| CHRISTIAN LIFE AND DOCTRINE | December 2004 |
Preaching the Gospel
THE QUESTION IS still being asked, “Which is the true Gospel?” The answer is in the Gospel. It is found in Galatians 3:8, which reads, “The scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” This surely was the Gospel, or good news, to Abraham. It was glad tidings to know that he was to have a “seed,” and through that ‘seed’ all nations would be blessed.—Gen. 12:1-3; 28:14
Our God has both a purpose and a plan. His purpose is to bless all the families of earth. The method, or plan, by which that purpose will be accomplished is through the seed of Abraham. Those who, together with the glorified Jesus, will constitute the long-promised seed of Abraham, through whom the promised blessing will come, are being called of God during this Gospel Age—“Precious promise, yours and mine, Galatians three and twenty-nine.” This verse reads, “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
This seed is being prepared during this Gospel Age for their future work of service and blessing. This ‘called-out’ company takes supreme delight in showing forth the praises of him who hath called them “out of darkness into his marvellous light.” (I Pet. 2:9) The sentiments of their hearts are well expressed in Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
To this called-out company, those who have denied self, taken up their cross daily, and are faithfully following the Lamb whithersoever he goeth, Jesus said, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:14) One of these commandments of Jesus which we must do, in order to be numbered among his friends, is found in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” It was by preaching and bearing witness to the Truth that Jesus glorified, or honored, his Father.
At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus said in Mark 1:38, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.” At the close of his ministry he said, in John 18:37: “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” We not only do what we can to let the light of Truth shine, but like the dear Master, in whose steps we are privileged to follow, the motive must be to glorify, to honor, our Heavenly Father.
One phase of this light of Truth, this Gospel, this good news, is found in Acts 17:31, “He hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” What a privilege we have of telling out the good news that the poor world of mankind is to be judged in righteousness by him whom God raised from the dead; that the dear Lord is to restore those whom he so loved as to redeem with his precious blood. How this Truth honors and glorifies God!
By way of contrast, error dishonors and belittles our God. This is seen in a verse of a hymn concerning the appointed time for judgment:
“That fearful day, that day of dread,
When thou shalt judge the quick and dead;
O God I shudder to foresee,
The awful things which then shall be.”
To receive the Truth in the love of the Truth, means to tell out the Truth. By so doing, a witness is given that the Bible does not teach those God-dishonoring doctrines, taught and sung about for so long. We endorse the poet’s words:
“I love to tell the story, it did so much for me;
And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.”
As recorded in Matthew 24:3, the disciples of Jesus asked him for a sign of his presence and of the end of the age. One of the signs given is recorded in verse fourteen, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (The Greek word translated ‘end’ in this text is translated “uttermost” in I Thessalonians 2:16) This good news of the kingdom is to be preached until the dark night comes in which “no man can work.” (John 9:1-5) It is to be noted and appreciated that Jesus uttered these words in connection with one of his greatest public ministries: the giving of sight to one blind from birth.
The troubles of our day will give opportunity for preaching the good tidings of coming good, such as is seldom afforded.