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Apologetics & Evangelism: A God-Centered Approach · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed thinking and this is the deep dive.
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Today we're diving into a genuinely crucial discussion, I
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think for anyone who cares about sharing what they believe.
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We're talking apologetics and evangelism.
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Our mission here really is to unpack different ways people
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approach telling others about the gospel and then to clearly
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distinguish those from a God centered framework that is well
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rooted in the Bible itself. The goal is to give you clarity,
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some real insight into what biblical evangelism truly looks
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like, especially especially if you aim to share the good news
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faithfully, you know, in step with God's Word.
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Our source material for this deep dive comes from a rich
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collection of theological notes and lectures just full of
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practical guidance on this vital subject.
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It really is a topic that touches every believer, isn't
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it? I mean, how do we clearly and
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truly articulate the good news of Jesus Christ?
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The material we've been looking through really sheds light on
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methods that sometimes can maybe dilute the core message, and it
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contrasts that with a very clear call to a God centered approach.
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So maybe to begin, we should look at a powerful biblical
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example, one that sets a kind of foundational model for
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proclaiming the gospel. Absolutely.
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And we're better to start than with Stephen's witness.
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You find it in Acts Chapter 7. And this is quite remarkable,
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actually, because it stands as the longest gospel presentation
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in the entire book of Acts, takes up nearly the whole
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chapter. And Stephen doesn't just, you
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know, list facts, He systematically traces God's
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historical dealings with Israel. It's a genuine master class
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really. And how to build a case step by
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step for the gospel? It really is.
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He starts with Abraham, which of course is a figure deeply
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respected by his Jewish audience.
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He recounts how the God of glory first appeared Abraham way back
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in Mesopotamia, even before he settled in Iran, calling him
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leave to go to a land God would show him.
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And what's striking here is God promised Abraham this land,
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promised countless descendants, even though Abraham had no child
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at the time and didn't initially possess, as the text says, a
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foot's length of the land. So this opening really sets the
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tongue. It highlights God's absolute
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initiative, his faithfulness to his covenant promises right from
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the very start. It's not about human
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achievement. It's all about divine action.
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Yeah, that's key. And he continues through that
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powerful narrative, doesn't he, touching on the period of of
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sojourning and then enslavement. God revealed to Abraham that his
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descendants would be enslaved 400 years in a foreign land, but
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and this critical God also promised he would judge that
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nation and deliver them so they could return and worship him in
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that promised land. This part of Stevens message, it
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speaks to God's long term sovereign plan, his perfect
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timing even when his people are in bondage.
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It shows a God who is both just and a deliverer.
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Then following that, Stephen brings up the covenant of
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circumcision given to Abraham as a sign, a marker of God's
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covenant with his people. And from there he skillfully
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moves to Joseph's story. Joseph, you know, sold into
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Egypt by his jealous brothers, but rescued, given wisdom by
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God, eventually rising to become ruler over all of Egypt, even
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Pharaoh's household. It's just a vivid demonstration
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of God's sovereign hand at work, even right in the middle of
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profound human treachery and jealousy.
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God's plan just cannot be thwarted by human sin.
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Then comes Moses, a truly pivotal figure in Israel's
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history. Stephen recounts his birth, his
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adoption by Pharaoh's daughter, his education in all Egyptian
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wisdom, making him mighty in words and deeds.
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But here's where Stephen introduces a really key point.
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At age 40, Moses tried to deliver Israel, but he was
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rejected by his own people. And Stephen makes a direct
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parallel here, comparing Moses's rejection and mistreatment to
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the coming abuse of Christ by their very own ancestors.
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This carefully sets the stage, doesn't it, for the powerful
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accusations Stephen is building towards.
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Later, of course, Moses receives God's Commission from the
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burning Bush on Mount Sinai, that spectacular display of
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God's presence, His specific purpose for Moses.
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Indeed. But despite such an astounding
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deliverance through Moses, Stephen highlights Israel's
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persistent idolatry in the wilderness.
