The gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). The gospel is a message. The power of God is in the message of the gospel. The power occurs only when someone delivers the message.
“Power” in Romans 1:16 is the Greek word, dunamis. Dunamis is ability. People will make the point of the English word dynamite, but God gave and gives the gospel, His message, the ability to save. That surpasses dynamite, even though it’s true that the English word came from dunamis. God provides more than dynamite. It’s His ability. He created with His ability all space and matter with His spoken word.
The problem of sin and death goes beyond human ability. The gospel goes beyond human ability because it goes with the ability of God. God saves people with and through the gospel. They are not able to save themselves. No one else can save them, but God is able (Hebrews 7:25).
If the gospel was an antidote for a sure death, undoing a deadly poison, you’d want someone to get it. The poisoned person and the antidote must come together. That means someone must deliver the antidote to the poisoned person. Sin subjects man to sure death. The gospel is the antidote. Someone must deliver that antidote in the one delivery system, communicating the message.
The sinful, dead and dying people need the gospel. However, they don’t know that or receive that reality. That’s different than a deadly poison and an antidote. When people know that, most would want that antidote. They don’t look at the gospel the same. The gospel to them is like the poison rather than the remedy for the poison. A majority won’t want to hear it.
Perhaps the delivery of the gospel fails most, not because of people not wanting to hear it, but because Christians won’t deliver it. They don’t know the gospel themselves well enough to preach it. Professing believers are afraid of the reaction they will get. They are not convinced to deliver it.
More to Come
Recent Comments