Good News, God’s Way: The Proven Method for Sharing the Gospel Biblically

Good News, God’s Way

Are you searching for an effective method to share the good news of the Gospel with those around you? Look no further than the proven Biblical method that has been used since the very beginning. By following this method, you can reach more people than ever before and spread the message of salvation with maximum effectiveness.

It all begins with the Law. Show others God’s standard of righteousness and explain that we have all fallen short of that standard. The Law cannot save us, but it does expose our need for a Savior. That’s where the Gospel comes in. Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world, and He died on the cross for our sins. Through His resurrection, He conquered sin and death, offering us salvation through faith in Him alone.

The Law and the Gospel work hand in hand to lead us to salvation. The Law exposes our sinfulness and our need for a Savior, while the Gospel offers us forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s important to understand the distinction between the two. The Law is a standard of righteousness that we cannot meet on our own, while the Gospel provides the righteousness we need through faith in Jesus Christ.

Ultimately, the Law can condemn us and lead us to despair, but the Gospel brings us hope and assurance of salvation. By sharing the Gospel in this Biblically sound way, you can reach more people than ever before and offer them the life-changing message of salvation. So don’t wait any longer. Start sharing the good news, God’s way, today!

God is Perfect and Holy

However, because of our imperfection, we have all fallen short of God’s standard and committed sin.

Matthew 5:48 CSB
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Romans 3:10-12 CSB
as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one. [11] There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. [12] All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one.

Psalm 145:17 CSB
The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all his acts.

Isaiah 6:3 CSB
And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth.

Revelation 4:8 CSB
Each of the four living creatures had six wings; they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night they never stop, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come.

Deuteronomy 32:1-4 CSB
Pay attention, heavens, and I will speak; listen, earth, to the words from my mouth. [2] Let my teaching fall like rain and my word settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass and showers on tender plants. [3] For I will proclaim the LORD’s name. Declare the greatness of our God! [4] The Rock—his work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful God, without bias, he is righteous and true.

God is Holy. We are not. Everyone in the world is a sinner. Period. Judged by His Holy Law.

God’s Law is Perfect and Holy

Psalm 19:7 CSB
The instruction of the LORD is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise.

Romans 7:12 CSB
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.

Psalm 119:142 NRSV
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is the truth.

1 Corinthians 15:56 CSB
the power of sin is the law.

1 Timothy 1:8 CSB
But we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately.

Sin Separates Us from God

Ecclesiastes 7:20 CSB
There is certainly no one righteous on the earth who does good and never sins.

Isaiah 59:2 CSB
But your iniquities are separating you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not listen.

Psalm 51:3-4 CSB
For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me. [4] Against you—you alone— I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge.

Isaiah 53:6 CSB
We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way;

Isaiah 64:6 CSB
All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

1 John 1:8-10 CSB
If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Why do we make God out to be a liar when we claim that we have not sinned?

Romans 3:23 CSB
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;

The Bad News: The Penalty for Sin is Death

Any gap between God’s perfect law and our imperfect obedience is called “sin,” which everyone has committed. We are all convicted and deserving of punishment. This is the bad news.

Romans 6:16 CSB
Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Romans 6:23 CSB
For the wages of sin is death…

Ezekiel 18:20 CSB
The person who sins is the one who will die. A son won’t suffer punishment for the father’s iniquity, and a father won’t suffer punishment for the son’s iniquity. The righteousness of the righteous person will be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked person will be on him.

Ezekiel 18:4 CSB
Look, every life belongs to me. The life of the father is like the life of the son—both belong to me. The person who sins is the one who will die.

James 1:15 CSB
Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

Romans 5:12 CSB
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.

1 Corinthians 15:56 CSB
The sting of death is sin,

Genesis 2:17 CSB
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

Every person that has ever lived deserves to die. Period.

Everyone Under the Law is Cursed

Deuteronomy 27:26 CSB
‘Anyone who does not put the words of this law into practice is cursed.’ And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

Deuteronomy 21:23 CSB
for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse.

Galatians 3:10-13 CSB
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed. [11] Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith. [12] But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them. [13] Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.

The Law Reveals Our Sin & Need for a Savior

Romans 3:20 CSB
For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.

Romans 7:7 CSB
What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.

Galatians 3:19 NLT
Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people.

Romans 5:19-21 CSB
For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. [20] The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more [21] so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 8:1-4 CSB
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, [2] because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, [4] in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Good News: God Takes Our Punishment

However, because God loves us, He found a way to reconcile us to Himself while still upholding justice. He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment we deserved on the cross.

John 3:14-16 CSB
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, [15] so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. [16] For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:8 CSB
But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 4:9-10 CSB
God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. [10] Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 CSB
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time.

