It feels a bit strange admitting this, because I know that I'd be expected to say that the most important day of my life was a sentimental milestone—like my wedding day or the birth of my daughter. But for me, it has to be the day I learned about the doctrine of imputed righteousness.
I remember stumbling upon this explanation of justification by R.C. Sproul at a time when, as a young Christian, I was fashioning myself into a pretty good Pharisee.
I didn't grow up in church, so when I became a Christian as a student, there was lot of learning to do. There had been a lot of good input from leaders on the doctrines of grace but the rest of my personal understanding of doctrine was a bit of a mish-mash. And this is what I lived out.
It turns out that when I became a Christian, all my avenues for pride just got re-routed into spiritual self-righteousness. Being seen to be righteous became very important, and it was a disaster, especially for my poor wife. I remember driving home from church one Sunday and articulating the notion to her that I did not struggle with sin in the way I felt my peers did. The irony was completely lost on me—although not to her.
But as I continued to search out teaching from other guys in the reformed evangelical circle I eventually "got the gospel" properly. The day I watched that video wasn't the first time I heard the gospel, but I'd never had it explained to me like this before. Something broke inside me that day which set me on a path towards Christian maturity.
That's why I want to pay my own modest tribute to R. C. It was his infectious enthusiasm for life-changing doctrines which the Holy Spirit used to actually get through to a hard-hearted, proud sinner like me. He showed me that, far from being dusty head knowledge, understanding sound doctrine was heart warming, life giving, and truly nurturing to our walk with God.
Joe is our Vice President of Marketing. He lives in South London, UK with his wife and two daughters and is a member at River Church Sutton - part of the Newfrontiers network - where he runs a small group and various outreach activities.