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It's quite stark. They turned away from the God
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who had just delivered them, choosing instead to worship the
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host of heaven deities like Moloch and Refan.
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OK. And this rebellion, he points
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out, ultimately led to their exile.
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Stephen then transitions to the building structures for worship.
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He discusses the tent of witness in the wilderness, which was
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made precisely according to God's pattern given to Moses.
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He notes that was brought into the land with Joshua, continued
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until David's time, and then Solomon built the Grand Temple.
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But here's where Stephen truly turns the corner.
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He shifts from historical recital to, well, direct
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challenge. He directly critiques their
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reliance on the physical temple, on any human made structures.
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Really. He quotes the prophet Isaiah.
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The Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands.
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Heaven is my throne and earth my footstool.
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Wow. That's a profoundly significant
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point. It establishes A biblical view
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of God's transcendence, his inability to be confined by any
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human building. It just immediately dismantles
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any misplaced confidence or, you know, pride in the temple itself
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directs their attention straight to God's true nature.
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Exactly. And after meticulously laying
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this extensive historical groundwork, which you know his
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audience would have mostly agreed with and revered Key,
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Stephen delivers what our research calls the hammer drop.
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He shifts from shared history to direct confrontation.
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He proclaims it in Acts 7 verses 51 to 53.
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You stiff necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,
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you always resist the Holy Spirit as your Father's did.
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So do you. He truly holds nothing back
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there. He then accuses them point blank
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of persecuting and killing the prophets who consistently
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announced the coming of the righteous one, Jesus.
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And he says they betrayed and murdered in themselves.
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He also charges them with failing to keep the law, which
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they had received through angels.
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I mean, this isn't just a history lesson anymore, is it?
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It's a direct, stinging indictment, bringing their
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ancestors historical rebellion right up to their present
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rejection of Christ, making it personal, immediate.
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And the reaction as recorded, is immediate and visceral, just
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raw. The audience is enraged beyond
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measure. They start grinding their teeth
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at Steven, crying out with loud voices, stopping their ears to
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literally block out his words, and then rushing at him in a
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violent mob. It's a stark, almost horrifying
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portrayal of what happens when suppressed truth is finally
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brought to the surface and violently rejected.
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Yet right in this moment of extreme hostility, Steven, full
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of the Holy Spirit, looks up into heaven and sees the glory
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of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
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He fearlessly proclaims his vision and in response they cast
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him out of the city and stone him.
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Wow. And as he's being stoned,
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Stephen's final prayers are for Jesus to receive his Spirit and
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for God not to hold his persecutor's sin against them.
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It's such a striking echo of Christ's own prayers on the
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cross. So as we look at this powerful
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account, what can we draw from it for our understanding of
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evangelism? What's the big take away for us
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as we think about faithfully sharing the gospel?
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Well, Stephen, several key insights, I think.
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First, it displays a clear willingness to start with common
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ground, their shared history, their understanding of the
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covenants God made. However, and this is crucial, it
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ultimately culminates in a direct and unflinching
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confrontation of sin and rejection of Christ.
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No pulling punches. Second, it powerfully
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illustrates that faithful gospel proclamation can indeed evoke
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strong negative responses, especially when suppressed truth
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is brought to the surface. The message might be unwelcome
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not because it's unclear, but because it exposes A deeper act
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of rebellion. And 3rd, the gospel content
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itself, as presented by Steven, connects God's historical
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dealings with humanity right up to the ultimate work of Christ.
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It demonstrates a continuity in God's redemptive plan, showing
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that Jesus isn't just some new idea, but the combination of
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God's entire interaction with humanity throughout history.
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That's really helpful, and it brings us naturally to our next
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crucial topic, understanding the unsaved mind through what our
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notes call biblical anthropology.
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I mean, if we're going to share the gospel effectively, we need
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to grasp how humanity truly views itself and more
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critically, how God views humanity.
