John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The four main parts of the gospel are God, man, Jesus Christ and faith. (1) God: Created man (with free will possessing the power of “self-identity & freedom”) for a loving relationship with Himself (Genesis 1:26, 3:8-9). (2) Man: Willingly sinned and separated himself from God and came under the just wrath of God (Romans 3:9-24). (3) Jesus Christ: Died on the cross and bore the judgment of God for sinners so that by His resurrection all might live and not perish (Romans 5:8-9). (4) Faith: By putting one’s full trust in God and confessing Jesus as Lord, a person is restored to fellowship with God and free from the wrath their sins justly deserve (Romans 10:9-10).
When you, as the gospel preacher, can truly understand each main part of the gospel message it will become easier to share it with others.
One of the pitfalls to avoid is complicating the message with unneeded details. For example, while preaching the gospel someone may want to discuss evolution and dinosaurs. However, a simple response like, “We can discuss God and science at a later time,” will help you stay on track and allow the person to truly understand what they need to do to be saved. Also, another pitfall is to only present one side of the gospel message. Some preachers continually emphasize the sinfulness of man, but neglect the great love and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, thus, the people are only left condemned and are not really encouraged to be saved. Other preachers will give sinners a false sense of security because they don’t properly teach the wrath of God against sin and try to emotionally draw people to God.
Don’t only preach the parts of the gospel that are likeable to the people around you; preach the whole counsel of Scripture- from the love of God to the sinfulness of man. Augustine once wrote, “If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” Therefore, the balance is to preach the fullness of God’s grace and truth. The Bible states in John 1:14 that Jesus came from the Father “full of grace and truth.” Go ye and do likewise!
Reflection
Action
- Read and study the verses pertaining to each of the four main parts of the gospel.
- Pray and ask God to give you a clear understanding of each part.
- Preach a balanced gospel like Jesus did- one that is full of grace and truth!
