The Value of Believing the Gospel

I can tell you this with absolute certainty: you will never share the gospel until you believe it yourself. Not just in your head. Not just because you grew up in church. Not because you can quote a few verses. You have to believe it in your heart. The gospel is not a nice story or a religious tradition. It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16, LSB). And if you do not believe it, you will never carry it with conviction, passion, or joy.

Believing the gospel is not simply agreeing with the facts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. It is trusting Him with your whole life. It is confessing that He lived the perfect life you could not live, died the death you deserved, and rose again to conquer sin and death once and for all. That belief changes everything. It forgives you, adopts you, and gives you new life. Without that belief, you are just playing church. You cannot give away what you do not have.

When you believe, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in you. And without the Spirit, you cannot share the gospel. Jesus promised in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the end of the earth.” Do you see the connection? Belief leads to the Spirit, and the Spirit leads to power. No belief, no Spirit. No Spirit, no power. And without power, there is no witness.

People can spot the difference between someone who truly believes and someone just parroting religious words. When you believe, it comes out in conviction. Your testimony carries weight because it is anchored in a changed life. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:13, “I believed, therefore I spoke.” That is the pattern. You cannot speak with authority if you do not first believe.

And when you believe, your heart breaks for those who do not know Christ. You know what He has done for you, and you long for others to experience the same freedom and hope. Evangelism stops being a program on the church calendar and starts being the overflow of a heart on fire for Jesus.

So let me ask you: Do you really believe the gospel? Do you believe that Christ is enough? Do you believe His cross and resurrection are sufficient? Do you believe the Spirit of God now dwells in you? If you do, then open your mouth. Share what God has done. Because a gospel believed is a gospel that cannot stay silent.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Jody