The gospel is still the answer. Recent developments in areas of our world, as explosive as they have been, have not exposed any new problems that haven’t existed since the fall of man. For a world filled with unrest, fear, racism and violence, the gospel of Jesus Christ is still the answer. To believers struggling to determine what we can do to make a difference, the gospel is still the answer. And only the gospel is the answer. Not one sin of the human heart has been eradicated by protests, political parties, politicians, legislation or social media posts. There is not a movement on earth that can cleanse away a single sin, but there is a Man in heaven who can cleanse away every sin (1Jn 1:7). The gospel is still the answer. The current cries in society for change, justice, reconciliation and equality are all met in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When we spread the gospel, we announce that change is both needed and possible. Humanity is helplessly sinful and hopelessly lost without Christ, and we delight to tell people that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2Co 5:17).[1] It is Christ alone who can touch the heart and change us from the inside out. We will never be the people God intends us to be apart from the life-changing power of the gospel.
As we spread the gospel, we advocate for meaningful justice and reconciliation. The gospel exposes the greatest injustice of all – that man should rebel against his Creator and crucify Him. And yet God has provided a way for sinners like us to be declared just and be reconciled to Him. Because Christ bore the penalty for our sins on the cross, God is able to “be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom 3:26). As now reconciled to God through Christ, God has given us “the ministry of reconciliation” (2Co 5:18). The gospel is still the answer.
While we share the gospel, we advance true equality. The gospel is for the “whosoever,” announcing that all are made in God’s image, all are sinful, all are loved by God and that Christ died for all. It is the gospel that declares, “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith …. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:26-28). The gospel is still the answer.
We have a message which addresses humanity’s greatest needs and longings for change, justice, peace, reconciliation and equality. The Great Commission doesn’t need to be updated or amended; it simply needs to be obeyed. And when we do obey, God will change one heart at a time as sinners come to faith in His Son. We still have the answer – “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mar 16:15).
[1] All Scripture quotations in this article are from the ESV.
