Marvel. It’s a word that captures wonder, astonishment, and awe. When we speak of the marvel of the Gospel, we’re not just acknowledging facts or theology. We’re standing before the most extraordinary moment in all of history – breathless at what God has done.
The Kingsman has the great delight and pleasure to be a beneficiary of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the King, and so the Kingsman first benefits from it, then seeks to be transformed by it, then is eager to convey it in the church and beyond, so others can likewise benefit from the wonderful, marvellous message of the King.
What makes the Gospel a marvel?
The Gospel is the declaration that God bridged an impossible gap. He crossed the distance between His holiness and our brokenness through Jesus Christ. As Paul writes in Ephesians 2:4-5, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.”
The marvel is this: the Creator became creation. The infinite stepped into the finite. John tells us, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” God didn’t stay distant. He entered our mess. His entry was to relate to us whilst showing us the way to truly be human – what real life was all about.
Then there’s this – the sinless one became sin for us. Paul declares, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The great exchange. Our sin for His righteousness. A transaction beyond human imagination.
And death was defeated by death. The cross, an instrument of shame, became the throne of victory. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
That’s the marvel. That’s what leaves us speechless.
Why the marvel transforms the Kingsman
When the enormity of what God has done grips us. The consequences are seismic.
It produces humility. We contributed nothing to our salvation except our need. We stand as beggars invited to a feast we could never afford. This humility becomes the foundation for everything else in the Christian life.
It generates gratitude. When the marvel truly takes hold, thanksgiving isn’t occasional – it’s a lifestyle. Paul’s letters overflow with gratitude because he never forgot the wonder of being shown mercy and transformed, even though he had been a persecutor.
It fuels perseverance. In difficult seasons, the marvel becomes our anchor. If God loved us enough to give His Son while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8), will He not sustain us through trials? The marvel reminds us that salvation doesn’t depend on our performance but on Christ’s finished work.
It ignites mission. Those who have marvelled at the Gospel cannot stay silent. Peter and John declared before the Sanhedrin, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). The marvel becomes a holy compulsion to share what we’ve discovered.
Considering these glorious truths of the impact of the gospel on the Kingsman propels him to not just absorb and meditate on the marvel of the gospel. It stirs him to make it a point of duty to communicate that as often as he can to two audiences: those in the family of God and those who are yet to become members of the family of God.
Let me explain … in the next part …
For His Name’s Sake
C. L. J. Dryden
Shalom
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