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This understanding really sets the stage for a God centered
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approach, doesn't it? It absolutely does.
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Yeah. From a biblical perspective,
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which these notes firmly uphold, man is seen as well depraved,
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culpable, void of the truth, and without final authority.
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This means there really is no ground of neutrality for the
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unsafe person. You see, they aren't merely
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ignorant or just passively waiting for information.
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Instead, the Bible says they are willfully suppressing the truth
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and actively rejecting God, even when they claim to be neutral or
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manually think they're good fact, the Bible's consistent
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view is that they are in an active state of rebellion
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against God. Right.
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And this act of rebellion is against what they already know.
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Deep down, our material points out that all people inherently
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grasp God's eternal might and his divine qualities.
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This isn't just a vague feeling that maybe God exists somewhere,
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but a recognition of His attributes, His greatness, His
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distinctness from creation. Romans 1 verses 18 to 20 makes
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it incredibly clear that God has revealed Himself so plainly that
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people are without excuse. And beyond that, Romans 2 verses
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14 and 15 tells us that the unsaved mind understands God's
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law within their conscience. They possess an inner awareness
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that God is holy and that they are sinful.
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They know it. They understand instinctively
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that actions like murder, adultery, lying, stealing,
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idolatry, these things are wrong.
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This inner monitor, the conscience, is defined in our
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notes as an instinctive, built in sense of right and wrong that
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activates guilt. I mean, think about it.
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Why do criminals run or hide? Why do unsaved society still
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create laws against these very things?
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It's because there's an inherent recognition of a standard that
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transcends human opinion. John Calvin famously described
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this as an inescapable sense of deity, a built in awareness of
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God that just cannot be shaken off.
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Yet despite this deeply ingrained innate knowledge of
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God and his moral law, humanity consistently denies it, rejects
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it, hides from it, redefines it, and suppresses it, choosing
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instead to exchange God's truth for a lie.
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This isn't just a passive oversight, is it?
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Our notes call it a very act of rebellion against the Creator.
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Yes, exactly. And this suppression occurs in
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two primary ways, as our research outlines.
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First, by adding layer upon layer of sin.
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Think of it like this. When a person initially sins,
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their conscience acts like an alarm, right?
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Warning them, causing guilt. But when sin is repeatedly
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engaged in, it gradually silences your conscience.
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It overrides its initial warnings, dulling its
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sensitivity. What God intended to guard us
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from sin, that inner moral compass eventually becomes
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covered in sin, making it less effective.
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Like, I don't know, a smoke detector with dead batteries.
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That's a powerful image, and the second way this suppression
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happens, our notes say it's through involvement in a false
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religion or worldview. This method sounds particularly
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insidious because it doesn't just silence the conscience, it
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actually changes the conscience. Is that right?
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That's what the material argues, yes.
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It actively reprograms it, causing it to affirm a person's
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perceived goodness because of their specific beliefs or
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rituals or adherence to a system.
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This completely reverses the conscience's intended purpose,
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which is to warn against sin and guide toward righteousness.
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Instead, it becomes a guide, encouraging people down the
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wrong Rd. giving them a false sense of peace or righteousness.
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Both these methods, adding sin or adopting a full system, our
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material concludes, aim to silence the conscience, and both
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are deliberate acts of sinful rebellion against God.
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OK, so the implications for evangelism arising from this
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understanding are, well, they're truly significant.
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The core problem we face in evangelism isn't really a lack
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of information or knowledge on the part of the unsafe person.
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Rather, it is the suppression of known truth.
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Exactly. Therefore, the goal of biblical
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evangelism, according to this framework, is to bring the
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unsafe person to a point where he is left with that excuse,
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where they're confronted with the undeniable reality that
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their refusal to repent stems not from ignorance, but from
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actively suppressing what they already know about God and their
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own sin. Evangelists, then, should aim to
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lure those two things that have been suppressed and covered to
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the surface, those two fundamental truths that man is
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sinful and that God is real. Which explains why questions
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like why is it wrong to murder or who is ultimately in control
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of disasters like earthquakes or floods can be so effective.
