Eight Reasons Why Christians No Longer Need the Same Gospel That Saved Them
1. When we are saved, we are washed and do not need another washing: John 13:9-11.
2. When we drink of the gospel, we never thirst again: John 4:13,14.
3. When we eat of the bread of life, we never hunger again: John 6:35.
4. When we are saved, we receive all of the fullness of God: Ephesians 1:19, 20.
5. We are called to move forward from repentance of dead works and on to maturity: Hebrews 6:1, 2.
6. Reconciliation only occurs once: 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
7. The gospel is a foundation that we build on—you don’t continue to build the foundation: 1Corinthians 3:10-15, Romans 15:20.
8. Peter said he wanted to spend his last days reminding believers to add certain things to their faith. If PTGTY (preaching the gospel to yourself) is the paramount vessel for sanctification, why would that not be his emphasis in the time he had left? 2Peter 1:5-17.
What Christ Would Say About, “Preaching the Gospel to Ourselves”
The more I learn about Jesus Christ the more I stand in awe of Him. He was/is for the little guy. He wants to be glorified in little people doing great things in His name. Hence, if one pays close attention, he taught His truth in a way that it could be understood by the least gifted. I am not saying that the Word is not deep at times, but I am saying that depth does not stand in the way of the knowledge we need for individual “life and godliness.”
Plato was different. He wasn’t like Jesus. Knowledge was the only way to understanding reality, so vast giftedness in regard to intellect was critical for the wellbeing of society. That gift was only found in a few who should rule the masses for the betterment of “the group” or “the whole.” Knowledge is it.
And that’s the American church. Obviously, in our mindset, a Ph.D. equals intellectual giftedness that must rule over others for the sake of “the group.” We have lots of them telling us that we need to “preach the gospel to ourselves every day.” John Piper and Al Mohler et al continually warn us not to think we can be saved by the gospel and then, “move on to something else.” The brilliant Dr. Horton tells us that we must continually visit the gospel “afresh” in order to live the Christian life. Supposedly, the spiritual peasantry should listen to them because they are the gifted ones appointed by God to, as Al Mohler put it, “save God’s people from ignorance.” Ahmen.
But what did Jesus say thou spiritual ditch digger? Well, He told us a story about a woman He met at a well:
John 4:7 – A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
Obviously, Christ was talking about the gospel, salvation, or whatever idiom you want to use. The one drink results in a continuous spring of living water with no need to drink of it again. Then why would we need to continually drink of the gospel “afresh” for our Christian life? Christ is clearly saying that one drink is enough and that particular thirst/need will never reoccur. “But Paul, He wasn’t speaking of the gospel per se.” Then what was He speaking of?
Bottom line: Jesus’ illustration completely refutes the idea that sanctification, or the Christian life, has a realized or unrealized thirst that needs to be satisfied by the gospel. We drink of the gospel once for salvation and have no need to drink again.
paul
The Real Meaning Behind “We Must Preach the Gospel to Ourselves Everyday”
In his commentary on the Catholic Epistles, volume 45, Calvin states the following:
“Secondly, this passage shows that the gratuitous pardon of sins is given us not only once, but that it is a benefit perpetually residing in the Church, and daily offered to the faithful. For the Apostle here addresses the faithful; as doubtless no man has ever been, nor ever will be, who can otherwise please God, since all are guilty before him; for however strong a desire there may be in us of acting rightly, we always go haltingly to God. Yet what is half done obtains no approval with God. In the meantime, by new sins we continually separate ourselves, as far as we can, from the grace of God. Thus it is, that all the saints have need of the daily forgiveness of sins; for this alone keeps us in the family of God” (John Calvin: Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles. The Calvin Translation Society 1855. Editor: John Owen, p. 165 ¶4).
Calvin is clearly stating here that sin in sanctification separates us from grace:
by new sins we continually separate ourselves, as far as we can, from the grace of God.
Hence, there is no distinction between sonship and justification. Sin can only separate us from grace, and not intimacy with the Father. Sonship, which should be under the auspices of sanctification, is fused with justification. Then the shocker:
Thus it is, that all the saints have need of the daily forgiveness of sins; for this alone keeps us in the family of God.
Notice also that this “gratuitous pardon” is “offered” daily. So in the same way we are initially offered salvation for forgiveness of sins, we have to continually accept this daily offer of forgiveness. And moreover, that “keeps us” in the family of God. “We must preach the gospel to ourselves every day.” Sound familiar?
Now we know why.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
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