Preach the gospel to yourself

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

A common exhortation in churches like ours, which Eric Hesselbach echoed during his sermon this past Sunday, is “preach the gospel to yourself.” But what does that really mean, and why is it necessary? Among other things, it means:

1) My sins and failures are forgiven – When we hurt others or fall short of our own standards, we can become crushed under the weight of guilt or shame. But the gospel tells us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), because Jesus took the punishment we deserved on the cross (Romans 3:23). And so, I preach the gospel to myself when I have messed up, reminding myself to release the guilt and shame to Jesus, to get back up, and to try again.

2) My worth does not depend upon my performance – We may regularly feel like we do not measure up, that we are unworthy, or that we are an imposter. But I do not need to justify myself, overcompensate, or pretend to be something that I am not. The gospel reminds me that I DON’T measure up and I AM unworthy, but redirects me to the hopeful truth that Jesus lived the perfect life that I could not live and has given me His perfect relationship with God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

3) I do not need to fear being exposed – There is a saying in recovery circles that we are only as sick as our secrets. If we’re honest, we all have things that we have done or thought that we hope never see the light of day. But the gospel reminds me not only that God already knows everything we have done or thought, but that the blood of Jesus has covered over all of it. And so, I can be honest and transparent, knowing that His grace is sufficient for me and His power is made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

4) I am loved – It is easy to feel unloved or unlovable, especially when people reject or mistreat us. But the gospel reminds me that when I was at my worst, when I was an enemy of God, Jesus loved me enough to give His life for me (Romans 5:6-8). And because of this, I can rest in God’s love, knowing that nothing can ever separate me from it (Romans 8:38-39).

5) I am not the Savior – The needs around me may be great, and I may be afraid of letting people down, but the gospel reminds me that there is only one Savior, and it is not me. I can not meet every need, nor am I called to. But I can point people to the one who can.

When you are in despair, preach the gospel to yourself. When you are anxious, preach the gospel to yourself. When you are feeling rejected, or alone, or unloved, preach the gospel to yourself. You are loved. You are forgiven. And you are His.