Isaiah 53:5-6,10,12 CSB
But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds. [6] We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the LORD has punished him for the iniquity of us all. [10] Yet the LORD was pleased to crush him severely. When you make him a guilt offering, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and by his hand, the LORD’s pleasure will be accomplished. [12] Therefore I will give him the many as a portion, and he will receive the mighty as spoil, because he willingly submitted to death, and was counted among the rebels; yet he bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels.

1 Peter 3:18 CSB
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB
He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 Peter 1:18-19 CSB
For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, [19] but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.

1 Peter 2:24-25 CSB
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. [25] For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Jesus is Our Righteousness as prophesized in the Old Testament.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 CSB
“Look, the days are coming”—this is the LORD’s declaration— “when I will raise up a Righteous Branch for David. He will reign wisely as king and administer justice and righteousness in the land. [6] In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. This is the name he will be called: The LORD Is Our Righteousness.

Psalm 33:18-22 CSB
But look, the LORD keeps his eye on those who fear him— those who depend on his faithful love [19] to rescue them from death and to keep them alive in famine. [20] We wait for the LORD; he is our help and shield. [21] For our hearts rejoice in him because we trust in his holy name. [22] May your faithful love rest on us, LORD, for we put our hope in you.

Jesus paid for our sins once for all time.

Hebrews 9:24-28 CSB
For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us. [25] He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another. [26] Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself. [27] And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment— [28] so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Wow! God came to earth for us, slept in the dirt, and took the punishment that all of us deserve and then cleansed us of all of our sins. What an extraordinary display of love.

Free Gift of Grace Received through Faith

Believing in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the way to receive salvation and everlasting life in heaven. This is a free gift of grace that is received through faith, and not earned through good works or religious rituals.

Ephesians 2:8-9 CSB
For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— [9] not from works, so that no one can boast.

John 1:12 CSB
But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name,

Romans 10:9-13 CSB
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] One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. [11] For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, [12] since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. [13] For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Acts 16:30-31 CSB
He escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” [31] They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

1 John 5:1,5,9-13 CSB
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him. [5] Who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? [9] If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that he has given about his Son. [10] The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son. [11] And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. [13] I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

John 20:31 CSB
But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Hebrews 11:6 CSB
Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Romans 5:15-17 CSB
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift which comes through the grace of the one man Jesus Christ overflowed to the many. [16] And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification. [17] If by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:16-17 CSB
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. [17] For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Romans 6:23 CSB
the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Corinthians 9:15 CSB
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Jesus is at your door knocking, all you have to do is let him in.

Sealed By the Holy Spirit, Your Teacher

Ephesians 1:13-14 CSB
In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. [14] The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 4:30 ESV
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 CSB
Now it is God who strengthens us together with you in Christ, and who has anointed us. [22] He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.

Romans 8:11 CSB
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.

1 John 2:24-27 CSB
What you have heard from the beginning is to remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. [25] And this is the promise that he himself made to us: eternal life. [26] I have written these things to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. [27] As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in him.

Hold on to the Gospel Message.

2 Timothy 1:10-14 CSB
This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. [11] For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher, [12] and that is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day. [13] Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. [14] Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

God’s Infinite Grace Lives On in Our Lives

Paul’s entire ministry was to promote the good news of God’s grace.

Acts 20:24 CSB
But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.

2 Corinthians 12:9 CSB
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.

Hebrews 4:15-16 CSB
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. [16] Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

Galatians 2:14-21 CSB
But when I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles to live like Jews?” [15] We are Jews by birth and not “Gentile sinners,” [16] and yet because we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus. This was so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified. [17] But if we ourselves are also found to be “sinners” while seeking to be justified by Christ, is Christ then a promoter of sin? Absolutely not! [18] If I rebuild those things that I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker. [19] For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God. [20] I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [21] I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

1 Peter 5:6-11 CSB
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, [7] casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. [8] Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. [9] Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world. [10] The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while. [11] To him be dominion forever. Amen.

John 1:14,16-17 CSB
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. [16] Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, [17] for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Titus 2:11 CSB
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

Romans 6:14 CSB
For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.

Unbelief has Eternal Consequences

Those who do not believe in Jesus will pay the penalty for their sins.

John 3:18 CSB
Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

Mark 16:15-16 CSB
Then he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. [16] Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Hebrews 3:12-13,18-19 CSB
Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. [13] But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. [18] And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who disobeyed? [19] So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

John 3:36 CSB
The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 CSB
when he takes vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. [9] They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from his glorious strength

Revelation 21:8 CSB
But the cowards, unbelieving, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

John 16:8-9 CSB
When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: [9] About sin, because they do not believe in me;

Our salvation does not come from the Law, our obedience, or our works. It only comes from our trust and faith in the Living, Perfect, and Holy God, who saves us from ourselves and the punishment we deserve.

Good Works Does Not Produce Salvation

Good works is a result of faith in Jesus as our Savior. Christians do good works not to gain salvation, but to thank, honor, and obey Jesus, who saved us and commanded us to do good works.

