The blessings of salvation are far beyond our ability to comprehend. Because of God’s sovereign grace we have been chosen to be recipients of His glorious, immeasurable love. In fact Paul describes it as “standing in grace” (Rom 5:2). What a place to live. Jesus told His disciples that “the Father has chosen gladly to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32). This is an amazing relationship, this is an amazing Father. Our Father, the True and Living God, takes great pleasure in blessing His children. This is far beyond our wildest dreams. In fact this is a condition that no one has ever imagined apart from the revelation that the Father gives to His children. It was necessary for the Holy Spirit to supernaturally drench our hearts with the realization of God’s love for us. We would never dream such glory apart from the Holy Spirit’s invasion of our hearts with the awareness of the Father’s love for us (Rom. 5:5). It is God’s intention that we live out of the happy awareness of God’s profound love for us that was perfectly demonstrated in the life and work of the Son whom He sent to rescue us from our sins and make us members of His eternal family. The awareness of this blessed condition should continually fill our hearts with joy and peace.

Why then do we struggle so? Why are we not continually experiencing the joy that Peter describes in 1 Peter 1:8, 9? It is because too often our affections are being drawn away and directed by some lesser “god.” The result is always something other than and far less than “joy unspeakable and full of glory” and the result could not be described as “obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:9).

But how can the believer “keep [himself] in the love of God” (Jude 21) so that this “unspeakable” joy would indeed characterize his life and control his heart? The gospel that first captured his heart must continue to control it throughout all of life. This means that the gospel message must continue to captivate and direct the heart into this joy. There must an expanding and maturing of gospel faith in the experiences of daily life. The New Testament Epistles provide a rich variety of real life applications of the gospel. Jesus promised the apostles that He would send the Spirit to empower them to remember all that he had taught them, lead them into all the truth and show them things to come. In other words Jesus promised them the New Testament which they would be instrumental in creating. Why is this so important? A completed revelation was absolutely necessary for those who received the gospel to be able to walk in it and be empowered by it in all of life. Applying the gospel to all of life is an absolute necessity in order to live in the “joy unspeakable and full of glory” that believing the gospel produces. This is how the gospel creates, empowers and directs the affections of the heart. This is the transforming, sanctifying power of the gospel in our lives as we are on mission with the gospel in the world. Character development must not be viewed as the end or ultimate goal of transformation. As Paul points out in Romans 5:1-5, approved character is moving us toward a greater capacity to exercise faith (hope is the earnest expectation [Philippians 1:20] which faith in the promises of God produces in our hearts). This growing capacity to believe God, even in regards to future things is at the heart of what it means to be a “believer.” In a real sense, the goal or end of spiritual formation is faith. Faith is manifested in love, hope and joy. Paul told the Galatians, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” (Gal 5:6 NAS95)

A word of caution is necessary. The flesh is energized by plans to live the perfect life of faith that will make you acceptable to God. Rather than relying on the righteousness of Christ alone as the one and only basis of your acceptance with God and the indwelling Christ as the only power that can produce true righteousness, the flesh draws you to self-justification and redoubled self-effort rather than reliance upon the righteousness of Christ alone. Don’t be deceived. Your forgiveness and acceptance with God will never be based upon your performance. Even when you fail miserably the way to restored joy in God does not lie in your self-effort. God not only forgives you but receives you and delights in you. Satan wants you to believe his lie. He hisses to your concience: “Oh God can forgive you. But He cannot help but have contempt for you because of your failure to live up to His expectation.” That seems to resonate with us because after all that is what you and I do to those who fail us. We may forgive but we cannot help but have contempt for them for the failure to meet up to our expectations. Satan wants you to believe that God exists in your image. Keep casting this lie from your heart by rehearsing and believing the gospel.