The Gator Wrestler

I am in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!
(The Apostle Paul, Galatians 4:19)

If you asked me to give you one verse that sums up the job of a pastor, this might be it. A pastor longs to see Christ formed in the people he shepherds. That anguish is so intense sometimes that Paul compares it with the labor of childbirth. Pastors labor, sweat, push, grunt, and scream to see Gospel formation in the lives of God’s people.

As I currently preach through Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches, this verse rings in my head. I get it. Paul’s “anguish” is my anguish. I desperately want people to not just know the content of the Gospel or to know about Jesus, but to see it form and shape their lives.

What is the Gospel? Paul writes a different church in Corinth and puts it this way: “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day…” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Jesus put himself in our place. He lived a sinless life of obedience to God the Father and through His death took God’s wrath toward sin upon himself and gave us His righteousness. He then rose again, defeating our enemy, the grave, and will return as King. By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone we are reconciled to God.

The Galatian churches thought that was all well and good, but that it could be added to. Sprinkle some dietary restrictions, require circumcision, and a make a few other laws mandatory and then you’ve really got a nice religion.

“No!!!” Paul screams throughout his letter. It’s all about the Gospel, which frees us from enslavement to the law. Understanding the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection changes everything. Our religious practices won’t save us. Only the Gospel makes us right with God. Why add to the Gospel?!

And yet we do. Over and over and over again. We add politics, morality, spiritual experiences, stylistic preferences, certain authors, social justice issues, and all sorts of other practices and doctrines to the Gospel. The Gospel impacts our behavior. It informs our voting. It compels our involvement in acts of compassion, but it is the Gospel of Christ crucified and risen that stands central and supreme.

And Paul’s anguished longing is to see it forming and shaping the people he loves. I see this in my life and in the life of the people I pastor. We put our income, our possessions, our status, our lawn, our minivan features, the size of our televisions, the athletic or academic performance of our children, the amount of our bench press, and all sorts of stuff in the central and supreme position. The Bible calls this idolatry, making ultimate things out of good things. Enjoy the gifts God gives, but always make Christ supreme in your life.

Jesus died and rose again to bring us to God. We need nothing else. As this truth sinks into the fabric of our lives it forms and shapes everything. We can suffer well, knowing that Christ is triumphant. We can face hardship, knowing Jesus went through great hardship on our behalf. We can enjoy life freely, because we don’t have to perform. Christ’s “performance” on the cross is to our credit.

My job is to see Christ formed in my life, in the life of my wife and children, and in the life of the people I’m privileged to pastor. There is great joy when a child is born after much labor (I’ve got four kids and can personally attest to this). There is great joy in a pastor’s life when the Gospel is formed in the lives of the people he loves.

I’m praying and anguishing for more Gospel formation in the life of Living Hope Church.