GOSPEL, The, Lemuel Potter The gospel is good news, glad tidings,—the joyful intelligence of salvation through a crucified and risen Savior. It is called the gospel of God. “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,” Rom. 1:1.
It is also called the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek,” Rom. 1:16.
It is called the gospel of salvation. “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in who also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,” Eph. 1:13.
In another place it is called the gospel of peace. “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace,”
Eph. 4:15. Paul, in speaking of what had been committed to his trust, called it a glorious gospel. 1 Tim. 1:11.
Thus we have the Bible definition of the gospel that we are to preach in all the world to every creature. It was this gospel that our Lord commanded his disciples to go into all the world and preach to every creature. We understand from the commission that we are required to preach the gospel to all, both saint and sinner.
We are aware of the fact that we are often accused of not preaching to any but believers. The apostle says, “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God,” 1 Cor. 1:22,23,24.
Here is a plain, positive declaration of the apostle, that they preached the same gospel to the Jews and to the Greeks, to whom it was a stumbling block, and foolishness, that they preached to them that are called. The effect was different but the preaching was the same.
The gospel does contain invitations; but, as a rule, the majority of ministers fail to discern that it discriminates between the character of men in every invitation it makes. It never gives an invitation without describing the character it invites. In the invitation, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price,” Isa. 40:1. The thirsty are the ones invited. If none are thirsty, none are invited; if all are thirsty, all are invited; and the invitation extends just so far, and no farther than to the thirsty.
The same invitation is made in John 7:37; Rev. 22:17. In Matt. 11:28, we have another invitation to all that labor, and are heavy laden. Hence it would be wrong in any of us to conclude that the gospel had no invitations in it, and just as great a wrong for any to claim that those invitations are general.
There is not one gospel invitation in the Bible, that does not describe the character it invites. But the Arminian world seems to think they have a work to do that we have failed so far to find a Bible warrant for, and that is, they think it is the business of God’s ministers to make people thirsty, and then invite them to come to the Lord.
We deem it the business of God’s ministers to invite those who are thirsty. But the gospel is not made up merely by invitations, and, as some would be proud to lug into it, propositions, that is, it is not merely an offer of salvation to the world, for it is not an offer of salvation at all. It is a proclamation of salvation through Christ.
One grand reason why men make so many mistakes as to the object of preaching the gospel, is because they fail to arrive at a proper conclusion of what it is. The primary object of the gospel is to encourage and comfort the children of God; and they derive their comfort from what it proclaims to them,—not what it proposes to them on conditions.
The Lord say, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins,” Isa. 40:1,2.
Here is a proclamation, and not a proposition, to the children of God. The object is to comfort. When our Lord ascended he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. “And he gave some apostles, and some, prophets, and some, evangelists, and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
We are often asked the question, what is the use of preaching, if your doctrine be true?” There are four different objects for preaching the gospel in the above quotation, and not one of them is for the making of saints.
One is for the perfecting of the saints. The perfecting of the saints is to give them all the instruction in righteousness, that they may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works. It always directs their minds to a crucified Savior, as suitably adapted to their case, and that freely supplies all their wants. It reminds them of all his ordinances, and their obligations to observe them; it teaches them to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world.
When they see that there is no worthiness in themselves, and that Jesus has bestowed all his worthiness on them, freely, without any consideration on their part, and they are made to view him as altogether lovely, and that his ways are perfectly just and right, and that there is a beauty in holiness, as well as joys that the world is utterly incapable of giving, and they are led to an implicit confidence in him and his word, they are then willing and able to conform to his will, in obeying all the injunctions of his gospel.
The ministry is to point all these out to the saints and present to them all the blessed promises of the gospel, with a description of the evidences of Christianity, and how they are to be tested. In this, it is for the perfecting of the saints.
It is for the edifying of the body of Christ. To edify is to build up in knowledge and piety. In this edification the saints mutually hold sweet communion with one another, their company becomes pleasant, and their fellowship is strengthened. “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another,” Rom. 14:19. “Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification,” Rom. 15:2. “Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church,” 1 Cor. 14:12.
Read the 26th verse, same chapter: How is it then, brethren, when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation? Let all things be done to edifying.” Again, “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as ye do,” 1 Thess. 5:11.
Again, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works,” Heb.10:24. Here is the edification of the body of Christ, and this is one of the objects of the ministry. This noble work is to be performed by the Lord’s ministers, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. What a glorious gift has the minister of Christ! He has news to tell the children of God that in its very nature is calculated to draw them together as one man.
