Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).
Commentary and explanation. These words of Jesus tell us about the Great Commission that He gave to His Church: to announce the gospel. Let us see, then:
a) The Great Commission of Jesus for His Church is to preach the gospel. As there is in Scripture one main commandment which is called Jesus's commandment, and it is: Love one another as I have loved you (John 15:12); there is also a special mission of Jesus to His disciples which is called the Great Commission, and it is: Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:15, 16).
This is the most important task that Jesus commended to His disciples; in this task is summed up the mission He gave to the apostles, and to everyone who will believe through them; for this reason it is called also the mission of the Church.
The Church of Jesus Christ (all believers) is on earth with the purpose of carrying out that great task made by its Founder. The Church has no other reason to be on earth but to announce the gospel of salvation to all mankind, and to be a witness of the gospel to the world. The Church has no other business than this: the gospel.
All believers are committed to that commission. To announce the gospel is not, then, a task or obligation reserved to pastors and ministers of churches, but an obligation of every Christian; all Christians must carry out this commission of announcing the gospel.
b) There is only one gospel: there is salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the essence of the gospel: believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved, as we have seen many times in these Steps.
There is not another gospel but only this one. Paul, called by God through His grace to preach Him among the Gentiles (Galatians 1:15, 16), is clear and strong when he teaches that there is only one gospel which is salvation through faith without the works of the law (Galatians 2:16); and anyone who would dare to mix or alter this gospel, must be accursed (Galatians 1:7, 8).
To teach that there was only one gospel was very important at the time of the apostles, because there were many Jews who wanted to mix faith in Jesus Christ with the obligation to observe the Law of Moses; Paul condemned that approach.
There are many even today that want to impose other conditions to obtain salvation, besides faith in Jesus Christ; of course, we must understand what is true faith in Jesus Christ. In Step 11 "b", and in Steps 19 to 29, it was explained which is the salvific faith of the gospel. The synthesis is: a living faith.
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I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).
Commentary and explanation. The words "I am not ashamed of the gospel" have the meaning of I will not be ashamed or I will not fail because I believed the gospel; with my faith in the gospel, I am sure and saved, and I won't be damned. I'll never fail.
The gospel has a salvific power. The power of Jesus Christ is manifested in the gospel, according to His words: He who believes will be saved. This means that the gospel carries out the salvation it announces; the only condition which is required is to believe.
The gospel is powerful to change the life of the believer; it changed the life of Paul, when the Lord called him; it changed the Apostles, when they received the Holy Spirit. The power of giving life which the gospel announces, and the salvation it promises, come together.
The biblical quotation of this Step was explained already in Step 11. As we said there, Paul tells his brother Jews: I am sure that with the gospel I won't fail, because the gospel has a salvific power; and, although the Jews thought that salvation was obtained through law, he (Paul) tells them that not even Abraham received the promise that he would be the heir of the world, through his works, but through the righteousness of faith (Romans 4:13), that is, he was accepted as just because he believed.
In Step 11 "d" we explained also that whoever believes the gospel receives justification, and that the just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17).
The gospel is described under different names. The New Testament uses different names referring to the gospel; some of these names reveal a particular aspect of the gospel.
Paul calls it the gospel of the grace of God. Talking to the elders of Ephesus, he says: I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24).
Paul emphasizes that the gospel is grace, because it comes as a gift from God; and it is grace also, because the salvation that the gospel promises is obtained free, by grace, not by works.
The word of the gospel is a gift of God. Nothing is required but acceptance, that man surrenders himself to God's call; hence it demands a change of life, a conversion. This is faith, as we have said many times, and its fruit is salvation.
It is important today, as it was at the time of the apostles, to believe that the gospel is grace, because, as Paul says: You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4).
Gospel of salvation. This is another name that Paul gives to the gospel. He calls it by that name in Ephesians 1:13, to indicate that, when accepted, the gospel gives salvation.