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They kind of bypass the intellectual arguments and
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appeal directly to that inherent suppressed knowledge.
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Our material reminds US powerfully that the word of the
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cross is foolishness. That's First Corinthians 1.8 to
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those who are perishing, not because it's illogical, but
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because they have suppressed the truth and replaced it with their
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whole life. It's not a knowledge deficit,
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it's a heart issue issue and active turning away.
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Therefore, the logical starting point for any gospel
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presentation, if we're truly aiming for God centered
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approach, is God's nature and His attributes.
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These are the truths the unsaved person already knows, albeit
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buried beneath layers of suppression.
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You're not introducing entirely new concepts.
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In a sense, you're challenging them at their fundamental point
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of error concerning God, building on that inherent
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knowledge that God has already placed within them.
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OK, so with that essential understanding of human nature
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and it's suppression of truth, let's now turn our attention to
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contrasting different evangelism approaches.
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We'll start with what's often referred to as missional
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evangelism, which our sources categorize as a non God centered
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viewpoint, particularly when it's definition becomes maybe a
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bit blurred. Right missionary evangelism
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often emphasizes what's called holistic evangelism, right?
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This use evangelism as inseparable from social issues.
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For example, in mission work the idea might be planting a church
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and a drinking well together, UN quote, with the underlying
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belief that one without the other somehow loses validity or
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legitimacy. This perspective suggests that
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you can't effectively present the gospel message without
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simultaneously addressing physical and social needs,
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almost as a prerequisite or an equally vital component of
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sharing the good news. Another term often associated
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with missional evangelism that our material discusses is
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demythologizing. This concept is broadly defined
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as freeing the gospel from cultural values.
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Our notes explain that this often applies to the concept of
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repentance, suggesting that the gospel as it's been
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traditionally presented has become too tied to, you know, a
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list of do's and don'ts in our culture, and therefore needs to
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be stripped from those implications to make it more
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palatable or accessible. For instance, interpreting
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Blessed are the poor in Luke 6 primarily as a social message
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about economic poverty rather than referring to spiritual
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humility or the humble in spirit.
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This approach, while seeking relevance, can sometimes, maybe
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unintentionally, diminish core biblical tenets.
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Then there's contextualization, which is the idea of planting
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gospel seeds in a culture so that the gospel is better
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understood. Now, this might involve using
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culturally relevant parables or analogies, but our sources give
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an example of how this can be problematic.
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Instead of the bread of life, a highly contextualized approach
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might use an analogy like Facebook of Life suggesting
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something people are dependent on now.
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Adapting language for clarity is good, of course, like maybe
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using tortilla for bread in the specific culture to ensure the
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concept of physical sustenance is understood.
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But our sources highlight concerns when contextualization
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changes the meaning of the gospel.
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Bread conveys essential physical sustenance for life itself.
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Facebook, on the other hand, implies something you choose to
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engage with a platform of connection, but not life itself.
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This is where, according to our material contextualization, can
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inadvertently dilute the Gospel score truth by altering its
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intrinsic nature. Right, the meaning shifts.
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There's also a clear difference, noted in the order of conversion
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and church engagement compared to what's often called
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traditional evangelism. Traditional evangelist generally
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follows the sequence believe in Jesus, then join a church.
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Seems straightforward, but missional evangelism as our Nets
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describe it often posits the reverse, belonging to a church
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then believing in Jesus. So the immediate goal in this
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model often becomes getting people to join the church, and
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this objective can then influence decisions about music,
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style, sermon illustrations, even the overall atmosphere, all
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geared towards attracting unsafe people.
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This approach is frequently likened to seeker sensitive
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evangelism because of that primary focus on making the
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church appealing and accessible to non believers.
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And this approach places a really significant role on
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friendships and integrating with the culture.
