The Bible is redemption revealed.  It is a glimpse into the mind of God as He shows us the design of creation, the dilemma of man and deliverance through Christ. The Bible tells us of this great salvation, a salvation the hymn writer describes as :  "All of grace' - from base to summit, Grace on every course and stone;  Grace in planning, rearing, crowning, Sovereign grace, and grace alone!"  The Bible tells us the gospel of Christ crucified.  For it is in declaring that truth that men and women are evangelized as God is pleased to draw some to Himself through faith in Christ.  

Sadly, it is this very Biblical truth that is under constant attack from outside and even inside the Church of Christ (Acts 20:29-30).  Believers in Christ are told to contend for the faith (Jude 3).  We are told to be ready to give a defense (1 Peter 3:15).  Can we do either?  Are we willing to fight for the purity of the Gospel, and if willing, are we able to verbalize a clear, logical, Biblical presentation of the Gospel.  This short article is but a primer in that effort.  May it serve as a clarion call for a return to truth in this vital area.

Let it be said that God does the saving of lost souls, whenever He wants, whomever He wants and through whatever means He has purposed.  This article is not about God and His role, that should be obvious.  This article is about you and me.  Am I prepared and willing to proclaim the Gospel of Christ?  Are you?  Have you considered what the essentials are in communicating the Biblical content of the work of Christ?  Let's highlight four that can serve as a skeleton presentation that you can use to hang the flesh of your thoughts and personality on as you share Christ with others. 

1. Begin with the Holiness of God (Isaiah 6:3).  Men and women must see the standard.  Matthew Henry said that no attribute of God is more dreadful to sinners than His Holiness.
   

2. Move to the sinfulness of man (Romans 3:10-18). Thomas Manton in describing the total depravity of man said,  "...that there is in man a mint always at work: his mind coining evil thoughts, his heart, evil desires and carnal emotion; and his memory is the closet and storehouse wherein they are kept."  As a result men are dead and helpless.
   

3. God's grace can be seen in the person and work of Christ (2 Cor. 5:21; Luke 19:10; 1 Peter 3:18).  Christ died in the place of and on behalf of sinners (Heb. 2:9).  The message of the Gospel is that man is reconciled to God through Christ of which one result is eternal life to man.  Eternal life is not the object of the Gospel, but rather a benefit.  Man is not the reason for the work of Christ, God was the reason for the work of Christ.  For Christ alone through His death could satisfy the demands for the penalty of sin.
   

4. The fourth and final ingredient we will consider is the call to repentance and faith (Luke 13:3; Romans 10:13).  Repentance occurs in the heart and is shown as a turning away from sin.  Spurgeon said, "...repentance unto life is a saving grace, by which men and women turn from sin to God with full purpose to strive after new obedience.  Faith in Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He has set forth in the Gospel."

As ambassadors for Christ we have a message to deliver with boldness measured by compassion, straightforward yet with tact and love measured by gratitude.  May God be pleased to illumine our minds to understand, crystallize our vision for ministry, encourage our hearts for battle and equip us for every good work.