If we see the church as the first application of the gospel, we’ll embrace our calling to live as a united body, dedicated to walking in love, advancing holiness, and serving sacrificially for Christ and the gospel. We will foster church growth and spiritual health, support biblical worship and practices, and generously help the poor while spreading the gospel. Together, we will embody the beauty of God’s grace and reflect his glory to the world.

Let me make what I think is a very non-controversial statement, at least in our church: the gospel is a really big deal.

It’s the good news of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ: that Jesus took our place, bore our sins, and reconciled us to God through his death and resurrection. We’re saved not by our efforts, but by grace through faith in Christ alone.

This good news is both deeply personal and gloriously cosmic. It transforms individuals by reconciling us to God and points to the ultimate renewal of all creation. The gospel isn’t just the starting point of the Christian life. It’s the foundation, the center, and the driving force behind all growth and hope. It’s the message we long to preach every week and the truth we want to shape every aspect of our lives. The gospel truly is a big deal.

That’s very important, but it’s not very controversial. I think we believe that as a church.

So let me make a more controversial statement: the first implication of the gospel is the church. The gospel doesn’t just reconcile us to God; it reconciles us to one another. It creates a people.

In the epistles, the church is often the first application of the gospel. For example, in Ephesians, Paul spends the first parts unpacking the gospel’s riches. Then, before he’s even done, Paul begins to apply this to the church. According to Paul, Christ’s death reconciles former enemies, creating one new humanity. The church becomes a living temple where God dwells, a foretaste of Eden restored. It shows God’s diverse wisdom to spiritual forces. The church isn’t just a gathering; it’s a cosmic declaration of God’s redemptive work. And then in chapter 4, he begins to apply the gospel by saying, — let me paraphrase — “Now get along with each other!”

In the New Testament epistles, the pattern is usually something like this: explain the gospel, and then apply it. And the first place to apply it is the church.

We’re going to see this in today’s passage as well, which is in the book of Romans.

For eleven chapters in Romans, Paul has been explaining the gospel. Romans 1–11 lays out Paul’s sweeping explanation of the gospel and its implications. Finally, chapter 12 shifts to application, calling believers to respond to God’s mercy by offering themselves as living sacrifices, renewing their minds, and living in unity as the body of Christ.

And where does this begin? With the church. The first implication of the gospel is the church.

We could spend weeks looking at Romans 12 to 16 and what it says about the church, and eventually we will. Today I just want to give us a sample by looking at Romans 12:3-8, because what it says is so central to why we exist as a church.

Let’s walk through verses 3 to 8 and see what it says about how the gospel forms us as a church.

Here’s the first thing we see:

The gospel calls us to humility (12:3).

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (12:3)

Paul explains that a renewed mind is characterized by humility. If you understand the gospel, there is no room for pride. If you are proud, it’s probably a sign that you don’t really understand the gospel.

What does Paul mean here? He means that we shouldn’t entertain fantasies about our own importance. If we really understood the truth about our own sinfulness, and our need for God’s grace, we would think about ourselves with sober judgment. Earlier in Romans, Paul wrote that since Jesus died for the ungodly, no one should boast (Romans 3:23-4:5). Thinking that we’re a big deal is evidence that we don’t really understand the gospel. There should be no such thing as a proud Christian.

How should we think of ourselves? Paul says, “According to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” This phrase can be challenging to interpret, and scholars offer different perspectives. One view is that Paul calls us to evaluate ourselves against the standard of faith—the gospel—that God has given to every believer. Another possibility is that Paul highlights how God graciously gives varying measures of faith, expressed through our spiritual gifts. Either way, both the faith to use our gifts and the gifts themselves are entirely the result of God’s grace. We can’t take any credit for them.

How does the gospel prepare us to be part of the church? It humbles us. We are no big deal. If we think we’re a big deal, we don’t understand the gospel. We are simply sinners who have been transformed by God’s grace, and we cannot take any credit for that. It’s all a gift. To truly understand the gospel, we must start with humility and avoid thinking too highly of ourselves. The gospel prevents us from doing so. We are not a big deal.

What effect does the gospel have? It leads us to not think too highly of ourselves. This means helping others without wanting recognition, appreciating their gifts and contributions without jealousy, and being attentive and patient in conversations. It means prioritizing unity over personal preferences, forgiving freely, and resisting the urge to compare or compete. A humble church prioritizes God’s glory over personal gain, embraces weakness as a way to showcase God’s strength, and serves out of gratitude for his grace. The gospel calls us to personal humility.

But there’s something else it calls us to:

The gospel calls us to interdependence (12:4-5).

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. (12:4-5)

Do you notice the phrase “in Christ”? To be “in Christ” means that when you trust Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you are united with him in such a way that everything he is and has that can be shared becomes yours. His righteousness, relationship with the Father, power, and victory over sin and death are all shared with you. The only thing that isn’t shared is his deity, but everything else that can be given is yours. This union transforms your identity, secures your belonging, and empowers you to live a new life. It’s not just a belief; it’s the basis of your identity and how you live as a follower of Jesus.

But then read the second part: “we, though many, are one body in Christ.” Our experience of being in Christ is never solitary.

We experience all of this together as one body: “So we, though many, are one body in Christ.” Redeemed together. Justified together. Forgiven together. Created anew together. Every need met together. Loved by God together. Perfected together. Living forever together—all of this glorious unity is created in Christ and for the glory of Christ.

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