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Friendship is often deemed necessary to present the gospel,
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suggesting that without a pre-existing friendship, gospel
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sharing is less likely to succeed.
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Conversion is seen as happening primarily to friends of the
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church on the inside rather than to, well, outsiders.
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The gospel is kind of conceptualized as being present
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and lived out in friendships with non believers who are
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already integrated within the church community.
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The converts under this model are trained within a church that
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is connected to the culture rather than one that is
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distinctly separate from it. So the national outcome then is
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that the church comes to reflect the surrounding culture because
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it has a substantial portion of non believers inside of it.
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Interesting. Now our material offers a rather
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direct critique of this missional and also incarnational
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living language. The term missional in some
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applications, it says, can be useless jargon and quite frankly
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anti evangelistic where the gospel never even enters the
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picture. The argument presented is that
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evangelism is fundamentally about the proclamation of the
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gospel, a verbal declaration of truth, not merely about creating
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a certain methodology or making the church appear cool or
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appealing to external tastes. The message itself, its content,
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is paramount. And the concept of incarnational
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living is identified as problematic by our sources
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because Christ's incarnation was a singular, unique historical
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event, a divine act of God becoming man one time.
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The Church isn't called to replicate the earthly ministry
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of Jesus in that same unique sense.
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While social work and acts of compassion are certainly good
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and commendable things we should do, they're not Kingdom work in
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the specific sense of adding citizens to the Kingdom.
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That distinct activity of calling people into God's
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Kingdom is reserved specifically for evangelism, the proclamation
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of the good news. There's a crucial distinction
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between acts of mercy and the specific act of gospel
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proclamation. OK, this brings us to a
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foundational contrast that seems to underpin everything else
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we're discussing, man centered versus God centered evangelism.
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The differences between these two approaches sound profound,
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starting with the very point of contact you might try to
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establish with a non believer in man centered evangelism.
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It's often framed around the love of God as the primary
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attribute or finding shared sinful proclivities, like the
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example given bikers to bikers assuming a person is best
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reached by someone who shares their background or interests.
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Right. In stark contrast, God centered
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evangelism consistently begins with the foundational truth that
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humanity is made in God's image and more broadly, with God's
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absolute ownership over all creation, His creaturehood.
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This immediately establishes God's sovereignty, His
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authority, His rightful claim on every single individual,
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regardless of their background or current interests.
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It grounds a conversation in divine reality, not just human
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commonality. The view of God also differs
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significantly between these two approaches.
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Man centered evangelism often tends to present God's chief
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attribute as love, sometimes elevating it above his other
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qualities like holiness or justice.
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God is often portrayed as waiting for your choice or
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gently knocking at the door of your heart.
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Often presented primarily as a friend, which can sometimes
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inadvertently diminish his sovereignty or His Holiness
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maybe. That's the concern raised, yes.
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Whereas in God centered evangelism, both God's holiness
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and his love are given a proper and balanced focus, God is
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presented as a king who possesses all authority and
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actually empowers the will of those he calls.
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He's sovereign. Both attributes, His perfect
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holiness and His boundless love, are understood as essential for
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a coherent and complete gospel presentation.
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You really can't grasp His love for sinners without first
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understanding His hatred of sin. Makes sense when it comes to the
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view of humanity. A man centered evangelism often
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perceives people as fallen but with the ability to choose good.
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Our notes describe this as bordering on Pelagianism.
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That's an old theological view, right?
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Essentially arguing individuals have the inherent capacity to
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take the first step towards salvation on their own or earn
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it through their own efforts. Roughly, yes, that's the gist.
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And in this framework, man is often seen as seeking the truth
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but lacks the facts, needing primarily things like love,
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help, friendship, or meaning. Focusing on what are termed felt
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needs. Fundamentally, man is viewed as
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sick, implying a need for a remedy to get better.
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OK. But a God centered view
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according to our research. Sees humanity is fallen and
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helpless without God's sovereign intervention, without His power.
