How we explain the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those that don’t know Him matters. One obvious reason is that only belief in the truth about Jesus saves, so we must get that right. But another reason is that we are accountable to God for how we proclaim His truth.
In our last article, we discussed how important it is that we use the framework of the “big picture” of God’s plan of salvation for mankind. That requires seeing the Gospel message as beginning in Genesis 1:1. We have argued that the “Creation to Christ” approach to evangelism should be the norm among those committed to making disciples the world over.
The apostle Paul uses various terms to describe our responsibility towards the message of the Gospel that has been entrusted to us. One of those descriptions has to do with stewardship.
“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards (managers) of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1).
Believers in Jesus Christ are directly accountable to Jesus Christ for how they proclaim His message, how they explain the mystery that has been revealed through Him. We need to know what this mystery entails and what stewardship implies about our endeavors to make disciples for Jesus Christ.
Understanding the Mystery: The Big Picture Made Complete
Why is “the gospel/good news” of Jesus Christ referred to here and numerous other times in the New Testament as a “mystery”? What are the implications of the use of this term for proclaimers of the Gospel?
The Bible is the greatest mystery story that could ever be known to mankind. This Bible is one story, the mystery of God’s plan of salvation revealed. Through Jesus, the Son of God who became man, we understand what God has been doing throughout human history. Through Him we understand God’s plan for mankind both now and forever.
The Gospel Was Revealed Slowly
God revealed His plan of salvation to mankind slowly—over millennia. The full meaning of it was hidden until Jesus came, died, and rose again.
The Old Testament revelation was one of prophecies, types, and shadows. It included many pieces of truth that would later to be fulfilled and explained. When Jesus came, He did fulfill the Law and His life, death, and resurrection explained it. This is why the Gospel is called “the mystery of Christ” (Col. 4:3).
Through Jesus God revealed many things previously unknown to mankind (the Trinity, e.g.). Jesus became the culmination, the fulfilment, and the revealer of God’s full plan of salvation for the nations.
Previous to the coming of the Son of God, believers in God our Creator believed on Him for salvation with far less revelation. Yet they were just as much God’s children as we are (Hebrews 11).
The Eternal Gospel Encompasses All of Human History
This gospel of God’s salvation is called the “eternal Gospel” in Revelation 14:6-7:
“Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment is come, and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
This cosmic-level message has been preached since the Fall of mankind and will continue to be preached until the end of the age: repent and believe on the eternal Creator God, trusting in His mercy for salvation.
But we now know through the mystery revealed that we can only be made right with God through what Jesus Christ did for us in His own body on the cross. This is why Revelation calls upon mankind to repent and submit to the Lamb.
Understanding Our Stewardship
Proclaimers of the Gospel are “stewards of the mysteries of God.” God has put into the care of His people the responsibility of preaching, explaining, and guarding the content of “the mysteries of God.” We ought to have the fear of God about how we serve as caretakers of God’s message. We are servants given a great task by our Lord and Master.
Those who make disciples are stewards of this grand narrative given to mankind by God which Paul here calls “the mysteries of God.” It is in this context Paul says, “It is required (as essential and demanded) of stewards that one be found faithful and trustworthy” (1 Cor. 4:2, AMP).
With this sober thought in mind,
We must take the content of our evangelism very seriously.
Our concern with content must go beyond faithfully teaching truth. We must faithfully teach the Gospel as a story, a summary of the big picture. Understanding this big picture, this cosmic view of the Gospel, is crucial. These are the foundational truths of Christianity.
It is important that our hearers come to a genuine understanding of who God is, as well as who man is in relationship to Him, so that they can comprehend the necessary work of Christ.
Significant Examples from Paul
The apostles laboring among the Gentiles understood these things and serve as our example.
How Paul and Barnabas preached to the crowd in Lystra
Remember how Paul and Barnabas preached to the crowds in Lystra as he introduced the Gospel to them? They began with who God is, Creation, mankind’s accountability to Him, and the need for repentance.
“we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them…” (Acts 14:15-17).
How Paul preached on Mar’s Hill
Consider how Paul addressed the assembly of religious philosophers on Mar’s Hill in Athens. Notice that he began with who God is, creation, accountability to God, judgment, repentance, and of a Judge sent by God who rose from the dead.
“So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god…”
Notice that these recorded evangelistic messages did not focus right away on the life of Jesus or the cross. There were other foundational truths that needed emphasizing first.
We must not fail our hearers
The apostles, who urge us to take our stewardship of the mysteries of God seriously, also show us how to reveal these truths in our evangelism. They emphasized the first truths, the big picture narrative. By this they could later have a foundation upon which to explain salvation through Jesus Christ.
If we fail to explain the foundational truths of God’s revelation as He revealed them in His big story and go straight to truths about Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, we may fail our pagan hearers. Unbelievers are quick to fit Jesus into the grid of their present beliefs:
- thinking they already believe because of assent to a set of facts
- professing for some kind of personal gain
- not understanding repentance, what they are repenting of or who they are repenting to
- desiring forgiveness apart from a new life of righteousness in Jesus
- assuming a man-centered version of self-help or the prosperity gospel
- thinking Jesus as a more powerful deity among many
- seeing the Gospel as a formula for entering a new faith tradition
There are so many misunderstandings fueled by the negligence of teaching the cosmic Gospel narrative. We must be carefully watch over the treasure of the Gospel we have been given.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
No Comment