Paul uses also other names talking about the gospel. He calls it the gospel of God (Romans 1:1); and in 1 Timothy he calls it the glorious gospel of the blessed God (1:11). All this means that the gospel has a divine origin, that it is not human, like a doctrine from men.
In 2 Corinthians he calls it the gospel of the glory of Christ (4:4) and the gospel of Christ (10:14); in both cases he refers the gospel to Him who brought it to us, Christ. When he mentioned "the glory of Christ" he was referring, undoubtedly, to His resurrection.
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We were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
Commentary and explanation. In Step 21 we used these words of Romans to explain how through faith, in baptism, the believer is born again to a new life. Jesus, giving the great commission to his disciples, said: Preach the gospel. He who believes and is baptized... (Mark 16:15,16). He established baptism as the sign of the acceptance of the gospel.
When the gospel is accepted (that is faith), a new life begins: the life of the risen Jesus in the believer. Our Savior Jesus Christ abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (2 Timothy 1:10).
The gospel must affect the life of the believer, must change the person. If there is not that change of life (that is conversion), then neither is there faith or salvation.
One can never insist too much that the only saving faith is a living faith, true faith, that is, a faith that affects the whole person, the whole life of the believer.
Social implications of the gospel. Besides the personal change in the life of the believer, we could talk about the social implications of faith and gospel.
The gospel's message has, also, social repercussions, that is, it affects the relationships among all human beings. The acceptance of the gospel goes far beyond the individual change of the person; an evangelical faith transcends the individual level, and places the believer in front of the Church and of the whole human community.
Evangelical faith is not selfish, centered in oneself, but open to all mankind, sensitive to human griefs, and to all the fundamental needs of the human race. It is not possible to believe in the God revealed by Jesus Christ, without being involved with the needs of the whole humanity, and being part of its solution.
Food, as well as other fundamental needs of mankind, are part of an evangelical sensitivity oriented to its solution. War is also an object of serious consideration, because in Christ Jesus all human beings are brothers and sisters, including our own enemies.
Ecological dimension of the gospel. But, is it possible to talk about an ecological dimension of the gospel? In other words, does a Christian have any obligation of caring for and conserving the environment in which we live? The answer is affirmative.
Thanks to the progress of science we know the environment today, much better than a hundred years ago, or one or two thousand years ago; but the reality is the same: The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein, we read in Psalm 24:1. The whole creation is God's; everything that is on earth and in the universe, is from God; man is not the owner but an administrator of creation.
Hence we can say that the use of creation is under the scope of Christian faith, because creation must be used for the benefit of all mankind, and not for the exploitation and benefit of a few. As Christians, we can not be indifferent to the use of creation.
That is why we can say that the gospel has, also, ecological implications, because every Christian should use creation well.
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Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"... So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:13-15, 17).
Commentary and explanation. The Great Commission of Jesus to His disciples and to the whole Church, was: Preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). In this Step we are going to see how evangelization is carried through preaching.
According to the text from Romans we began with, salvation comes by faith in the gospel, and faith comes through the word; therefore salvation comes through the word. Here is the process:
Since the time of the apostles the gospel has been transmitted to all generations through preaching. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world, Jesus said (Matthew 24:14); and since that time the gospel has been preached to all nations, because there is no other means for the transmission of the gospel but the word, vocal or written.
Even at the time when there were not books but parchments, each one written by hand by amanuenses, the word of God was saved and transmitted by words in writing. The Jewish people revere the written Word of God which they call The Scriptures.
Paul himself wrote to Timothy, his disciple: From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:15-16).
Today also the written Word of God, The Bible, carries God's message of salvation by faith, as Paul said. And the biblical manuals which teach and help to understand the Bible, are of great support for the strengthening of faith.
The only way to be born again to a new life in Christ is through the word, because through it —the word— faith comes.
Peter said: Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:13). And James says it shorter, too: Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth (James 1:18).