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Man has understood not just as sick, but as an enemy of God and
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hates the truth, requiring not just help, but complete
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reconciliation with their Creator.
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This view frames humanity as dead in sin, which completely
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alters what the cure needs to be.
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It's not medicine for the sick, it's life for the dead, a divine
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resuscitation that only God can accomplish.
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That's a stark difference. The view of sin also varies
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greatly. Man centered evangelism often
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consider sin as merely the result of mistakes or errors in
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judgement leading to a bad life, maybe characterized by social or
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financial problems or just personal unhappiness.
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It tends to minimize the offense to God.
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A God centered view, however, clearly sees sin as the direct
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result of depravity, A corrupted nature leading ultimately to
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hell. And crucially, it asserts that
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all sin is against God. Its primary offense is not
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against oneself or society, or even against fellow humans.
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It is first and foremost an act of rebellion against God
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Himself, no matter how minor this sin might seem to human
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eyes. This changes everything about
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how seriously sin is taken. OK, and in presenting Christ,
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how do they differ? Man centered approaches often
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highlight him as a savior from mistakes or simply a savior from
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hell, focusing predominantly on the importance of his death on
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the cross, sometimes maybe to the exclusion or de emphasis of
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other vital aspects of his work. Our notes say it often focuses
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mainly on Christ's priestly office, his role as a sacrifice.
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In contrast, God centered evangelism presents Christ as a
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savior from sinful nature and who stops humanity's rebellion
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against God. It offers a balanced view of his
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entire work, His incarnation, his sinless life, his atoning
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death, and his literal resurrection.
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It portrays Christ not only as prophet who reveals God's truth
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and priest who offers himself as a sacrifice, but also his King
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who rules and reigns. All three offices are vital for
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understanding the fullness of his saving work.
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And the view of salvation itself.
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This is where these differences really manifest in practice,
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isn't it? Man centered evangelism often
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sees salvation as accomplished by a decision made by an
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individual, maybe by saying a prayer or signing a card where a
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box is checked, implying one can then just carry on with your
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life largely unchanged. Repentance in this framework
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might be downplayed or seen as kind of an optional extra.
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Right in striking contrast, God centered salvation is understood
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as accomplished by an act of God, a sovereign work of
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regeneration, a new birth. This act is always accompanied
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by genuine repentance, which is a turning away from sin and
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toward God. It involves A fundamental
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lifestyle change and a serious counting of the cost of
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following Christ. Assurance of salvation, in this
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view, is achieved through obedience, which is seen over
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time to the consistent pattern of 1's life.
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Now. This obedience is viewed as a
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fruit of salvation, a natural outflow of a changed heart, not
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a work that earns salvation. It's evidence, not effort.
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OK, now after contrasting those various approaches, let's get to
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the core the four essentials of biblical God centered
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evangelism. Our research clarifies that
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biblical evangelism is fundamentally God centered and
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is at its heart a proclamation of the Gospel.
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A declaration. It is the believer's
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responsibility and privilege to share this message, not
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something exclusive to a priestly class or just the
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pastors. And it calls people to Christ,
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not primarily to the church. The message, as our sources
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states so clearly is not about how cool the churches or how
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appealing its programs are. It's about the very person of
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Christ and his work. Exactly.
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These 4 headings represent the fundamental messages that are
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proclaimed in a truly God centered approach.
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They aim to bring forth that suppressed truth we discussed
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earlier, ultimately leaving the unsaved without excuse before
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God. The first essential heading is
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who God is. All right, under this heading,
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God is first presented as the Creator and Owner.
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He is the One who brought everything into existence, which
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inherently implies His absolute ownership over all things.
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As Psalm 24.1 states, the earth is the Lord's and all it
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contains everything. This truth immediately
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establishes His inherent authority to give commands and
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to set the standards for His creation.
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If He made it, He owns it and He has the right to tell us how to
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live. Then God is presented as holy.
