The gospel is the greatest message the world has ever received.  It is the message about Jesus. It tells the story of Him giving up heaven, taking on the form of a servant by being born in the likeness of men, and ultimately showing His obedience by dying on the cross (Philippians 2:7-8).  Of course, if the story ended there, it would not have been good news at all.  Thankfully, it did not.

By the power of God, He was raised from the dead for our justification (Romans 4:25).  Let us not overlook the significance of justification.  To be justified is to be acquitted of our sins, that is, to be declared not guilty in the court of heaven.  It is not that we are innocent.  The Bible teaches that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23).  However, God, by His marvelous grace, set forth a plan of salvation that included the shedding of blood by His beloved Son.  This sacrifice made by Jesus, allows us to have our sins covered.

In the earlier portion of Romans 4, Paul quoted David referring to those who are blessed for having their sins covered (Psalms 32:2-3).  David was not referring to God ignoring anyone’s sins, but to the time when the Savior would shed His blood for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:28).  That is the gospel.  Jesus Christ tasting death for the sins of the world (Hebrews 2:9),  is the message that the gospel tells, and this is the message that we should be committed to telling to as many people as we can.

This world is dominated by sin.  Most people who have been born into this world have died in their sins.  At any given time in history, people who are saved are few compared to those who are lost because they do have a right relationship with God.  Jesus was very clear about this.

Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV)
¹³ “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Only a few will obtain life in the end, that is, those who hear the gospel and obey it.  The reasoning of Paul concerning this is sound.

Romans 10:14 (ESV)
¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

As Christians, we are the “someone” who needs to do the preaching.  We are surrounded by people who are lost.  That alone should be our call to action.  There are friends, family, and even foes, who need to hear the gospel of Christ.  The one thing we know for sure is that those who are lost will never be saved apart from the gospel, and, as Paul indicated, without those willing to spread the good news, they will never hear it.

It may be true that, on rare occasions, people pick up a Bible and come to some conclusions about salvation all by themselves.  That might lead them to visit one of our assemblies.  However, generally speaking, people are not going to hear the gospel without Christians being willing to go to them.

While interest in spiritual things has fallen in recent years, the harvest is still plentiful (Luke 10:2).  The problem, according to Jesus, is that the laborers are few.  That continues to be the case today.  Will you be a laborer?  There are too many of us standing on the sidelines, ignoring the call from those without.  Let us be a part of the few who are working to help God save as many souls as possible.  After all, their only hope is our willingness to preach the Word.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.