The Power of the Gospel

As someone who heard the gospel every summer at vacation Bible school, I still sometimes struggle to share it. I not only lack courage but also the je ne sais quoi that preachers have when they give the altar call.

I’ve realized, though, that it’s not how I share the gospel that matters. The power of the gospel itself draws people to Christ, and my job is to simply share it. I’ve been meditating on three elements of the gospel I want to include every time I witness to someone: trusting in Jesus for salvation, accepting yourself as a sinner, and recognizing God as holy.

Whether you’re a seasoned believer, new to the faith, or unsure what you believe, these truths will speak to your heart and your need for the gospel’s power in your life.

Trust Jesus Christ for Salvation

God’s word is clear about what it means to know him and be a Christian by believing in Jesus (John 3:16). Yet it can be confusing when we hear comments like, “Jesus is for you, but he isn’t for me” and “All religions lead to the same place.”

What these comments lack is how essential Jesus is to the gospel and to our salvation.

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well” (John 14:6-7 NIV).

In Galatians, Paul writes, “I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die” (Gal. 2:21 NLT).

Both of these verses emphasize Jesus’s central part in the gospel. If God would allow everyone inside the pearly gates regardless of faith in Jesus, then why did Jesus die on the cross for our sins? Why did Jesus have to be crucified?

For God to be just and merciful, he had to pour out the wrath we deserve on Jesus. Thus, if we trust in Jesus, our sins are paid for. Without Jesus, there is no gospel or salvation, and no one to suffer the punishment we really deserve but us. This leads to the second key to the power of the gospel: our position as sinners.

Accept Ourselves as Sinners

Sometimes, I proudly wear the label of a “good person” because I go to church, pray, tithe, and get some correct answers during Bible study. But again, where is the need for the gospel if I can be “good enough” to earn salvation?

The Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23 NIV). Even so, it’s hard to see ourselves as sinners and acknowledge our need for a Savior. That’s why Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3 ESV).

Those who recognize their brokenness as sinners understand their need for Jesus and the power of the gospel. They are humbled by their sin and able to seek salvation.

On the other hand, the prideful, declaring themselves “good” as the Pharisees did, never receive salvation. Not because they aren’t sinners, too, but because they can’t humble themselves enough to see their greatest need—the need for a Savior.

Recognize God as Holy

When people tell me they don’t need Jesus, they often add that they are “good enough” or “not that bad.” It’s as though everyone will form a big line on judgement day, and we’ll be ranked from good to bad. Then, God has a certain number of people he will let into heaven, and as long as you make the cut, you’re good.

But the gospel tells us that Jesus came to earth and suffered our punishment because sin was offensive to a holy God. It wasn’t a certain amount of sin, but any sin at all.

For example, after Adam and Eve sinned by eating from the tree of good and evil, how did God respond? He didn’t sit back and say, “Well, since it’s your first sin, no big deal. As long as the sin doesn’t become unbearable, you can stay in the garden.”

On the contrary, the account in Genesis 3 says, “Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken” (Gen. 3:23 ESV). Adam and Eve sinned once and had to leave the garden of Eden because sin is offensive to a holy and perfect God.

When we think of ourselves as “good enough” or “better than others,” then we’re (erroneously) declaring ourselves righteous. God is so perfect and so holy that even one sin is enough to separate us from him.

If we don’t realize that, then we must hope we make “the ranking.” Yet a Holy God’s standard of “good enough” is perfection, which means none of us will ever make the cut on our own.

Responding to Grace: The Power of the Gospel

Knowing Jesus’s central part in the gospel, our position as sinners, and God’s holiness isn’t the end of the gospel story. We must also respond to the power of the gospel and God’s love for us. Despite our sin, Jesus still paid the penalty so we could spend eternity with him.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Eph. 2:4-5 ESV).

May we respond to the gospel with the surrender of our hearts, worship, and thanksgiving.

Dear God, Grace is your unmerited favor. A lowly sinner, I don’t deserve your grace, nor could I ever earn it. So, I simply thank you for it, and may I live my life in a way that shows the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Kara J. Lovett is a business consultant in corporate America by day, Christian lifestyle blogger by night, and probably writing novels or traveling on the weekends. She likes to encourage young women professionals through the transition from college to the adult working world. Kara blogs at karajlovett.com.

Photograph © Etty Fidele, used with permission