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The End of the Gospel

A devotional by John Piper for reading on August 9th

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. ( Romans 5:9 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from the wrath `of God' through him. –11)

What do we need to be saved from? Verse 9 states it clearly: the wrath of God. But is that the highest, best, fullest, most satisfying prize of the gospel?

No. Verse 10 says “much more . . . shall we be saved by his life.” Then verse 11 takes it to the end when it says, “more than that, we also rejoice in God.”

That is the final and highest good of the good news. There is not another “more than that” after that. There is only Paul’s saying how we got there, “through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

The end of the gospel is “we rejoice in God.” The highest, fullest, deepest, sweetest good of the gospel is God himself, enjoyed by his redeemed people.

God in Christ became the price ( Romans 5:6 6 For while we were yet weak, in due season Christ died for the ungodly. –8), and God in Christ became the prize ( Romans 5:11 11 and not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. ).

The gospel is the good news that God bought for us the everlasting enjoyment of God.



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