OBEDIENCE TO THE GOSPEL

By Charles N. Spence, Jr.

Of all the needs that human beings have, none is greater than the need for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the gospel souls are saved. Paul declared that the gospel ". . . is the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16). But what is the gospel of Christ? Some seem to think that the gospel consists of the basic facts of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. There is more to the gospel than these facts alone. Included in the gospel is the sinner's response: what ought one do to obey the gospel.

A man who claimed to be a preacher once said, "Obey the gospel" is never found in the Bible. He was obviously not a very good student of the Bible. In Romans 10:16 and 2 Thessalonians 1:8 the phrase "Obey the gospel" is found. But what does one do to obey the gospel? Some would say "Nothing." They say that Jesus has done it all and that there is nothing anyone can do to add to the salvation Jesus made possible. The point one must get is not what can be added to the salvation made available, but how does one receive what Christ made available. The Bible shows that one must have faith in Jesus as the Son of God (John 8:24). One must repent of his sins (Acts 17:30). One must confess Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:9-10). One must be baptized for the remission of his sins (Acts 2:38). Most people will accept all of these conditions except baptism. Most people do not believe that baptism is necessary for salvation. Some will even say that baptism has no place in the gospel. Yet, Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the GOSPEL to every creature. He who believes and is BAPTIZED shall be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:15-16). What more would Jesus have to say to convince the masses that baptism is necessary for salvation and that it is a part of His gospel?

To preach the gospel and to preach Jesus is the same thing. To preach Jesus is to include baptism. In Acts 8:35, Philip preached Jesus to the Eunuch; the Eunuch concluded that he needed to be baptized. Thus, to preach the man is to preach the plan!

The gospel includes, not only what Jesus has done for us, but also what we must do to obtain the benefits of what Jesus has done. Included in this is baptism for the remission of sins. Have you obeyed the gospel?