Gospel Defense
Part 1

by Scott Price

"...I am set for the defense of the gospel." Philippians 1:17

        If there is no absolute truth then debate, or any defense of truth is in vain, futile, and pointless. But if there is absolute truth then debate and defense of that truth is essential, necessary, and indispensable.

        Please do not be confused by what I have said. I do not mean that we can improve on truth as if we were the author of it. The truth is older and bigger than us, in that it is more important than us. We see this when people lie to try and make themselves look better than they are. They do that AGAINST the truth, but yet the truth does not move, it stays the same. In that sense truth is indestructible. Just because people do not know the truth does not mean the truth is not there.

        In a day of compromise, mainstream religion gives the idea that defending anything presents too much of a conflict. Most religion promotes the idea of peace, unity, and non-conflict at all cost, even the cost of the truth, for the sake of what they call love. We know the whole of scripture to be contrary to this idea. As a matter of fact the scripture is contrary to most everything that mankind can come up with concerning spiritual things since the thoughts and ways of natural man are not the thoughts and ways of God Almighty.

        God has a specific message that He uses as a means to save His people and that message is called the gospel. It is not just anything that is in the Bible, even though the whole Bible is the word of God. It is the message of good news that declares and defines the Person and work of the LORD Jesus Christ in the salvation of sinners. Many places in the Bible it speaks of the gospel message and how we, as God's people who believe it, are to, fellowship in, promote, declare, confirm, and defend this gospel.

        We do this because we need to and because we want to. If we want to see our family, friends, co-workers, etc., saved we must give this gospel message that God has privileged us with. If we do not follow through with this, then why not? Do we not believe God when He says the "gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes"? Or is it that we don't love our family friends, and co-workers? Or is it that we do not love the truth? Not loving the truth would only prove a person does not love God Himself.

        Any preacher that says the gospel should not be defended is a preacher that does not know the first thing about the only true gospel. Flee from him fast. In the coming weeks we will look at the definition of this specific message called the gospel and give Biblical reasons why we should defend it.