I had an alarming experience last Sunday. I was standing in CrossWay's lobby during the time of corporate singing at youth group, and these were the words we were endorsing together: "Your blood has washed away my sin/Jesus, thank you/The Father's wrath completely satisfied/Jesus, thank you" (you know if it has the word "wrath," it must be a Sovereign Grace song). As I sang, I found myself wondering, is this really true? The Father's wrath completely satisfied? I began to scan my memory for Scripture passages that would undergird the precious truth that Jesus, on the cross, took all of God's anger against my sin...and I came up empty-handed. I had nothing.
After a few minutes the juices started flowing again, but I knew that I needed to do something to get the truth of the gospel back in the front of my mind. This week I started using John Piper's The Passion of Jesus Christ in my devotions. It has fifty short meditations on what the Bible teaches about what Jesus accomplished on the cross (it has since been retitled Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came To Die).
When you feel the need (I assume I'm not the only one!) to firm up your grasp on the truth of the gospel, what helps you?
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Actually, Brett, this very book has been what I've used for weeks at a time when I wanted to draw closer to the heart of the gospel on a daily basis. Very helpful. Our forgetfulness is amazing, really. I have read this book's short devotions many times but could not now relate 25 of the reasons off the top of my head.
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