Introduction:

God has only one gospel for a lost world, though a multitude of false religions hold forth a variety of fake gospels. As to its content, the true gospel is summed up in I Corinthians 15:1-8. Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, all "according to the scriptures."

Only in the Bible can we find an infallible revelation of the one true and living God, and of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Only the Bible tells us the whole infallible truth about in and salvation. A true church must faithfully declare the gospel, and redeemed souls must in faith receive the gospel, which in its fulness and purity is to be found only in the Bible.

Scriptures included in this week's lesson may be studied under the following outline:

1. Gospel of Devotion, Luke 4:16 
2. Gospel of Deliverance, Luke 4:17-19 
a. Salvation prophesied, 17
b. Salvation personified, 18 
c. Salvation preached, 19
3. Gospel of Dominion, Luke 4:20, 21
4. Gospel of Definition, Romans 10:8, 9 
5. Gospel of Declaration, Romans 10:10, 11 
6. Gospel of Desire, Romans 10:12, 13 
7. Gospel of Direction, Romans 10:14, 15 
8. Gospel of Design, Romans 10:16-18 
a. Salvation doubted, 16
b. Salvation determined, 17
c. Salvation despised, 18 

Notes on the Printed Text:

Gospel of Devotion, Luke 4:16.
Jesus was devoted to His Father's will in all things, setting a perfect example of obedience for His followers. Attendance at the appointed time and place of worship with the professed people of God was the "custom" of Jesus, and is a good custom for us. Reading aloud a portion of God's word as a part of public worship also is a good custom.

Gospel of Deliverance, Luke 4:17-19.
Salvation from the punishment, power, practice, and presence of sin is the essence of the gospel of God. It is the gospel of deliverance for unworthy, self-condemned, hell-bound, sin-blinded, Satan-bruised sinners.

Salvation Prophesied, 17.
As the angel reminded the apostle John, "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19:10.) From Genesis to Revelation, God tells us of only one Savior, the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed. Esaias (Isaiah), like all the other prophets of God, told of the coming Christ. (Luke 24:27.)

Salvation Personified, 18.
Personal salvation is in a personal Savior, and it is personal salvation that men need. In His deity Jesus is One with the Father and the Holy Spirit, but in His humanity He needed the anointing of the Spirit of God to perform His mission. The prophet (Isaiah 61:1, 2) by divine inspiration foresaw the coming of just such a Person for the salvation of lost sinners. Sound doctrines of salvation are precious for the very reason that they point us to the one Person having power to save.

Salvation Preached, 19.
Elsewhere (Isaiah 49:8; II Corinthians 6:2) "the acceptable year of the Lord" is called the acceptable or accepted time and "the day of salvation." In John 5:25 Jesus calls it "the hour," emphasizing the shortness of the time "when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." In a sense, the anointing of Jesus was unique (John 3:34), but in a wider sense all genuine children of God have an anointing that teaches them all things (I John 2:20, 27), including the fact that there is a limited time in which lost sinners can be saved. If we have the Spirit of Christ, we must preach the same message that Christ preached.

Gospel of Dominion, Lube 4:20, 21.
Ordinary preachers of the word of God may be able to preach with the Book closed if their minds and hearts are well stocked with its contents. Jesus had no difficulty doing so because He Himself is the Author of the Book. The initial attention given Him by the audience may have been no more than that usually given to a speaker by a respectful congregation, but it may serve to remind us that Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth, always worthy of our utmost attention, as He holds dominion over all. On this occasion He lost no time and wasted no words hi declaring that the prophecy He had read was fulfilled by Himself.

Gospel of Definition, Romans 10:8, 9.
Here the word of faith that brings salvation is quite simply defined. It is as near as mind and heart. Two points need special attention. First, something more than head-knowledge is required.

Second, saving faith is faith in the resurrected Christ.

Gospel of Declaration, Romans 10:10, 11.
Heartfelt faith will make itself known. Secret disciples cannot remain secret. No matter what the pretensions of some professed Christians who are ashamed of Christ, the scripture remains true: "Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."

Gospel of Desire, Romans 10:12, 13.
Although of course there are other differences between them, "there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek" so far as salvation is concerned. Both alike are lost, and both can be saved the same way. Salvation is for sinners who realize their lost condition and have sufficient desire for salvation to ask God for it. From context it is clear that this calling "upon the name of the Lord" necessarily involves a genuine faith in Jesus Christ.

Gospel of Direction, Romans 10:14, 15.
Lost souls are lost, and therefore need direction. This fact seems simple and obvious enough. Ordinarily we do not think of feet as being beautiful; but to a person who has lost his way and is led to safety, even the feet of his guide are beautiful.

Gospel of Design, Romans 10:16-18.
To the eye and ear of faith, all creation shows forth the greatness of its Creator and testifies to His infinite goodness. Only the blinding power of sin and Satan II Corinthian 4:4) prevents lost sinners from learning of the goodness of God declared by the design of His works as well as His word, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:20.)

Salvation Doubted, 16.
Even when the gospel is expressed in plain words (and what could be plainer than Isaiah 53?), most people refuse to believe it. It is no wonder that depraved minds will not infer the goodness of God from His works, when they doubt even the goodness of His word.

Salvation Determined, 17.
Faith does not come from human reasoning or argument, but (instrumentally) simply from hearing the word of God. Let us then preach this word, by voice and by print, with or without the help of every means of communication known to man, because it is His written word that God uses in giving saving faith to lost sinners. "The scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given, to them that believe." (Galatians 3:22.)

Salvation Despised, 18.
Quoting from Psalm 19, the apostle notes the testimony of nature to the existence of nature's God, a testimony that has been recognized even by heathen philosophers. This testimony of nature is enough to condemn, but not enough to save. (Romans 1:18-25; 2:12; 3:23.)

Key Verse:
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God-unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." - Romans 1:16.

Scorn and contempt of unbelievers need not disturb us: he laughs best who laughs last. (Psalm 2:4.) Best of all, it is the gospel of Christ that is God's power for salvation. - not to all men, but to every one that believes, whether Jew or Greek. Let us then rejoice in the message that brought salvation to us and can bring it to others if they will but believe.

============

[From Ashland Avenue Baptist newspaper, May 12, 1972, pp. 2-3. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]

---

More NT Sunday School Lessons
Baptist History Homepage