Romans 3:28 CSB
For we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

Galatians 2:16 CSB
and yet because we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus. This was so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.

Titus 3:4-5 CSB
But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, [5] he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy— through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 3:8-9 CSB
More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ [9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.

Galatians 5:4 CSB
You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace.

2 Timothy 1:8-10 CSB
Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. [9] He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. [10] This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Romans 4:2-5 CSB
If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about-but not before God. [3] For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness. [4] Now to the one who works, pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed. [5] But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness.

Romans 11:6 CSB
Now if by grace, then it is not by works; otherwise grace ceases to be grace.

John 6:28-29,39-40 CSB
“What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked. [29] Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.” [39] This is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me but should raise them up on the last day. [40] For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Sola Fide. Or, Faith Alone.

Good Works Prove Our Faith is Genuine

Our good works prove that our faith in Jesus is real, but we are saved not by what we do, but by what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Matthew 5:14-16 CSB
“You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

James 2:14-18 CSB
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him? [15] If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food [16] and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? [17] In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself. [18] But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.

James 1:27 CSB
Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Matthew 25:32-46 CSB
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. [33] He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. [34] Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. [35] “‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; [36] I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’ [37] “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? [38] When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? [39] When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’ [40] “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ [41] “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! [42] For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; [43] I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me.’ [44] “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help you?’ [45] “Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ [46] “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Matthew 5:14-16 CSB
You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Ephesians 2:10 CSB
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

Titus 3:8 CSB
This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone.

Galatians 6:9-10 CSB
Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. [10] Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.

Colossians 3:23-24 CSB
Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, [24] knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.

True faith will result in a profound love for our fellow humans, and this love will be evident through our actions. God’s Holy Spirit will fill us with this love when we turn to Him.

This love comes from God not ourselves.

Romans 5:5 CSB
This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

God Does All the Work

Philippians 1:6 CSB
I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Galatians 2:20 CSB
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

Philippians 2:13 CSB
For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 CSB
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [24] He who calls you is faithful; he will do it.

Colossians 1:25-29 CSB
I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, [26] the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. [27] God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. [28] We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. [29] I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.

Hebrews 13:20-21 KJV
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, [21] Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

2 Corinthians 3:18 CSB
We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.

John 15:3-5 CSB
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. [4] Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. [5] I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.

This love comes from God not ourselves.

Romans 5:5 CSB
This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

1 John 4:7-19 CSB
Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. [8] The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. [9] God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. [10] Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. [11] Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. [12] No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us. [13] This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. [14] And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. [15] Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. [16] And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. [17] In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. [18] There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. [19] We love because he first loved us.

John 3:21 CSB
But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.

The Believer’s Triumph and Victory

Romans 8:31-39 CSB
What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? [32] He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? [33] Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. [34] Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. [35] Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? [36] As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. [37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Heart of the Gospel Message

1 Peter 1:3-25 CSB
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead [4] and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. [5] You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. [6] You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials [7] so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. [8] Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, [9] because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. [10] Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that would come to you, searched and carefully investigated. [11] They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified in advance to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. [12] It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—angels long to catch a glimpse of these things. [13] Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. [14] As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. [15] But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; [16] for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy. [17] If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers. [18] For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, [19] but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb. [20] He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you. [21] Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. [22] Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth, so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other, from a pure heart love one another constantly, [23] because you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God. [24] For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, [25] but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this word is the gospel that was proclaimed to you.

Words of Encouragement

As you go forth to share the Gospel, remember that love and respect are the key to effective communication. Be patient, be kind, and seek to understand the person you are speaking with. Remember that it is the Holy Spirit who convicts and transforms hearts, so trust in His power and leading.

At the same time, be bold and unashamed in your proclamation of the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, and it is the only message that can bring true hope and meaning to a lost and broken world.

So, take heart and go forth in confidence, knowing that God is with you and that the message you bear is the most important message anyone could ever hear. May God bless you and use you mightily as you share His love and truth with those around you.

James 5:19-20 CSB
My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, [20] let that person know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

The defense of the Gospel is how you can clearly tell those headed to destruction and that you have received salvation.

Philippians 1:27-29 CSB
Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, in one accord, contending together for the faith of the gospel, [28] not being frightened in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction for them, but of your salvation-and this is from God. [29] For it has been granted to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,

May you continue to seek the truth with a heart that is receptive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and a mind that is open to the revelation of God’s Word. As you journey on, may you grow in knowledge and understanding of God’s character, His will for your life, and His plan of redemption. May you be filled with wisdom and discernment, and may the Holy Spirit guide you into all truth. May you experience the joy and peace that come from walking with God, and may your relationship with Him deepen and flourish. May you always be reminded that the pursuit of knowledge and a deeper relationship with God is a lifelong journey that requires humility, faith, and a willingness to learn. May you be strengthened and encouraged in your pursuit of God, and may His grace and love sustain you every step of the way.