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!” (Romans 10:14-15)

The Hows Of The Gospel

God has revealed Himself through natural and special revelation so humanity can see His glory and worship Him. Nature declares the invisible attributes of the Divine, which can be discerned by anyone who sees the power of God in the world. This knowledge cannot save a person from the wrath of God because nature cannot reveal the special revelation of God’s redeeming word. God has always told man what he must do to be saved. In previous generations, the Lord revealed Himself in various ways, but now the message of salvation is spoken by His Son, Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the message of salvation.

There has never been a time when God left the world without His divine word. He spoke to men like Adam, Noah, and Abraham. The Jews were given the Law of Moses, while the Gentiles became a law to themselves, justified by faith. In Jesus Christ, both Jew and Gentile are united under the same banner of truth found in the word of God, the Bible. Two thousand years ago, the completed revelation of God’s word was formed and given to the world. Through a knowledge of the scriptures, man finds himself in need of God’s grace. The Bible reveals the nature of man is sin, and there is nothing he can do to save himself. Jesus died to open an avenue of redemption through His blood, giving those who believe in Him the cleansing power of forgiveness. From this message of redemption, the message of hope drives the soul.

The problem with the gospel message is that it is contained in a book written down so the reader can understand the mystery of God. To know the message of salvation, a man must come to the knowledge of the written word. Paul points out in his letter to Romans the hows of the gospel necessary to bring about salvation. Millions of copies of the Bible are available worldwide, but how many people believe it is the divine word of God? Most inhabitants of earth do not accept the Bible as divine. They do not believe it is the word of God. Their view of the Bible is unbelief.

A person will never find salvation if they do not first believe the Bible to be the word of God. The theme of the Bible is Jesus Christ. How can a man call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? That cannot be done. Salvation begins with hearing the word and believing the word. Reading the story of Jesus in the Bible does not guarantee salvation. The heart must believe the words of the Bible as divine. A man cannot believe in Jesus unless he hears the story of the Son of God. The knowledge of the word can be gained with self-study, but the agency always used by the Lord is sending a man to share the good news with those seeking truth. Angels will not come and preach the gospel. Men found men and taught them the gospel. The compelling message of the gospel is how men share the gospel with others.

Paul said the gospel was the power of God unto salvation. He spent the latter part of his life spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone who would listen to him. He desired to go anywhere to share the message of Jesus. Many people heard the word, believed the message, and, hearing the testimony of men like Paul, asked the question from Pentecost: “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Peter revealed the plan of salvation when he said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

The hows of the gospel are the way, manner, and method men find salvation. God has shown how a man can be saved. It is not only a belief, a good feeling, a good life, or a religious life. Finding salvation is following the manner of obedience to the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Luke shares many examples of hows in his book The Acts. Read it to be wise, and read it you must. Not everyone who claims to honor God will be saved. Only those who do His will. Do you know what God expects of you?