Why The Gospel Is The Greatest Gift

“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:20-23, NLT

“The Lord’s love for us all is just so beautiful, and it breaks my heart how much He loves us and how so many of us do not know Him or do not try.”

I wrote that passage to my now-husband on July 12, 2015—just a few days after I was born again (John 3).

My flame for the Lord burned red hot, as I consumed every biblical resource I could get my hands on.

This love for the Lord came with a newfound love for people.

Suddenly, people I never cared about became priorities in my life. I never had a desire to travel, but if God wanted me to go to the ends of the earth with the gospel, I was ready!

I wanted them to know this gospel that set me free.

Disgusted with Sin

“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.” (Romans 6:20-21, ESV)

How can the good news be rejoiced over if we aren’t aware there was bad news to begin with?

How can we be thankful for a Savior when we didn’t realize we were dying?

The answer is: it’s not possible.

To truly understand the gift of the gospel, we need to become aware of the filth in our flesh.

In his letter, Paul writes that—without the righteousness of Christ being credited to you by faith—the result of all sin is death. Every dark thought, desire, or action—has no comparison to God’s eternal wrath that will be poured out for unrepentant unbelievers.

Although this sounds harsh, without recognizing our dependence on Christ we will never truly appreciate His free gift of salvation.

From Sinner to Sanctification

“But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.” (Romans 6:22, NLT)

When I first became a believer, my awareness of all my sin kept piling higher, higher, higher as I realized my moral standards were incredibly lower than God’s.

But that is why the gospel was so sweet to me from day one.

Oh, what a contrast it is to be a slave of God and not to sin! The former sin becomes disgusting, and we see it for how destructive it truly is. The new heart God gave us can’t bear to live yielded to our old flesh.

I truly believe the more we’re aware of the beauty of this gift of the gospel, the more we’ll bear the fruit of sanctification.

Giving the Gospel

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NLT)

Friend, there are many people—not just halfway across the globe, but in your neighborhood—who don’t believe because they haven’t yet heard. And because God has given you the gift of eternal life you don’t deserve, you also have the single greatest purpose you could ever have on earth: to love all people and share the gospel.

You don’t have to be a mature, seasoned believer to love the gospel with a life-changing passion.

You don’t have to have a Bible degree to share the redemptive story of Christ with your neighbors.

Just ask God to open your heart to whoever it is he wants you to share the best news we could ever hope for. His Holy Spirit will guide you throughout it all.

Questions for Your Heart:

1. Take time to confess your sins and celebrate the incredible gift of the good news of Jesus!
2. Does thankfulness for the gospel—for Christ—fuel your faith?
3. Who could you actively share the gospel with this day, this season, this upcoming year?

Author: Emily Myrick