in remembering and rehearsing the gospel that wives are empowered to submit to their husbands and husbands are empowered to love their wives. Graeme Goldsworthy does an excellent job explaining the necessity of not losing sight of the gospel when considering the imperatives of Christian living. He begins by asking:

What is the relationship of this text to the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth? Let me be a little more specific. Preachers with a concern for expository preaching are predisposed to developing a preaching program in which a series of expositions from one particular book is given. In my experience the preaching of a series of sermons, say, from an epistle, easily leads the preacher to fragmentation because, while the epistle was written as a single letter to be read at one time, it is often divided up so that it is dealt with in Sunday sermons over a period of several weeks. There is nothing wrong with that as such, provided we recognize the changed dynamics. Thus, Paul may expound the gospel in the first part of the letter, and then go on to spell out some ethical and pastoral implications. When the preacher finally gets to deal with the latter, it is possibly a couple of weeks or more since the gospel exposition has happened, and the connection between the gospel and behavior, very closely related in the epistle, can be lost. The result is that the exhortations and commands are no longer seen to arise out of the good news of God’s grace in the gospel but as simple imperatives of Christian behavior…The relationship between what is and what ought to be, that is, the relationship between the finished work of Christ and the task of the believers, is often well flagged in the text” (Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture, XIII-XIV).

A gospel-driven student of Scripture is a man (1) who believes that the center and ultimate reference point of Holy Scripture is the life, death, and resurrection of Christ; and (2) who interprets and applies Scripture accordingly.

2. Family Implications

Colossians 3:20-21—Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. [21] Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

When children are finding their identity in the gospel, obeying their parents in everything will not be a chore. When our children are finding their identity in who Jesus is for them in his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to the Father’s right hand, they won’t obey their parents in order to derive their sense of identity from parental approval or acceptance. They also will not disobey their parents in an effort to establish an identity of independence (e.g. prodigal son and elder brother). So parents and churches would do well to show children the connection between the command to obey and the gospel of what God has accomplished for them in Christ.

Likewise, when fathers are finding their identity in the gospel, they won’t constantly nag or belittle their children. Why not? Because they realize that their identity is not found in a well-ordered, well-behaved household. Fathers who are finding their identity in Jesus will not be finding their identity in children who through their good behavior reflect well upon them as fathers. Rather, they will demonstrate unconditional love and acceptance and disciplining their children within a gospel-rich context.

3. Social Implications

Colossians 3:22-4:1—Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord… [4:1] Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

When slaves are finding their identity in the gospel, they will obey their masters in everything because they are not allowing their social classification to define who they are. Likewise, masters who are finding their identity in Christ will treat their slaves justly and with dignity because their identity is not defined by the possession of power.

I close with what I said with reference to this session in the introduction: “I could talk about men being gospel-driven as husbands, as fathers, as congregants, as servants, as leaders, as employees or employers, etc., but my emphasis here is not so broad. What I’m primarily concerned with here is men being gospel-driven as students of Scripture. Why? Because it seems to me that if men are gospel-driven in this way, if men are gospel-driven in their study and application of Scripture, then they will increasingly become more gospel-driven in all these other areas of life. A husband and father who is a gospel-driven student of Scripture will find that he is becoming more gospel-driven as a husband and father. A single man who interprets and applies Scripture from a gospel-driven or gospel-centered perspective will find that he is becoming more gospel-driven in all of his relationships.” May we all strive to be gospel-driven students of Scripture so that we might live gospel-driven lives.