As ministers, we must understand clearly what we preach in its simple form so that even the least intelligent will grasp it without stress. If salvation is for all, then the focus of preaching must be to make the person with the least ability to comprehend understand it.
We have different ways to describe what we preach. We call it the gospel, we call it preaching Christ, preaching the Kingdom of God, preaching the Word of God and all these are correct, speaking of same message of Christ preached to save mankind.
Apostle Paul put it this way...
[My Offline Bible] Romans 10
1. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
6. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
7. Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
8. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Verse 9 is actually the crux of the gospel message. The whole discuss shows how man would need salvation and how man can get the salvation that is provided by God in Christ Jesus.
Let me say this, that except a man gets to the point where he sees himself as needing salvation, particularly from sin, such isn't ready for the crux of the gospel.
Even Jesus Christ our Lord Himself said He didn't come for the righteous but for the unrighteous because the one who is whole has no need of a physician.
Of course, that all have sinned by the reason of the old man and his nature within mankind is part of the preaching and should be made obvious to every one who listens, that rebellion against God has consequences.
But the way to forgiveness and transformation from being sinners to being saved is in that verse 9. Apostle Paul called it the word of faith which we preach.
It's quite simple even if it wasn't arrived at that cheaply. Christ died for our sins and was raised for our justification and believing that and consequently submitting to His Lordship brings salvation and redemption.
The message is of the cross and of His resurrection. If it ends at the cross, then, it won't be worth anything different from the messages from so many self acclaimed messengers of God who died, was buried and waiting themselves for the day of the resurrection of both the just and the unjust.
The resurrection of Christ gives credence to the message of the kingdom of God and to every word He came to preach and the revolution He brought to the way mankind is to reach God henceforth.
The resurrection ratifies the cross, telling the world that God had accepted the sacrifice of His only Son and that the price for the sin of mankind has been paid and now man can be reconciled back to God. We have peace with God through Christ Jesus.
The resurrection tells us that someday, we all will be raised in like manner either to judgement or into a new life in the kingdom of God. It tells us that there is something called the resurrection from the dead preceding eternal judgment and justification. That's why Jesus Christ is called the firstborn from the dead. Colossians 1
18. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
The resurrection of Christ is God giving us the assurance that mankind has a chance to be saved through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
The resurrection tells us that the blood shed was truly for the cleansing of the sins of the world and available for whosoever desires to be clean before God.
The resurrection of Christ tells us how the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is the final sacrifice and settled it forever the Way God has made for mankind to reach Him, if he wants. We no longer have to grope, wondering where the way to God is, the resurrection already settled that for us.
And so we preach this word of faith, that if you will believe in your heart that God has raised Christ from the dead and confess that He is your Lord, you will he saved.
We aren't sent to give to mankind another Way to God. What Christ did is the ultimate sin destroyer. If we are saved this way, sin will die a natural death. Nothing else can handle sin like what happened between the cross and the resurrection.
The cross and the blood took care of past sins ratified by the resurrection and the resurrection itself took care of the future as the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead also dwells in them who believe to quicken their mortal bodies against continuing in sin. Romans 8:11&12. The new life and the nature of God that raised Christ at resurrection is same we received, when we believe Him that nature releases God's righteousness and holiness in us to be released in our lifestyle daily.
Our own faith in these phenomenon empowers and emboldens us to preach this same message to the world. Inability to believe will make us preach another gospel like telling people to stop sinning before God can receive them.
If people would need to stop sinning before being saved, then they don't need to be saved because they'll be able to save themselves. It's like telling a person in shackles to first remove his chains before he can be rescued from the same bond. If I could stop sinning by myself, I don't need someone else to save me from sin. It is another gospel that makes nonsense of all that Christ did on the cross.
It is a message of faith in the efficacy of the cross and the resurrection to save mankind.
And if we will give the message a chance, we will see how powerful God is in saving man from sin instead of trying to do what we weren't equipped to do and wondering why we are failing.
Good morning servant of God, and Happy Resurrection.
Photo Credit: Joseph Redfield/Pexels
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