Chapter 6: The Motivation of the Gospel
Some quotes from this chapter that help to sum up what it is about…
Isaiah had been totally devastated morally and spiritually, by his vision of the infinite holiness of God. Then the seraphim had announced the gospel to him: “Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” (Is 6:7)
Soon he heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah responded, “Here am I! Send me” (verse 8). His response is immediate and spontaneous. He said, “Here am I,” not “Here I am.” The latter denotes location, whereas, “Here am I” means “I am available.” He didn’t ask any questions, such as “Go where? or “Do what?” He, in effect, gave God a blank check for his life. He sai, “Here am I. Send me.” Why did he respond in this way? It is because Isaiah was so deeply impacted by the gospel that he responded in heartfelt gratitude to God for what He has done for him. p. 65
It is Isaiah’s vision of the infinite holiness of God that awakens his painful awareness of his sin, leading him to a deep appreciation of the gospel and resulting in a joyful expression of gratitude. p.70
Because we tend to define sin in terms of the flagrant ones in our society, we have little sense of our own personal guilt before an infinitely holy God. Consequently, we have little appreciation for the forgiveness of our sins and so little enthusiasm to earnestly pursue holiness or serve God sacrificially. There is no “guilt, grace, gratitude” sequence in most of our lives. p.71
…the question is whether we are growing more each year in our awareness of our remaining sinfulness and, consequently, of our desperate dependence on the shed blood and righteousness of Christ. p. 71
But the reality of the Christian life is that even as we come more and more to desire to do our duty, we still experience the combat between the flesh and the spirit….How then can we keep motivated in the face of this growing tension? The answer is through the gospel, particularly the perfect righteousness of Christ credited to us…. We must keep our eye on that glorious truth, and we must do it daily as we embrace the present reality of our justification: our righteous standing in Christ. Only then will we be motivated to keep pursuing holiness even in the face of the increased tension. p.75
Next Week: Chapter 7 – Understanding God’s Grace