Part 1 of 2
Thrust Statement: The Gospel of God is a Gospel worth suffering for.
Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 1:3-12
3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers
did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my
prayers. 4 Recalling your
tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I have been reminded of your sincere
faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice
and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of
God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of
timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 8 So
do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But
join with me in suffering
for the gospel, by the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us to a
holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own
purpose and grace. This
grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of
time, 10 but it has now been
revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed
death and has brought
life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was
appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I
am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am
convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day (2 Timothy 1:3-12).[1]
Paul, in his Roman epistle, marvels at
the “gospel of God.” For Paul, the Gospel is the message about forgiveness
through the atonement of Christ upon Calvary. A cursory glance at the
proclamation about Jesus by Paul reveals his concept of what the gospel is all
about. In his first missionary journey, Paul discusses the “message of
salvation” (Acts 13:26) as something that deals with the forgiveness of sins
through faith, not works of law. While he and Barnabas were in Pisidian
Antioch, Paul addresses the message of salvation this way: “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know
that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is
justified from everything you could not be justified from by the Law of Moses (13:38-39).
When one has a proper concept of the Gospel of Christ, this appreciation should
generate courage and enthusiasm within the heart of the one who has faith in
Jesus.
In
Iconium, Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly for the Lord. Luke says that God
“confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous
signs and wonders” (14:3). They soon discovered a plot among the Gentiles
and the Jews, along with their religious leaders, to “mistreat them and stone
them” (14:5).
Upon hearing of this clandestine operation by the people, Luke informs his
readers that the two men left for Lystra and Derbe (14:6). Upon their arrival
in these cities and the surrounding country, Paul and Barnabas “continued to
preach the good news” (14:7).
For
Paul, the message of the gospel was a gospel worth suffering for. Is the gospel
for you a gospel that is worth suffering for?
In order for one to appreciate what the gospel has accomplished for
sinful man, it is necessary to briefly review Paul’s discourse on this subject
in the book of Romans before considering Paul’s mistreatment by the Gentiles,
the Jews, and the religious leaders. What is the gospel? Paul, in the first
chapter of Romans, goes right to the heart of the gospel:
I
am not ashamed of the gospel (eujaggevlion, euaggelion, “glad tidings”), because it is the power of
God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the
Gentile. 17 For in the gospel (ejn aujtw'/, en
autw) a righteousness
from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to
last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17).
In Romans 1-8, Paul develops the theme of justification by faith alone for the new aeon. Even though he stresses justification by faith alone in the first eight chapters, he, nevertheless, addresses the fact that all Christians are servants of righteousness. God is concerned about holiness in the lives of those to whom He has imputed His righteousness. Not only has God “saved us” through the gospel, but He has “called us to a holy life” (2 Timothy 1:8-9). It is through the gospel that God has destroyed death and brought “life and immortality to light” (1:10). But the central focus of the first part of Romans is how a man is placed in a right relationship with God. Thus, Paul’s stress is upon “The righteous will live by faith” (Romans 1:17).
In other words, Paul’s emphasis is upon the righteousness of God that is separate and apart from works of law, that is to say, a righteousness that is imputed (credited) to man through faith in Jesus Christ. Thus, the theme of the first eight chapters of Romans is: How can a man be justified? Is it by works or by faith? After Paul’s accent on justification by faith, he demonstrates graphically that holiness is the believer’s “spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1). In Paul’s dialogue of freedom from the control of sin in Romans 6, he develops the necessity of holiness in the life of every believer. In fact, he writes: “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (6:22-23).
Thus, Paul begins chapter twelve with emphasis upon holy living, not for justification, but rather, as the means of presenting one’s body as a living sacrifice, which is one’s worship. For Paul, holiness is not the cause of justification; but rather, holiness is the fruit that flows from justification. Once an individual is freed from God’s wrath through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:9), Paul then puts emphasis on the behavior of those who through faith are righteous. Christians are to be pure in their daily walk with the Lord. Paul also gives emphasis to purity as a way of life in his letter to Titus:
It teaches us to say “No” to
ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and
godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing
of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness
and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is
good. 15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and
rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you (Titus 2:12-15).
