Christians Need The Gospel Too!

We often think of the Gospel as something that only unsaved people need. However, that is not the case. Writing to the Christians in Rome, the Apostle Paul says that he was “eagerly ready to preach the Gospel” to them (Romans 1:15), even though they were already Christians (vv. 7–8).

Why did Paul need to preach the Gospel to Christians? He gives the reason in verse 16: “because it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.” The word “believes” is in the present tense, which denotes a continual, on-going action. To paraphrase, Paul wanted to preach the Gospel to the Christians in Rome because the Gospel results in salvation only for those who keep on believing.

True saving faith is a continuing faith. Hebrews 3:14 says that “we have become sharers of Christ, if indeed we hold the beginning of the assurance firm until the end.” So, if someone stops believing, he does not lose his salvation; rather, he was unsaved from the start because his faith was not true from the beginning (1 John 2:19).

From Paul’s eagerness to preach the Gospel to the Christians at Rome, we learn that we need the regular preaching of the Gospel in order to “keep on believing.” That is how God sustains our faith. Therefore, let us make it a priority to hear the Gospel being preached. We need the Gospel as much as anyone else!