In 2 Timothy 1:5, it is suggested that faith comes by ear, by the hearing of the word of the gospel, because Timothy's faith was influenced by that of his mother and grandmother; that is, that his faith was transmitted by word, at home. How important it is that parents talk and speak to their children the word of God!
Paul is very careful distinguishing between the Word of God and human words or opinions. Writing to Thessalonians, he said: We thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Instead of this, in other places he says openly that this or that is his opinion. For instance, in Corinthians, he says: Concerning virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:25; and also 7:40).
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It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word (Acts 6:2-4).
Commentary and explanation. It can be concluded from the quotation above, that prayer and preaching were the two most pressing tasks that the Apostles had. The material needs of the church must be taken care of; so, seek people able to do it; we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word, said the disciples who received from Jesus the great commission.
For Paul also his priority was the preaching of the gospel: Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel! (9:16). And a little farther, he says: Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel (9:16).
In his letter to the Thessalonians he put together prayer and preaching, when he says: Pray for us that the work of the Lord may have free course and be glorified (2 Thessalonians 3:1). He does the same when he writes to Timothy, saying: Every creature of God is good... for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer (1 Timothy 4:4, 5).
The priority for the Apostles was prayer and preaching, and today the priority is the same, only that this is forgotten very often.
The proclamation of the gospel is obligation of all believers, too. Although we do not have an express commandment of this, we do have the example of the first Christians.
Writing the Thessalonians Paul says: For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place (1 Thessalonians 1:8). The word of God had spread all over, thanks to the fact that everybody had cooperated in the evangelization.
The Acts of the Apostles talk constantly how the gospel was propagated all over, because the believers themselves were entrusted with the task of spreading the word of the gospel.
In Acts 8:4, we read: Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. And in 11:20, we read that, Some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. Rightly the good news of the gospel was propagated so fast, since every believer was an herald and preacher.
The direct participation of the believers in the proclamation of the gospel was a fact in the earliest church; and, if we don't hear that more often it could be an intentional omission, since it was an evident fact.
The fact is that the whole church, all believers, received the great commission of preaching the gospel. Evangelization is, therefore, obligation not just of a few ministers, but of the whole people of God.
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Now, Lord, look, on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word (Acts 4:29).
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit... that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel... that I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak (Ephesians 6:18-20).
Commentary and explanation. These are just two examples among many that say that the gospel should be preached boldly, that is, with courage and without fear. Other examples of preaching with courage and bravery are found in: Acts 13:46; 14:3; 18:9; Ephesians 6:15, 19, 20; 1 Thessalonians 2:2.
The New Testament registers not just the bravery in preaching the gospel, but also the total involvement of the preacher. That was what Paul, as well as Silvanus and Timothy did when they preached the gospel in Thessalonica: We were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives (1 Thessalonians 2:8). What a beautiful example of dedication to the gospel!
But perhaps one of the most important characteristics in preaching the gospel is that it should be with the power of the Spirit, and not with human wisdom. Paul said: My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power (1 Corinthians 2:4).
This means that the success of the gospel does not depend on human talents but on the power of the Spirit, because faith is not built upon the wisdom of man but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:5).
According to Peter, the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven (1 Peter 1:12).
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While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also...—Then Peter said: Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? (Acts 10:44-45, 47).
Commentary and explanation. As it is accounted in the book of Acts, chapter 10, Cornelius, a pagan man, but righteous, had a vision telling him to call Peter. Peter in his turn also had a vision telling him to eat any kind of food (animals), including some common or unclean, forbidden by the Jewish law. Peter didn't want to eat them, because they were unclean, but the voice told him: What God has cleansed, you must not call common (Acts 10:15).
Peter didn't understand what that vision meant, until some men sent by Cornelius asked for him. Jewish people ordinarily didn't communicate with strangers (Gentiles) but, because of the vision, Peter consented to come with them to Cornelius' house. Once he came there, Peter announced to them the gospel of Jesus Christ and, while he was talking, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and he ordered that they be baptized.
We can learn a lot of things from this biblical text, among them:
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