For Paul, redemption means a change of masters: “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:18). Paul labors this point about the new life in the new aeon: “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness” (6:22). Paul employs the word “righteousness” in two different senses in the Roman letter—God’s righteousness (1:17) and holiness (6:19) as one’s way of life.
Paul is stressing holiness—right living—as a way of life. He, no doubt, reflects upon Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as he deals with ethical behavior. In the now famous Sermon, Jesus says,
I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:18-20).
But the word “righteousness” (dikaiosuvnh, dikaiosuvnh) in Romans 1:17 is much more comprehensive than personal holiness or even correct teaching. This righteousness is the righteousness of the new aeon—the righteousness of God revealed through Jesus Christ. This righteousness in Romans 1:17 is called the “righteousness of God” because His grace provides it. In other words, the “righteousness of God” is God’s redemptive act in Christ Jesus our Lord. When Paul articulates the “righteousness of God” in Romans 1:17, he is not using the word “righteousness” as an activity on the part of man but as an activity on the part of God. Paul is saying that God gives us Christ as “righteousness.” This “righteousness” is not the “righteousness of law,” that is to say, law keeping, but rather the “righteousness” that belongs to God Himself. This imputed (credited) righteousness causes Paul to say: “The righteous will live by faith” (oJ deV divkaio" ejk pivstew" zhvsetai, &o dikaios ek pistews zhsetai).
The law of God can never, under any circumstances, be a way of
salvation, not even for one “in Christ.” Paul, in his letter to the Churches in
the province of Galatia, discusses the law and justification. He pinpoints the
issue in this manner: “Clearly no one is justified before God by the
law, because, ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Galatians 3:11). This
state is identical to the citation in Romans 1:17. Again, Paul
stresses that justification is by faith, not by works of the law:
We who are Jews by
birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ know that a man is not justified by observing
the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ
Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law,
because by observing the law no one will be justified (2:15-16).
Paul was ever conscious that “the righteous will live by faith,” not by perfection in one’s walk with God. For example, Paul clearly sets forth the inner conflict within his own being as he seeks to put into practice the commands of the law, but he bemoans the fact that he fails miserably. Listen to his autobiography as he explains his dilemma:
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin (Romans 7:14-25).
Paul differentiates between the “righteousness of law” and the “righteousness of faith.” He knew that salvation must be by grace: “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:21). If one is to have a correct understanding of the “righteousness of God,” without law, it is essential that one distinguish between righteousness as an attribute of godly living and the righteousness that is vicarious, that is to say, a righteousness that is done for us, not in us. This righteousness from God begins with faith and ends with faith, not good deeds performed, not through works of the law, nor through a correct understanding of all Scripture.
For Paul, the righteousness that justifies is imputed righteousness. But what is imputed righteousness? Imputed is from the Greek word logivzomai (logizomai), which means, “to put down to a person’s account.” Thus, imputed righteousness is entirely outside the behavior of the believer. It is the doing and dying of Jesus. Adding anything to this substitutionary work of Christ and calling it our righteousness by faith is blasphemy. Christians work from justification, not to it. Justification is the mother of sanctification (aJgiasmov", &agiasmos, “separation of the believer from evil things and ways”). Before justification, man was the “servant of sin,” but after justification, he is a “servant of righteousness” (Romans 6:16-22).
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS
Imputed righteousness is what the gospel is all about. What is the gospel of Jesus Christ meant to do? What is it supposed to achieve? Is the gospel merely to forgive sinners and deliver them from hell? No! The end of the gospel is to reveal an answer to Job’s question: “How can a mortal be righteous before God?” (Job 9:2). The business of the gospel is to make individuals righteous in God’s sight, to make people acceptable to God, to enable individuals to stand in the presence of one’s Holy God. How does God accomplish this feat? It is through the doing and dying of Jesus. It is only by the fact that one is in Christ that one can stand in the presence of a Holy God. Christ has become for everyone all that God requires of one. Paul states this fact very succinctly in his first letter to the Corinthians: “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Justification is the central purpose of the Gospel of God. In the gospel, God reveals righteousness apart from law. The “righteousness apart from law” is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The righteousness from God does not make void the just requirements of the law; rather it establishes the law’s goal. Paul reminds the believers at Rome of this very truth: “Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law” (Romans 3:31). It is this righteousness apart from the law that Paul calls the “righteousness of God.” Thus, the status of righteousness that the law sought to bring about is now realized in anyone who accepts Jesus as God’s appointed means of salvation. To restate this truth more concisely, “the righteousness of God” comes to one through faith in Jesus.
