Teaching the Broader Gospel: Redemption

Editor’s Intro: This is the second installment in a month-long series about Teaching the Broader Gospel and will trace the gospel-thread from Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Glorification. If you’re not familiar with YPT’s emphasis on the “Narrow and Broad Gospel” please read the linked article.

As we continue to build out the story of the “broader gospel,” we must understand that the heart of the gospel is redemption: how God is working to restore His creation to its intended purposes through the Person and work of Christ. As leaders and teachers, we must be careful to present a complete picture of God’s redemptive work so that students see the greatness of salvation on display through Christ and desire it for themselves. 

But before I discuss ways of doing this well, let me ask a question. When you think of the gospel, do you think about it in the past, present or future tense? As I have asked that question to others, I am always struck by how quickly many offer only the past tense as their answer, how “Christ saved them.” I believe this exposes one of the most common ways people inadvertently hold to a stunted view of redemption, and as a result, the gospel itself. Because we often place such a high emphasis on the personal nature of salvation, many believers view the gospel as just something that happened in the past, at their point of conversion. 

I have often followed up this question by asking students to identify the tense Paul uses to describe redemption in Titus 2:11-14, where Paul succinctly unpacks the full nature of salvation, speaking of it in terms of past, present, and future:

Past: “For the grace of God has appeared…”

Present: “…training us…”

Future: “…waiting for our blessed hope…”

If we are to teach students about the broader gospel in redemption, we will make sure to highlight the reality of all three tenses of salvation. When it comes to what God has done for us, it is important to remember that God has saved us, He is saving us, and He will save us. All three aspects are foundational to helping our students understand the heart of redemption. 

The Past Tense: Justification

It is important for those who are in Christ to look back upon the time of their conversion. The reality is that now, in Christ, Christians have right standing before God; they have been justified by Christ and clothed in His righteousness. As Paul writes,  “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1).

But the story of redemption goes back further than that, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people” (Tit. 2:11). How has the grace of God appeared? Through the person and work of Jesus. His life, death, and resurrection are the means of salvation. This has already been accomplished and fulfilled.

But God’s saving work goes back even further! Paul revealed in Ephesians 1 that redemption is “according to [God’s] purpose, which he set forth in Christ” (Eph 1:9). Redemption is not a “plan B”, devised by God in response to the fall; it was the eternal “plan A” of God to redeem sinners by the blood of His Son.

The Present Tense: Sanctification

In the next verse in Ephesians 1, Paul speaks of the gospel as “a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in [Christ]…” (v. 10). This places redemption in terms of God bringing all things back into alignment with His created purposes.

This begins with us, His redeemed people! Paul prayed for this in his letter to the Colossian church when he wrote that he had been praying that they, “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him” (1:9-10a). This is a picture of spiritual maturity, growth that can be marked by living in increasing alignment with God’s will.

Only when we can fix our eyes on a stable point of reference can we measure whether we are moving in a right direction. The same is true in our Christian walk. Our students need to see that this new life isn’t just about moral adjustments to our lives, but moving toward God’s objective to unite all things in Christ. What a glorious thing for students to consider and begin to unpack as they prepare for a life of faith! Listen to how Paul lays this out in 2 Corinthians 5,

“All this is from God, who though Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us” (v. 17-20a).

The more we understand God’s work in redemption, the more we will understand our place in that great work. Think about it this way: those who have been rescued by the Son of God have also been set apart for the mission of God!

The Future Tense: Glorification

We also should ask whether or not we are stunting our students’ understanding of the gospel by only applying it to individual salvation. God’s work of redemption through Jesus extends to all of His creation. One of the most glorious expressions of this is found in Colossians 1:15-20:

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (v. 19-20).

Whereas the whole of creation “was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it” (v. 20) through sin, we know now that “the whole of creation has been groaning together” (v. 22) and “waits with eager longing” (v. 19) for what God will bring about through the completion of His plan. Although what we experience in this broken world is not the way things ought to be, a broader gospel perspective casts our vision toward the eventual restoration of God’s good creative intentions.

This cosmic understanding of redemption is key to helping students grasp God’s plan for all of creation, how we can begin to make sense of the individual situations we experience or the circumstances we witness in the world.

Gospel Applications from Redemption

Here are three aspects of redemption that I think leaders ought to routinely emphasize for students as they teach the broader gospel of redemption:

United with Christ 

It is important for all believers to understand their identity in Christ, maturing in Christ, and walking in Christ. Hold up this reality often so that students understand what it means for them as redeemed people: that they are united with Christ, meaning they have peace with God, both now and forever.

Living by Faith 

For so many, faith is wrongly viewed as a passive concept. Genuine faith is actively believing that God’s Word reveals what is good and true, and walking in accordance with that. It is also believing that God’s Spirit will empower us to do what we are incapable of doing ourselves, aligning our beliefs with godliness.

Anchored in Hope 

Redemption offers hope that can anchor a life in the midst of chaos. Student ministry leaders who faithfully seek to reorient the hearts and minds of students can provide a point of stability for them as they navigate this broken world. Remind them of God’s good intentions for His creation, and aim their hearts forward to the day that is approaching when he will set everything right. In every difficulty students face, they can hold fast to this timeless truth: that God has been, is being, and will be faithful to bring about His great work of redemption through Jesus Christ, both for their good and for His glory. Amen.