RPG Adults
AUTHOR OF SALVATION
LORD’S DAY, JANUARY 2
Mark 1:1
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
“As it is written…”
AUTHOR OF SALVATION
Know that the Gospel of Mark is history, not myth. The events recorded therein all happened at a point in time, in history. It is not a “once-upon-a-time” fairy tale. The Gospel mentions real people, real events, real time. It is an infallible and inerrant account of the life of Christ.
The Gospel of Mark is really the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mark was the writer of the Gospel, not the author—the author was none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. Without Jesus Christ, there would be no Gospel of Mark, or of Matthew, Luke, and John.
The opening verse of Mark reminds us of the first verse and also the first chapter of John’s Gospel which tells us that Jesus Christ is none other than God Himself—God the Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, and the eternally and uniquely begotten Son of God Himself (John 1:1,14,18). What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God? It is the life and cross work of the Lord Jesus Christ—our Prophet, Priest, and King—who came to live for us, to die for us and to live again for us. The Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:1-4). The Lord Jesus had to do all this to save sinners so that they might become saints. As Calvin said, “The Son of God became the Son of Man, so that the sons of men might become the sons of God.”
In the Gospel of Mark, the servanthood of Jesus is highlighted. This is told to us in Mark 10:45 which says, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Jesus worked very hard for our salvation. He did His saving work with diligence and haste (seen in the word “straightway” or “immediately” found so often in the Gospel of Mark). The Lord was always up and about fulfilling the prophecies of Scripture, keeping the law of God, enduring the suffering and shame, and finally dying on the cross to save us from our sins. Jesus is the Author of our salvation. Hallelujah, what a Saviour!
THOUGHT: Jesus has done so much for me; what have I done for Him?
PRAYER: Make me a servant like Thee, O Lord!