Can a man be just with God through law keeping? No! If one is “under law,” any law—Old Testament or New Testament—then before one can be placed in a right relationship with God, the law of God must be kept perfectly in every respect. James, brother of Jesus, explains obedience to the law this way: “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). The law condemns. When one is under law, then one is under God’s Wrath (Romans 5), under the dominion of Sin (Romans 6), under the curse of the Law (Romans 7), and under condemnation (Romans 8).
Freedom is obtained “through” and “in” Jesus. One observes that Paul alternates
between “through” and “in” in chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8 of Romans.
In Paul’s discussion of freedom from wrath in Romans 5, he says, “The
law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased,
grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also
grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through (diaV,
dia, “through,
on account of, because of”)
Jesus Christ our Lord” (5:20-21). But in chapter 6, Paul sets
forth the concept of freedom from the dominion of sin: “For the wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life in (ejn,
en, “in”) Christ
Jesus our Lord” (6:23).
Again, in chapter 7, Paul calls attention to the fact that believers are free from the law. How does this occur? Listen to Paul once more as he exclaims: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (7:24-25). Then in chapter 8, he again calls notice to the concept of freedom from condemnation. How does this occur? Listen to Paul as he once more stresses that it is “in” Jesus: “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). Redemption is “in” and “through” Jesus Christ our Lord.
How can man escape the wrath of God, the dominion of sin, the curse of the
law, and condemnation? There is only one way; namely, “in and
through Jesus Christ.” This is what
the gospel is all about. This is the whole
glory of the gospel. Why did Paul
rejoice in the gospel? Again, as stated
earlier, Paul gives us his answer: “For in the gospel a righteousness
from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just
as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith” (Romans 1:17).
In other words this righteousness from God begins with faith and ends with
faith—ejk pivstew" eij" pivstin, ek pistews eis pistin, “from faith to faith.” Paul develops this theme of God’s
righteousness in the tenth chapter of Romans:
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. 5 Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: “The man who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” (Romans 10:1-11).
In one’s confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and belief in His resurrection, one receives the “righteousness” that belongs to God. Even though one is justified by faith—in and through Jesus—God does not undo the just requirements of His moral law, but rather, He upholds his demands through Jesus. In one’s acknowledgment and acceptance of Jesus as God’s way of salvation (John 14:6), God imputes, that is to say, God credits to that individual who puts his/her trust in Jesus the righteousness of His Son. Paul captures this credited righteousness in Romans 4 in very concise language:
Yet he [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification (4:20-25).
Where justification is exalted, the law of God is elevated. Justification by faith makes the law and the sinner friends: “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law” (7:22). Every Christian’s delight should be in God’s law. The law of God tells His people how to live to His honor and to His glory:
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (13:8-10).
Even though Paul expresses his delight in the law of God, he does not delight in the law of God for justification. Why? Listen to Paul as he contemplates the terrifying aspects of the law:
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin (Romans 3:19-20).
He says that the law of God
shuts every man’s mouth, no man can boast. But the apostle does not leave man in despair; he gives hope to
sinful man. Having said this, Paul reveals how a man can be righteous before a
holy God. Immediately, he develops this
righteousness from God, apart from law.
Paul’s assessment of man’s situation is full of hope, he writes:
But now (NuniV
deV, nuni
de) a righteousness from God apart from law (cwriV" novmou, cwris
nomou, “without law”),
has been made known to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This
righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans
3:21-24).
“But now” is the heart of the gospel of Christ. This “but now” is how faith answers the indictment of the law, the accusations of the conscience, and everything else that would doom and demoralize us. There are no more wonderful words in the whole of Scripture than these two words—“but now.” No man ever has provided or ever will provide a righteousness that will satisfy God and the demands of his holy law. Well, is there hope for humankind? Can nothing be done for humanity? Is everyone irretrievably doomed? The Apostle answers these questions. How? “But now!” Yes, God’s grace provides the righteousness his law demands. The Gospel is about God’s activity of redemption for man in Christ Jesus. “But now” is man’s defense against the curse of law. This is the heart of the gospel.
