WHY IS THE GOSPEL SO SPECIAL?
After Jesus rose from the dead, he commanded his apostles, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). Jesus wants his disciples to continue to preach the gospel until he comes again (Matthew 28:19-20). That is plain. But why is the gospel so special? It is special because...
1. The Gospel Came From God. When Paul wrote a letter to the church in Thessalonica, he reminded them, "Because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God" (1 Thessalonians 2:9). How does he further describe the message that he preached to them? "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God" (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Thus, the gospel which he preached to them was the word of God. How did Paul get that message from the Lord? He wrote, "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of men, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galations 1:11-12). Why is the gospel so special? Because Jesus Christ is the source of it! Peter also wrote, "But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you" (1 Peter 1:25). The gospel is from the Lord, not men.
2. The Gospel Is True/Truth. We would expect this to be true, because it came from God, and it is impossible that God should lie (Hebrews 6:18). Jesus prayed to the Father, "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth" (John 17:17). Thus, God's word is our truth. Jesus promised the apostles that after his ascension the Holy Spirit would come to them and guide them into all truth (John 16:13-14). Again, the apostles' message that they preached and wrote was not their own, but it came from heaven through the Son and Spirit. Unlike books written by men, in the gospel there are no contradictions. Not one! For that truth, many apostles and disciples suffered and died. We must be ready to do the same. "Buy the truth and sell it not" (Proverbs 23:23).
3. The Gospel Is All-sufficient For Man's Spiritual Needs. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Scriptures can cause a person to be complete before the God of heaven. Is that not our desire, to be complete before our God and please our Creator? God's word is sufficient to make us such a person! To the elders from Ephesus Paul said, "I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified" (Acts 20:32). God's word which Paul preached, the gospel, has the power to save our souls. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). In the gospel God gives us "all things that pertain unto life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).
4. The Gospel Is Unchanging. The gospel message is the same now as it was in the first century. It will continue to be the same, and it will continue to be the message that man must obey even until the Lord Jesus comes again. Peter described the gospel, saying, "...the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever ...but the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you" (1 Peter 1:23; 1 Peter 1:25). God's word, the gospel, lives. It will abide forever, that is, until Jesus comes again. Jesus promised his disciples that he would be with them as they went and taught his word, even until the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). The faith or gospel was completely given in the first century. Remember, the Holy Spirit guided the apostles into ALL truth (John 16:13). If all spiritual truth was not given to mankind through the apostles in the first century, then Jesus is a liar! Jude exhorted the early Christians to "contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). It was completely delivered to them in the first century, and after that, God gave no new revelations to mankind. All who claim to receive new revelations from the Lord today do not really believe that the New Testament of Jesus is sufficient for their every spiritual need. Jesus said that it is sufficient (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Romans 1:16). Whom shall we believe? Should we not rejoice to know that Jehovah has given all men in every generation the same message?
5. God Calls Men Through The Gospel. God calls men. That is a fact. He calls men out of darkness into the light of his dear Son (1 Peter 2:19). He calls men into his kingdom and glory (1 Thessalonians 2:12). But how does he do that? "Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 2:14). That is the Holy Spirit's answer: God calls men through the gospel. Thus, his calling is not direct, but indirect, through the message of the gospel. Paul shows that one can call on the name of the Lord and be saved only after he has heard and believed the gospel message. His conclusion? "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Notice this fact: in every conversion recorded in the book of Acts, there was preaching, hearing, believing, and obeying the gospel. Thus, no preaching means no calling of men, which means no salvation! God calls men only through the precious gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus, we must peach it so that men can be saved from their sins!
6. God Begets Men Through The Gospel. God does not want any person to perish, but rather desires that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He wants every person to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Jesus explained to Nicodemus that a person must be born again, that is, be born of the water and of the Spirit, in order to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3; John 3:5; John 3:7). How does God beget a person, or how does he cause one to be born again? James 1:18 says, "Of his own will beget he us with the word of truth." To the church at Corinth Paul said, "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel" (1 Corinthians 4:15). Peter clearly states, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever" (1 Peter 1:23). These passages plainly show that God begets men or causes them to be born again through his word, the gospel. When one hears the gospel and receives its message by being baptized in water for the remission of sins, then he becomes a child of God. God did this through the gospel, which is the seed that brings forth fruit (Luke 8:11 -- "The seed is the word of God.")
The power of the Lord's spoken words is seen from many Bible examples. He created the world by his word (Hebrews 11:3), raised Lazarus from the dead by his word (John 11), calmed a storm by his word (Mark 4), and did many other great miracles through the power of his spoken word. His written word also possesses great power, as it is written in Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword."
Why is the message so special? We have noted six basic reasons why it is a unique and essential message: it is special because it came from God, it is true, it is all-sufficient for man's spiritual needs, it is unchanging, through it God calls men, and through it God begets and saves men. Let us never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but rather thank God for it, live according to it, and tell others of the salvation and great joy that they also can have by receiving it!