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He is perfect, perfectly holy, utterly separate from all sin
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and moral impurity. Just As for Samuel 2.2 proclaims
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no one is holy like Yahweh. Unique, set apart.
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This attribute is absolutely crucial for the gospel message
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to make any sense at all. Without understanding God's
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perfect, unblemished holiness, you cannot truly grasp the
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gravity of sin, nor the necessity and magnitude of
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salvation. His Holiness sets the impossible
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standard that we all fall short of.
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And because of His perfect holiness, God requires perfect
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obedience, nothing less. He demands absolute, flawless
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obedience to His law. James 2.9 tells us that whoever
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keeps the whole lot but stumbles at just one point is guilty of
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breaking all of it. Wow.
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That means even a single sin, no matter how small it might seem
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to us, is an offense against God's infinite nature and His
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entire perfect law. The standard isn't just doing
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your best, It's perfection. This truth really confronts our
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human tendency to compare ourselves to others or to
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minimize our own wrongdoing. It does.
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The second essential heading flows right from this who man
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is. Here humanity is seen clearly as
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a Sinner separated from God. As Romans 3 point down at 3.23
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declare without any equivocation, There is no one
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righteous, not even 1, and all has sinned and fall short of the
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glory of God. Our material stresses again that
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all sin is against God Himself, not primarily against oneself or
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other people. Even the most seemingly minor
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sins, a fleeting wrong thought, a small lie, are direct offenses
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against the infinite Holy God. This fundamentally reframes our
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understanding of wrongdoing. Right, and this sin results in
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A2 fold separation from God, as our notes layout.
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First, there's what's called judicial separation.
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This means a person is declared guilty by God himself standing
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condemned in his cosmic courtroom.
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This leads to eternal death, which is eternal conscious
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separation from God's presence and His blessings in hell.
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As Hebrews 9.27 soberly confirms.
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It's a legal verdict, a just condemnation for our rebellion.
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And second, there's relational separation.
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This isn't just a future judgement, it's a living death
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right now in this life where one lacks A genuine life giving
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relationship with God. This separation is characterized
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by spiritual fear, a lack of peace, and prayers that are
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essentially unheard by a holy God.
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It's akin to Adam hiding from God in the garden after he
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sinned, A profound spiritual estrangement from the very
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source of life and truth. You can be physically alive, but
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spiritually dead. And because of this profound
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sinful state, this judicial and relational separation, humans
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cannot save themselves. It's impossible on their own.
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Their own efforts, their good works, are utterly insufficient
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to bridge that gap. Even what we might consider our
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righteous deeds are like filthy rags in God's sight.
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As Isaiah 64.6 so vividly puts it, they are unable to restore
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us to relationship with God or to justify us.
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Salvation, as Titus 3.5 states so clearly, is not by works of
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righteousness, which we have done, but according to His
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mercy. This truth just demolishes any
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notion of earning our way to God.
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Absolutely. Which brings us to the third
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essential heading, what Christ has done, the good news.
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This is where the hope of the gospel truly shines.
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Here we present Christ's deity and sinless humanity.
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Jesus came to earth not just as a good man or a prophet, but as
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both God and sinless man. The God man Colossians 2.9
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proclaims that in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in
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bodily form. This dual nature is absolutely
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vital. He must be fully God to bear the
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infinite wrath for sin and fully human, get sinless to represent
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humanity and be a perfect sacrifice in our place.
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And He died to pay the wages of sin, since He's willingly died
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on the cross, taking upon himself the full weight and
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penalty for humanity sins. As the Corinthians 5.21 tells
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us, God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him
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we might become the righteousness of God.
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And first Peter 2.24 says He himself bore our sins in His own
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body on the tree. The single perfect act of
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substitutionary atonement on the cross undoes both the judicial
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and relational separation. It provides the means to bring
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us back to God. As first Peter 3.1 explains, the
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debt is fully paid. And crucially, Jesus rose from
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the grave. The resurrection of Jesus is not
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some secondary detail. It is a consistent and
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absolutely essential element in every single Gospel presentation
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recorded in the book of Acts. You see it everywhere.
