The apostle Paul addressed the saints in Corinth, saying, “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you - unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

Paul makes it clear that the Corinthian brethren had been saved by the gospel of Christ. In fact, it is impossible for anyone to be saved apart from the gospel, for Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). For this reason, the gospel was preached “to every creature under heaven” during the first century A.D. (Col. 1:23). In those days a sense of urgency was displayed by the apostles and Christians in spreading the saving message of the gospel to those who were lost in sin.

As a result of these efforts in the first century, numerous souls were saved and the apostles were labeled as, “These who have turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). However, today we may lack the same sense of urgency in spreading the gospel that they possessed. Too often we are content to keep the message of salvation to ourselves, and when we are confronted with the idea of teaching it to others, we respond by asking, “Why should I tell others about the gospel?” There are some very good reasons why we should seek to bring the lost to Christ. We ought to tell others about the gospel because:

1. It is “good news.” The word “gospel” literally means “good news.” Christ’s message is good news because it is “the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). Certainly, it is good news that, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). We ought to be willing to share this news with anyone with whom we come in contact. You may be the only Christian that some people meet and you may be their opportunity to the gospel. Will you keep the good news to yourself, or will you tell them about it?

2. We have a great responsibility. Jesus said, “‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’” (Matt. 28:19-20). While the command to teach all nations was given to the apostles, Jesus also commanded them to teach others what He had taught them. Therefore, the responsibility of teaching the lost is continually passed on to those who become disciples of Jesus.

3. We should follow the example of Jesus. Jesus took the time to personally teach people the gospel. A good example of this is seen in His conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4:7-26. Since we are commanded to follow the example of Jesus (1 Pet. 2:21), we ought to be willing to personally teach the gospel to others. We cannot claim to be “Christ-like” if we do not follow in His steps.

4. The church of the New Testament evangelized. We often wonder why so many thousands were converted to Christ shortly after the church was established in Acts 2. While there were certainly other factors that contributed to this growth, one of the main reasons is that the members of the church of which we read in the Bible were evangelistic. The saints would go to great lengths and overcome great obstacles just to bring the saving message to the ears of the lost. This is seen in their response to the persecution that arose after the stoning of Stephen in Acts 8. As the persecution became hot, the Bible says, “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). If we claim to be the church of the New Testament, then we ought to follow their example.

5. God desires that all men be saved. Paul writes, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4). Since no sinner can be saved apart from responding to the gospel (Rom. 1:16), we must be responsible for bringing sinners to the knowledge of the truth. As Paul puts it, “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?” (Rom. 10:14).

Conclusion: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise” (Prov. 11:30). There is no more important work than bringing sinners to salvation: “he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:20). Are you telling others about the gospel?