The Exclusiveness of Jesus

Articles

Ross Triplett
03/28/21 - Articles

What does the gospel of Jesus Christ mean to you? Do you understand the significance of what is provided, and what is required? For a moment let us reflect on these matters.

The Apostle Paul placed a premium on the gospel, saying, “I am debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also that are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: as it is written, But the righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:14-17). Though the statements of the Apostle Paul may be comforting, and receive a hearty “Amen” from the majority of the Christian religious world, the Apostle Paul’s line of thinking is paramount to our appreciation for the gospel.

The Apostle Paul identified a peculiar responsibility he had to preach the gospel that men of today do not have, i.e., “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of; for necessity is laid upon me; for woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel. For if I do this of mine own will, I have a reward: but if not of mine own will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me” (1 Corinthians 9:16-17). Though man today does not have the same charge that the Apostle Paul received from the Lord, there is still an underlying principle that is worthy of due consideration.

Paul identified that his debt was to all men: there is a certain amount of debt that becomes those who know the truth. To have something of such a great value, i.e., the power of God unto salvation, it behooves, in a moral sense, the possessor of such information to preach it to those who are lost. How responsible would you consider it to be if you had the knowledge of something that would restore the health of the dying, and you kept it to yourself? Do you consider yourself to be morally dutiful regarding the lost?

When the Apostle Paul taught the gospel of Jesus Christ, he did so with purpose. The gospel which the Apostle Paul preached “revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith.” The necessity of the gospel, and to what the salvation applied, was expressed in verse eighteen: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). Righteousness is a standard, God’s standard. Ungodliness is an inappropriate attitude toward that which deserves reverence. Those who reject God’s right to rule in their lives, and hinder the truth in their unrighteous living, are subject to God’s wrath. Therefore, the Apostle Paul accounted the preaching of the gospel as essential to the saving of those so lost.

The Apostle Peter expresses the exclusive nature of Jesus, saying, “And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Ross Triplett, Sr.