Getting the heart of the gospel crystal clear

Questions we have to focus on as Christians can come and go. When a major disaster happens somewhere in the world, we find ourselves talking about God and suffering. When a question about a moral issue comes up, we find ourselves needing to articulate and defend the Bible's teaching on it to a sceptical and hostile society.

But some questions never go away for believers, because they come from the heart of our faith in Christ. That's why I'm delighted to have been part of pulling together the two latest books in the Questions Christians Ask series - because they aim to bring clarity and understanding to two subjects at the epicentre of the Gospel: the cross and forgiveness.

And having clarity on these areas of understanding is not simply an exercise in orthodoxy. Both authors introduce their books by showing that understanding properly what God has done in Christ on the cross; and what God's grace in Christ really is, have a huge impact on every area of our lives. Here are some thoughts that resonate many believers:

• "I know the gospel, but why does my heart feel so cold towards God for so much of the time?"
• "I know I'm forgiven, but I'm still plagued by a sense of guilt over things I've done in the past"
• "How can I grow more spiritually?"
• "What does it mean to become properly Christ like?"
• "How can I get out of the spiritual rut I’m in?"
• "Does God really love me?"
• "How can I grow more spiritually?"
• "Is God really going to accept me when I die?"
• "Where can I find the power to change?"

The great news is that all the answers to these common experiences can be found when we focus on properly understanding the cross of Christ and God's offer of grace to us in the gospel.

For the rest of the week we'll be running extracts on the blog from both books. We hope these tasters lead you to bury yourself in these subjects, and grow in your confidence and assurance as a follower of Jesus.