THE PRESENT EVANGELIZATION OF A CHOSEN PEOPLE
THE REASON FOR THE GOSPEL

What would you consider the greatest need of the human race? The reason for the Gospel is wrapped up in the answer to that question. If man’s greatest need were for knowledge, God would have sent an educator. If it were for technology, He would have sent an engineer. If it were for finance, God would have sent an economist. If any of those were our greatest need, then there is really no reason for the Gospel. Our greatest need, however, is for forgiveness of sin and so God sent a Savior! That is the reason for the Gospel. We need to hear the Gospel message. We need to hear it desperately, and Paul, knowing this, proclaimed it passionately.

That is the church’s mission still. There is no plan B—only plan A—that is for the church to share the good news of eternal life through the Son.

We must share the Gospel because of IGNORANCE OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS REQUIRED. Paul addresses this in Romans 10:1-4,

1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Israel was ignorant of God’s way of righteousness. They thought that through their own effort at keeping the law, they could be saved. That is the thinking of most people in our world today. But, there was no reason for Christ to come and live the life He did and die the death He died if we could work our way to heaven.

Paul says that, “Christ has become the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes,” (v.4). He lived a perfect life and died in our place—meeting all God’s righteous demands. Yet, so many fail to respond to the Gospel because we are blinded by unbelief. It takes a miracle to give sight to the blind—that’s why Paul prayed, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved,” (v.1) and we need to pray similarly. Salvation requires a supernatural act of God. I can’t save anyone, but God wants to use me to reach them. Do you have a burden for the lost? Do you plead for their souls? I dare you to pray for lost souls and see what happens! Listen to the way we pray, however. It is usually an organ recital, and so much about physical need. That’s not necessarily wrong, but that involves life and death—while the Gospel involves heaven and hell! We spend more time trying to keep the saints out of heaven than trying to keep the lost out of hell!

We must share the Gospel because of the IMPOSSIBILITY OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS REQUIRED. That is the next matter which Paul presents:

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who
does those things shall live by them.”
6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). (Rom.10:5-7)

It isn’t just difficult to be righteous enough to get to heaven—it’s impossible! Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees we will not enter the Kingdom of God. Now those folks were extremely religious. I dare say none reading these words is their equal—and certainly none exceed them—the very thing Jesus demands. A friend of mine on the internet, Mark Lamprecht whom I know on Twitter as @hereiblog, put it this way, “The question is not, ‘Am I good enough to be a Christian?’ Rather the question is, ‘Am I good enough not to be?’ " You don’t have to be relatively good as compared to man, but utterly good as compared to God! That is impossible. The Apostle wants to know would you be good enough to reach up to heaven and bring Christ down or qualify to raise Him from the dead. No! And you don’t have to—Christ came for you and rose to justify you. This is the righteousness that comes by faith and only by faith in Christ!