Remembering The Gospel

When is the last time you have thought on the gospel? I am talking about the gospel which tells the story of the sinless Savior dying on the cross in the place of guilty sinners. Has it been a week? A month? Possibly more? The Christian who finds that his faith has grown cold and useless has likely forgotten the gospel that saved him from his sin. Christian, you and I need to remember our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Paul told Timothy: “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel” (2 Timothy 2:8). Paul further told Timothy to remind his congregation of the gospel (2 Timothy 2:14). Paul, himself, was not ashamed of the gospel (2 Timothy 2:12). You may be asking me, that’s great, brother, but how do I do what you are saying I should do? Here are two important ways we can remember the gospel:

Seek out true Christian fellowship

Simply being an attendee of a local church is not enough. The Christian needs accountability in remembering the gospel. Genuine Christian community in the local church is a must for every believer lest we forget the gospel. I know that God has used small groups in both my past church and my current church to remind me of the gospel.

Read and study the Scriptures

I know what you’re thinking. “Of course, I need to read my Bible! Why would I not!?” Well, dear reader, many professing Christians (even ministers!) can fall into the trap of neglecting daily their daily Bible reading. We (like Timothy) need to be constantly nourished on the words of the faith (1 Timothy 4:6). We do not need to be constantly nourished on physical food. The human body and mind can survive without food for a few days. But we must not let a day go by where we do not feast on the Scriptures. It is through the constant nourishment of the Bible that we see the fullness of the precious gospel in redemptive history. It is through the Scriptures that we learn the full counsel of God. We learn His will for us. We grow in our love for the gospel and our hatred of sin. The Scriptures are too valuable to neglect even for one day.

Thankfully, there is grace for us when we do neglect fellowship and do not read the Bible. God is good to His people. God is so good that He saves all those who look to His resurrected Son for the forgiveness of their sin. The above statement should give a believer joy! But, honestly, sometimes we can be cold towards the good news of Christ. I pray that the gospel warms your hearts, brothers and sisters!

Ed Romine

Edward Romine is a PhD student at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He received his Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Southwestern Baptist TheologicalSeminary. He has been a preacher of the gospel since 2007.