The gospel requires us to both preach and pray
CHAPTER 20: Of the Gospel, and of the Extent of the Grace Thereof
(Parts One through Three)
God established a covenant of works with man in Adam (Genesis 2:16-17): Obey and live. Disobey and die. As we all know, Adam disobeyed (Genesis 3:6-7) and death has reigned in humanity and on the planet under his dominion ever since (Romans 5:12-21). However, God in His boundless mercy also established a covenant of grace with Adam and all his descendants—on the very day that Adam deserved to die. There in the Garden of Eden, God promised a Deliverer: the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15). A man who has none of Adam’s seed in him (the virgin birth of Christ is therefore alluded to in the third chapter of Genesis!) would come and deliver Adam’s race from sin, death, and the wrath of God.
All of Adam’s race? No. That is obvious from the fact that the Bible clearly speaks of some being lost in sin and experiencing the wrath of God for eternity (Revelation 20:12-15). By the way, do not think for a moment that Heaven or Hell is based on whether you are good or bad. Compared to God’s standard of holiness, all are sinners and all deserve God’s wrath (Genesis 3:23 & 6:23). Salvation is based not on the work of those who need redemption, but on the work of the Redeemer (John 3:16-18 & Titus 3:4-7).
Salvation is not based on trying harder or on doing better. It is based on Jesus Christ, on what He has done to save His people. Our part? Simply trust in Him instead of in ourselves in any way (Ephesians 2:1-9).
(Part Two)
While we receive revelation of God’s existence (as our Creator and Judge) from creation (Romans 1:18-32), the creation (nature) does not reveal Him as our Savior. The grandeur of creation does not reveal the person of Christ Jesus. That special redemptive revelation comes only through the Word of God (either read or proclaimed).
God commands His people, those He has redeemed, to be witnesses to Him in all the earth (everywhere) (Acts 1:8), and to “preach the Word, in season and out” (all of the time) (2 Timothy 4:2). We must preach God’s law so that people will know they are sinners, and we must preach grace so they will know how to be saved (by trusting in Christ and repenting of sin). Unless people hear this, they cannot trust in Christ for salvation (Romans 10:14).
We must earnestly endeavor to be as prepared and persuasive as we can be, that the message is clear. However, no matter how well we declare God’s truth, it will make no sense to those who hear us unless the Holy Spirit gives sight to the blind and replaces spiritually dead hearts with new living hearts (2 Corinthians 4:2-3). Therefore let us preach and pray.
(Part Three)
The gospel is not a message of self-help or self-improvement. The gospel is a message, first of hopelessness due to sin (Romans 3:10-18), and then of rescue through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:6-8). Though a chief motive for God in saving His people was His love (John 3:16), God’s love did not save us. Jesus saved us primarily by three things He did:
(1) He lived righteously to provide those who believe with His righteousness.
(2) He died on the cross to pay the penalty for all the sins of those He came to save.
(3) He rose from the dead to defeat sin, death, Hell, and the devil, for those He came to save.
Since the Bible clearly teaches that all are not saved, “the gospel is power of God to salvation for everyone [but only those] who believes” (Romans 1:16). To those who refuse to believe and who die in unbelief, even if they have heard the gospel, it will serve only to condemn them.
So let us proclaim the gospel to all people, and pray to God, asking that He would be pleased to grant the gifts of faith and repentance to those to whom He gives ears to hear.
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