Built up in the most holy faith of God’s elect, they willingly and zealously contend for “the faith once delivered to the saints.” And the ultimatum of the matter is, “That we be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”
The Savior, when he was here with his disciples charged them, saying, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees,” Matt. 16:6. He had allusion to their doctrine. The apostle considered it a matter of great importance that the saints be saved from false doctrine. He says, “But though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed,” Gal. 1:8.
The gospel discriminates between the doctrine of Christ, and the false doctrines. This is one of its grand objects. The apostle John makes an urgent appeal to the church, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world,” 1 John 4:1.
Then, in view of the fact that the world is full of false teachers, and that the children of God cannot glorify God in the belief of false doctrines; and that, although they may rejoice in it for the present, it never looks farther ahead than this life; while the doctrine of Christ is repulsive to the world, yet in the enjoyment of the hearty belief of that doctrine, they can look far beyond all things that pertain to this life, and enjoy all the glorious promises of the gospel, what an important work is preaching the gospel!
It is in this way that God by the foolishness of preaching saves them that believe. Hence it is that even according to the position occupied by us, there are abundant reasons for the preaching of the gospel to the saints. It seems to us that the man that would ask us the question, “What is the use of preaching?” with all these thing before him, does not think it a matter of much importance what a man believes.
Indeed, we often hear them say that they do not think it matters what a man believes, so he is honest in it. Then we ask in all candor and sincerity, why make such a noise about the heathen? They believe in idolatry, but they are honest in that faith. We think it a matter of considerable importance that the church of God hold tenaciously to the doctrine of God our Savior. The great apostle thought it a matter of so vast importance that he gave a very solemn charge to Timothy, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus, who shall judge the quick and dead, at his appearing and kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season; out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables,” 2 Tim. 4:1,4.
It sometimes occurs to us that the more unpopular the truth is, the farther some, even who profess to be Baptists, are from wanting to preach it. If there was ever a time when it was proper to oppose error, it is when that error is prevalent. One reason that Paul gave the charge as he did to Timothy was because he knew the time was coming when it would not be endured.
Brethren, let us never be ashamed to preach the doctrine of Christ. But let us contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. By so doing, we save the church from false doctrine. Sound doctrine never has killed a church, but the want of it has. Sound practice never killed a church, but the want of it has. Sound preaching is more likely to produce sound practice than anything else.
The object of the gospel is a subject of no little controversy among men in the world. While the Arminian world holds that it is the medium through which God offers salvation to the race of mankind, they generally make the impression that it is the only means of giving life to the sinner. Or, in other words, that it is absolutely essential in the work of quickening the sinner into divine life. While they succeed in making their people believe this they have a good plea for their missionary organizations. They tell the people in their Bible lectures, that hundreds and thousands of souls are now writhing in hell, simply because they were not blessed with the Bible and preachers. In this they limit the salvation of God exclusively to those people whose lots have been cast in a land of Bibles. Their theory damns all those who have died in heathenism, and that without any chance of salvation.
We are far from believing that God has wrapped himself up in the Bible and the preacher. He is limited in nothing! It is the Spirit that quickens the sinner into divine life, and to limit the work of the Spirit to the proclamation of the gospel, as the Campbellites and Missionary Baptists do, together with all others who hold that the gospel and Bible are essential to the conversion of sinners, is to deny the omnipresence of God.
It is also to limit his power, and according to that position, he should not have made the promise that he did to Abraham; that in him, and his seed should all the nations of the earth be blessed. For if there is a nation of earth among whom there are no believers, the promise fails; for believers are the seed of Abraham.
The literal Jews were the literal descendants, or literal seed of Abraham, but they were only one small nation. It could not have been that it was with those that all nations were to be blessed; but the apostle lets us know that believers are the seed of Abraham. Then believers are to bless all nations of the earth—not merely where the Bible and missionaries get to, but all nations.
But where the gospel is preached, it is hid to some. The apostle says, “But if our gospel is hid, it is hid to them that are lost,” 2 Cor. 2:3. If they were so blinded that the gospel could not shine into them, and the Spirit of God could not operate in their hearts, unless it was through, or by the means of the gospel, then they were beyond the reach of ever being converted. Who are they that the gospel is hid to? Them that are lost.” (Lemuel Potter)