Receiving the Gospel Like a Dog

By Anna Hahn

My family’s three terrier mutts get plenty of “Gospel.” It didn’t end when they were rescued from the shelter and adopted into our home. No—Scribbles, Tagger, and Boaz soak up so much undeserved love, grace, and pampering that all but the most die-hard dog-lovers would probably roll their eyes and call them spoiled.

As Christians, of course, we get plenty of Gospel, too—grace that continues even after our adoption into God’s family through baptism. These incredible blessings far surpass the extra treats and snuggling that our dogs receive, of course. Before we go on about the true Gospel, however, let’s take a look at our dogs’ “Gospel” and the way that these loved-up pets claim each promise as their own. Dogs certainly believe and hold on to their simple “Gospel” blessings in an incredible way.

Undaunted and expectant confidence is infused into every “Gospel-ized” dog. They are confident we will feed them, let them outside, play with them, and scratch their tummies. Whatever magic word we say—“treat” or “walk” or “squirrel”—they will persistently bind us to it, making whatever uproar or clamor is necessary until we let them have it! They expect good things from us.

At the foundation of this confidence and persistence is trust. Dogs recognize that they are pretty much helpless without us. Tagger can’t open the door to let himself inside from the pouring rain. Scribbles can’t scoop her supper from the bucket into her dish. Bo can’t pick the cold snowballs out of his paws. All our mutts can do is yap and whine, trusting that we will hear them and meet their needs.

And as each need is met, what is a dog’s final response? Joy! A tireless, genuine, spin-around-in-circles joy, whether we their owners are setting foot in the door or dropping a crumb from the table. Our dogs rejoice because they are positively certain that anything coming from us is GOOD. True, they certainly don’t deserve these blessings. Yet we have trained them that it’s just how we work. We give them “Gospel.”

Confidence, trust, joy—these are not merely given for somewhat spoiled dogs to have toward their caring owners. God’s gift to us of faith in Christ also includes the gifts of confidence, trust, and joy! His Word tells us of these real Gospel promises—the continual gifts and salvation that we have in Jesus.

Just as our dogs have complete confidence in us, we have even greater confidence before God! After all, Christ has atoned for our sins, reconciled us to God, and sprinkled our consciences clean (Hebrews 4:14- 16, 10:18-23). We can boldly hold God to His Word of promise, as Jacob did in Genesis 32:24-30, because His promises in Christ never change and are always for our best (check out 2 Corinthians 1:20 and Hebrews 6:13-20, 10:23). You’ll also get a window into Jesus’ promise-keeping in His parables about expecting good in Luke 11:5-13 and 18:1-6.

God’s Word is perfectly consistent and completely trustworthy. God tells us that He is our only refuge and help against our enemies (Psalm 18:1-19, Psalm 31, Psalm 146:3-5). He is our unfailing strength and salvation in Christ (Isaiah 12) and promises to meet all our earthly needs, too (Matthew 6:25-34).

The Holy Spirit works joy in our hearts! Joy is our response to the salvation we have in Jesus (Isaiah 12:1-3). Our new man, raised to life by the Spirit’s power, finds delight in serving God and our neighbor. What amazing Gospel promises! God has given us a faith in Christ that is confident, trusting, and joyful.

As we consider all these gifts, however, we may begin to ask ourselves: How often do we actually live as though we have these Gospel promises? Even our dogs wholeheartedly cling to their “Gospel.” What about us? Do we have the confidence that we should have before God? Do we really trust God above all things? Do we rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all circumstances? The answer, of course, is humiliatingly clear: NO. Dogs may be conditioned to respond properly to their “Gospel,” but we have a different condition—our sinful flesh. More often than not, we don’t trust that everything coming from God is good—in fact, we would rather forget about Christ and His Word, trust in our own selves, and grumble about the gifts that God gives us. We fail every single day to place our confidence, trust, and joy in our heavenly Father.

Does the Gospel hinge upon our response to it? Will God withhold His gifts from us when we fail and sin? Absolutely not! God gives His mercy and grace, not because of our merit or worthiness, but because of Christ’s merit and worthiness! While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He died for our sins of doubt, idolatry, and ingratitude. It is because of His perfect life, redeeming death, and triumphant resurrection that we receive the Gospel—forgiveness, life, and salvation. And through His Word and Sacraments, He continues to work in us repentance and faith. Christ alone is the guarantee of God’s grace to us. In spite of our sin and failure, God will continue to give us Gospel. He promised. It’s just how He works. He gives because of Christ!

Anna Hahn just completed her freshman year at Concordia University Wisconsin, where she is majoring in Lutheran elementary education and minoring in English and theology. Bo, her overgrown puppy, enjoys soaking up far too much attention, owning his very own block, and gobbling treats that “accidentally” fall from the table. Both he and Anna can be contacted at anna.hahn@cuw.edu.