Need
I think he's right. We need to focus on what God has already done for us, and He has done a lot for us (Ephesians 1, emphasis mine):You see, the secret of the gospel is that we become more spiritually mature when we focus less on what we need to do for God and focus more on all that God has already done for us. The irony of the gospel is that we actually perform better as we grow in our understanding that our relationship with God is based on Christ’s performance for us, not our performance for him.
3(E) Blessed be(F) the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing(G) in the heavenly places, 4(H) even as he(I) ,b>chose us in him(J) before the foundation of the world, that we should be(K) holy and blameless before him. In love 5(L) he predestined us[b] for(M) adoption as sons through Jesus Christ,(N) according to the purpose of his will, 6(O) to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in(P) the Beloved. 7(Q) In him we have(R) redemption(S) through his blood,(T) the forgiveness of our trespasses,(U) according to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9(V) making known[c] to us the mystery of his will,(W) according to his purpose, which he(X) set forth in Christ 10as a plan for(Y) the fullness of time,(Z) to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11In him we have obtained(AA) an inheritance,(AB) having been predestined(AC) according to the purpose of him who works all things according to(AD) the counsel of his will, 12so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be(AE) to the praise of his glory. 13In him you also, when you heard(AF) the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him,(AG) were sealed with the(AH) promised Holy Spirit, 14who is(AI) the guarantee[d] of our(AJ) inheritance until(AK) we acquire(AL) possession of it,[e](AM) to the praise of his glory.
However, in stressing what God has done, sometimes it is easy to miss the point. Having grown up in the church, so often I hear the message again and think, "Yeah, I know that. I know God has done all those things. God has been really good to me," and continu with my day. The danger is that we might think about the cross without meditating on it. The cross does not simply have another list of facts for us to add to our mental bank of theological knowledge. True meditation on the cross requires a true understanding of our need for the cross, not stopping at a mere acknowledgement of what occured at Calvary.
Going back to it is when we understand this need we can stop focusing on what we can do for God. It is when we understand this need we can understand what God has already done for us. You see, the secret of the gospel is that we become more spiritually mature when we become profoundly aware of our dire need for a Savior, allowing us to focus less on what we need to do for God and focus more on all that God has already done for us.
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