The gospel tells us of a righteousness from God and of a righteousness provided by God that is in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus has satisfied the law of God on man’s behalf. He fulfilled the law of God perfectly. When Paul speaks of this saving, justifying righteousness, he means a righteousness that is external to man, a righteousness that is alien to man, a righteousness that is passive to man, and a righteousness that is imputed to man. This righteousness is so infinite, so incomprehensible that it is even beyond the ability of the angels to comprehend it. This imputed righteousness was so startling that Peter speaks of this awe and wonder of God’s scheme of redemption as even penetrating the angelic host:
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look (parakuvyai, parakupsai, “to stoop to look”) into these things (1 Peter 1:8-12).
God unfolds this alien righteousness and displays it in the gospel of
his crucified Son; Christ’s crucifixion for guilty sinners is the gospel. Justification is extended to man freely. It
is in this vein that Paul writes: “for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God, and are justified freely (dwreaVn, dwrean, “a gift”) by his grace through the
redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24).
Jesus
in one of His discourses to the disciples speaks of the hatred of the world
toward Him: “But this is to fulfill
what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason (dwreaVn, dwrean,
“without a cause”)” (John 15:25). Paul employs the same word (Romans 3:24)
that Jesus employs in John 15:25. One is justified “without a cause” on the
part of God; salvation is a gift. In this act of crucifixion, God
reveals his way of redeeming sinners and upholding his holiness at the same
point in time. Paul poignantly captures
this truth when he pens:
God presented him a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his
blood. He did this to demonstrate
his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed
beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice presently, so as to
be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:25-26).
IMPUTATION AND SUBSTITUTIONARY
ATONEMENT OF CHRIST
Justification by faith is a legal transaction related to God’s law and to divine jurisprudence. The idea of imputation (righteousness that is credited to man) is tied to the biblical doctrine of a substitutionary atonement (Christ died as a substitute for man). Imputation and substitutionary atonement of Christ stand together. The ultimate act of salvation is in the Christ event. Thus, it is fitting to call God’s redemptive act in Christ “the righteousness of God.” As stated earlier, this righteousness is furnished by God, devised by God, and made obtainable by God. It is God’s salvation from beginning to end. The prophets testify to this event. Jeremiah says: “This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6).” Also, Isaiah, through the Holy Spirit, writes:
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that
brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. . . .
After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light [of life] and be
satisfied; by his knowledge my
righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their
iniquities. Therefore I will give him
a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors
(Isaiah 53:5, 11-12).
There is a certain amount of repetition in this study of imputed righteousness. This repetition is necessary since this is a subject that is not readily understood by many believers. Not only is the “righteousness of God” (Romans 1:17) that which belongs to His Son Jesus, but this “righteousness” comes to every individual through faith in Jesus. Paul, in 1:17, is not talking about acts of righteousness, or the doing of good deeds, but rather the issue of “imputed righteousness”—a righteousness bestowed upon man through faith in His Son Jesus.
Paul speaks of this righteousness as coming from God, not man; he describes it as “God’s righteousness.” Very succinctly, he writes about a “righteousness from God, apart from law” (3:21). This “righteousness from God” is Christ’s faithfulness, truthfulness, and obedience to God’s law. These attributes of Christ are credited to the believer as his own through faith. Paul uses credited eleven times in chapter four of Romans. One should consider the following passages from Romans 4 to get a feel for this word credit (logivzomai, logizomai, “impute”):
David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:7 “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them (4:6-11).
The central thought in justification is that—although man clearly and totally deserves to be declared guilty (4:9-19)—God declares him righteous through the doing and dying of Jesus Christ. Jesus is “our righteousness.” Paul aptly stresses the centrality of the gospel: “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: Let him who boasts boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). Jesus is our righteousness, our holiness, and our redemption. This is the only means by which sinful man can stand before his God.
One can only boast in the Lord, not his works of righteousness. Jesus is “our everything.” Is it any wonder that Paul was willing to suffer for the Gospel of God? If one properly understands the Gospel, then one will witness an increase among God’s people. Is the Gospel of Christ a Gospel worth suffering for in your own life? Are you seeking to share your faith in Jesus with others? Do you really understand what the Gospel of Christ is all about? If so, then one will behold an outreach in his/her ministry.
[1]
All Scripture citations are from
The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan Publishing House) 1984, unless stated otherwise.