The doctrine that compels us to share the gospel as much and as widely as we can is the return of our Lord. We do not know when he will return, of course, but it could be very soon, so we want to do our part to extend Christ’s active lordship into as many lives as possible in the time we have.
J. I. Packer, in addressing the question of how we know we are doing biblical evangelism, says this: “The way to tell whether in fact you are evangelizing is not to ask whether conversions are known to have resulted from your witness. It is to ask whether you are faithfully making known the gospel message.”
What is that gospel message? It is that Jesus died to save sinners, shedding His blood on the cross as our sacrifice and our substitute. What is the response to the gospel message? It is repentance and faith, faith that Jesus has done all that is necessary to save us. Put your hope in Him, the one who is coming soon — remembering that after He comes, judgment follows.
This post is an excerpt from the Guide to Evangelism, edited by Southern Seminary. It is used with permission. You can purchase this resource in its entirety here.