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His resurrection validates his ministry and everything he
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claimed to be and do. It's the proof.
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It confirms his kingship over all creation and demonstrates
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His deity, proving conclusively that death has no power over the
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Author of life. Moreover, his resurrection is
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tied directly to our justification.
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As Romans 4.25 states, He was raised for our justification as
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the apostle Paul, plain to the eclairs in First Corinthians 15.
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If Christ has not been raised, your faith is absolutely
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meaningless. It is the cornerstone without
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which Christianity just collapses.
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Absolutely essential. Finally, then, the 4th essential
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heading, what sinners must do. Sinners, in response to greatly
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work in Christ, are commanded to repent.
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Repentance is not a suggestion. It's a central and fundamental
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element of a biblical gospel presentation.
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It's a command. It was consistently preached by
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John the Baptist, by Jesus himself, by Peter on the day of
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Pentecost, and by Paul throughout his missionary
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journeys. We see it in Matthew 3.2, Acts
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2.38, Acts 17.30. It's everywhere.
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This means a genuine turning from sin, a change of mind that
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leads to a change in direction, a change of life.
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And sinners must believe, confess, Yeah.
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Romans 10.9 states if you confess with your mouth Jesus
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says Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from
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the dead, you will be saved. This belief though is not merely
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intellectual ascent of facts about Jesus.
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It's not just knowing things about Him.
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It's a heartfelt trust in Him alone for salvation, a complete
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reliance on His finished work, recognizing His authority as
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Lord over your life. And this belief also involves a
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call to count the cost and lifestyle change.
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Salvation is never just a simple decision or a checkbox exercise
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that leaves your life unaffected.
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If it's real, it changes things. It inherently involves a
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lifestyle change, a new way of living that reflects a new
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allegiance, a new master. Jesus himself called his
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followers to count the cost of discipleship.
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It's not easy. Assurance of salvation doesn't
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come from just a one time intellectual acknowledgement or
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remembering a prayer you said once.
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It comes through obedience, which is seen over time through
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the consistent pattern of 1's life.
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Now this obedience is not a work to UN salvation.
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Let's be clear on that. Rather, it is viewed as a fruit
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of salvation, a natural and joyful expression of a heart
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that has been truly changed by God's grace.
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Just as a healthy apple tree naturally produces apples, a
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truly regenerated heart will naturally produce the fruit of
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obedience. So to kind of bring all these
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crucial points together, biblical evangelism is God
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centered from start to finish. That's the key.
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It is a clear proclamation of His glory in the gracious
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redemption of sinners, achieved by confronting humanity's
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suppressed truth about Him. It points to God as the
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sovereign Creator, perfectly holy, the one who demands
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absolute obedience. It then accurately portrays
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humanity as profoundly sinful, separated from God both
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judicially and relationally, and utterly helpless to say
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themselves. Then the gospel reveals Christ's
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unique identity, both God and sinless man.
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His perfect life is atoning death for sin and His literal
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bodily resurrection for our justification.
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And finally, it calls for a genuine, active response of
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repentance from sin and belief in Christ as Lord, leading to a
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change life that naturally produces obedience as its fruit.
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As you, the listener, consider all of this, maybe think about
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how understanding God's nature and humanity's true fallen
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condition profoundly shapes your conversation about life's
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ultimate questions. It really is about sharing the
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gospel with clarity, yes, but also with compassion and with a
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faithful reliance on God's Word, trusting God with the outcome,
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knowing that it is his work ultimately that changes hearts.
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So the final thought perhaps is what does it mean for you to
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embrace this God centered approach in your own witness?
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What does it mean for you to be a faithful witness who clearly
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points to God's perfect standard and His perfect provision in
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Christ?