I think many of us would like to talk with our family and friends about the Gospel, but perhaps we feel a bit intimidated. Maybe we feel like we don’t know enough to speak to others about the Gospel. Maybe we get a little overwhelmed when we open the Bible and realize just how much there is to share. The Bible is a pretty big book, so where should we start?
How about we start with a passage that pretty much anyone we talk to will know by heart?
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
By considering this passage carefully, we will realize that sharing the Gospel with others is not nearly as complicated as we might think. What do we find in John 3:16 that will help us share the Gospel with others?
God Exists — “For God…”
Starting with the existence of God is an excellent starting point ; the existence of God is where two books of the Bible begin.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:1–3)
Unless we believe “that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6), we cannot be saved. The Gospel begins with God — with the fact that He exists, that He has always existed, and always will exist. So when you start talking about the Gospel with someone, a great starting place is to talk about God’s eternal existence.
God’s Love — “…so loved…”
When we think about God’s love, it ought to remind us that we are saved by His grace through faith and by His mercy.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4–7)
How much does God love us? He demonstrated how much He loves us by giving His only begotten Son to die the cruelest death imaginable in our place.
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:9–10)For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. (Romans 5:6–9)
Imagine — God loves us so much that He would give Jesus (the perfect, innocent Son of God) to die on the cross in our place (guilty sinners who deserve death). When you share the Gospel with people you love, God’s love should be a significant point of discussion.
The Gospel is for Everyone — “…the world…”
“The world” does not refer to the planet earth, but the people who live on this planet. Jesus commanded us to take the Gospel to everyone
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:15–16)
There is a song that children often sing, which is a reminder of this fact. “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red, and yellow, black and white; they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.” Sadly, sometimes adults forget that God loves everyone — regardless of skin color or nationality.
Jesus loves every person. Jesus died for every person. Every person needs to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Your friends and family need to know that the Gospel is for everyone, regardless of who they are or what they have done.
Jesus is Deity — “…that He gave His only begotten Son…”
Jesus, the Word, was in the beginning with God (John 1:1–2). What this means is that when time began, Jesus already existed. The entire book of John was written to provide evidence that Jesus is Deity. All of the miracles He did provide the evidence needed to demonstrate that He is God.
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:30–31)
This point about Jesus being Deity is so essential; there is no way for someone to be saved unless they believe this.
Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. (John 8:24)
To be saved, we must believe that Jesus is God; otherwise, we will die in our sins. In sharing the Gospel with others, we must tell others about the Deity of Jesus Christ and show the importance of this fact.
Faith is Essential — “…that whoever believes in Him…”
No one can be saved without believing in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Galatians 3:26–27)But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:8–10)And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:15–16)
However, faith alone does not save. If faith alone was all that was required, it would eliminate the need for anything else. If we were saved by faith alone, then we would not need the grace of God to be saved. If we were saved by faith alone, then we would not need to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38).
Faith is required to be saved. Faith alone, however, is not taught in the Bible, and it is one of the most harmful lies taught by the religious world today.
Genuine faith always includes obeying what God has said. Always. If you think I’ve lost my mind — show me anyone in the Bible who had faith and tell me whether or not that person obeyed what God told them.
When we share the Gospel with those we love, we must tell them about the importance of faith. But please, do not tell them, “all you need to do to be saved is to believe in Jesus and say this prayer…” Tell them what God tells us to do to be saved.
Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)
Hell is Real — “…should not perish…”
The coming of Jesus into this world did not condemn the world (John 3:17) because the world already stood condemned because of sin.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
We stand as condemned sinners because of our own sin — with an eternal destiny in the “lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Revelation 21:8). Is this because God is a hateful God? Certainly not, we have already noticed how much God loves us! God is a loving God; God is also a just God. Justice demands that crime be punished. Our sin requires that justice be passed.
However, God in His mercy and kindness has provided us with one way out of this eternal punishment — hence, the Gospel, or good news, of Jesus! When you share the Gospel, people need to know that we all deserve death — but Jesus came to die so that we would not have to suffer the just punishment for our sin.
Heaven is Real — “…but have everlasting life.”
Instead of being sentenced to an eternity of punishment, God has given us the opportunity to have everlasting life with Him. Notice the comfort that exists in this place:
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3–4)
Can you imagine a place where God Himself kneels beside you to wipe every single tear off your checks with His own finger? Can you imagine a place where death does not exist? This is a small taste of what Heaven will be like! What a fantastic reward this is for turning to Jesus!
When we share the Gospel with our friends, family, and loved ones, be sure to tell them about Heaven — a place with no more death, sorrow, or crying. A place where God Himself will be with us.
John 3:16 is a passage that many of us know from memory. This passage is a beautiful place to start sharing the Gospel with others.
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