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4 Motivations to Share the Gospel

Published since 21. Feb. 2025
Bible passages:
Rom 10:14; 2 Cor 5:14; 2 Cor 5:20; 1 Cor 9:16; Revelation 22:12
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"For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died." (2 Cor 5:14)

"Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God." (2 Cor 5:20)

"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Cor 9:16)

"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work." (Revelation 22:12)

"How will they hear without a preacher" (Romans 10:14)

Anyone who comes to the Lord Jesus in faith and repentance will be saved. But for this to happen, people must first hear the gospel. "How will they hear without a preacher" (Romans 10:14)? – In the following, we will look at four points that motivate us to share the gospel.

 

Motivation 1: The fear of the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:11)

It is a severe fact that all people – without exception – will have to appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

All those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior and thus experienced the forgiveness of their sins (1 John 1:9; Ephesians 1:7) have nothing more to fear, for "whoever believes in Him will not be judged" (John 3:17).

But what about those who have rejected Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? They will one day stand before Christ the Judge as sinners. In the judgment specially called for them (Rev 20:11-15), the Lord Jesus will prove to them, based on their works, that they deserve God's righteous judgment. It is tragic that their names are not written in the Book of Life.

Immediately after this, the judgment will take place. The Bible tells us where these people will go in several places and how they will fare there. It is a place of...

  • absolute shame, destruction (Luke 12:4-5) and disgust (Dan 12:2);
  • unspeakable pain with no hope of relief (Mt 18:8-9; Lk 16:24-25; Rev 19:20; 20:10.14.15; 21:8); the Bible speaks of "eternal fire" (Mk 9:43-48) – suffering never ends; we also read of the "lake of fire" – suffering is felt everywhere (Rev 20:11.12);
  • absolute darkness where nothing pleasant can be seen (Mt 8:12; 22:13); in hell, everything will be depressing and hopeless;
  • “of weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Lk 13:28); there will be total despair and disappointment, raging anger and bitterness – at being in this place because of one's fault;
  • without rest (Rev 14:10,11);
  • without God, everything that people can still receive and experience from God – mercy, love, kindness, grace, and comfort – is not to be found there (2 Thess 1:9).

And this is the "final destination". That is where those who have rejected Jesus Christ will be forever. If we have to go through difficult times here on earth, we still hope they will eventually come to an end. But in hell, there is no such prospect. It is endless; you cannot get out once you get there.

So, the Bible does not leave us in the dark about the part of those who have rejected the Lord Jesus. Anyone who is not reconciled to God is heading for this judgment. Therefore, "knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men" (2 Corinthians 5:11). Although God's nature of light makes it necessary for him to carry out this judgment on those who do not believe, he does not want the sinner to perish (cf. 1 Tim 2:4). Accordingly, we can and must warn people and show them how they can be saved. In doing so, we show a particular urgency, convince them (Acts 18:4), and speak to them earnestly (Acts 13:43). This takes a lot of effort, persistence, and patience.

 

Motivation 2: The love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14)

Because God himself is love and loves, he sent the Son of his love (1 John 4:8; Col 1:13; John 3:16) – the "Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me" (Gal 2:20). It is this "love of Christ" that compels us to share the gospel.

Unfortunately, we are all too quick to forget who we once were: Godless, sinners, enemies of God, powerless (Rom 5:5-10), morally dead in trespasses and sins, separated and far from God, sons of disobedience, children of wrath, without hope, without God (Eph 2:1-12). Do we realize that we deserved the "wrath of the Lord" for an eternity? Instead, we have experienced pure grace and undeserved love.

It was love that made the Son of God come down from the glory of heaven (2 Corinthians 8:9) to come as a man to a cursed earth (Genesis 3:17, 18) to people who neither knew Him nor wanted Him (John 1:9, 10). Love made Him walk this earth, soothing and healing (Acts 10:38), and endure hatred and rejection for Him (Ps 109:4, 5). Love made him endure the suffering of Calvary (Mt 16:21). Out of love, He allowed Himself to be spat on, beaten, scourged, crowned with thorns, and nailed to the cross (Mt 26:67, 68; 27:25-35). Love closed His mouth (Is 53:7) to speak of His creative power when sinful men dared to mock and ridicule Him (Mt 26:39-44). Love made Him go into the desolation of God (Mt 26:46; Ps 22:1, 2). Out of love, the pure and holy One endured the wrath of God to atone for the sin and guilt of others (1 John 2:2) so that everyone who comes to Him in faith and repentance (Acts 2:38; 4:12; 10:43; 16:31) may be set free from this guilt (John 8:36). He did all this knowing for whom He was doing it. For you and me! It is the "love of Christ" which, in its mercy, bows down to the sinner and gives him a rich gift of grace. We know and enjoy this love, and it urges us to go to those who are like us and bring them the good news of Christ's love.

 

Motivation 3: a sense of responsibility (2Co 5:20; 1Co 9:16)

In this chapter, Paul gives another reason for sharing the gospel: we have a commission and responsibility to share what He has entrusted us. We are sent in Christ's place to point out to unbelievers that they need to be reconciled to God.

In 1 Corinthians 9, the apostle even calls this witness a "necessity". So, alongside the awareness of the terrible future of unbelievers and the love that drives us, there is also a sense of responsibility to fulfill the divine commission faithfully.

 

Motivation 4: A reward awaits us (Rev 22:12)

When we have been "bought with a price," we no longer belong to ourselves (1 Cor 6:19, 20). We belong to our Lord. He has complete title to us. If He then gives us assignments and we carry them out, it is not to pat ourselves on the back. Our attitude should be: "We are useless servants; we have done what we were supposed to do" (Luke 17:10).

And yet, we are not dealing with a harsh master who only makes demands and burdens us with duties. He has a reward in store for everything we have done here in faithfulness and out of love for Him. It should not be our primary motivation to serve Him, but we should not disregard it either. Especially in connection with shame, effort, renunciation, or even loss, we can be motivated by the pending reward to carry the gospel further. "But whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it," says the Lord in Mark 8:35 (cf. also chapter 10:29). "For the sake of the gospel" not only means accepting the gospel, but also passing it on. Both are rewarded.

Let's look at some aspects of the reward:

  • For every loss we suffer for the sake of the kingdom of God, we will be rewarded one day – now and in the future (Luke 19:28-30; 1 Cor. 3:14).
  • The Lord is the rewarder. It is his reward (Rev 22:12).
  • The reward is personal. Everyone will receive their own reward (1 Cor 3:8).
  • Everyone receives a reward, even those who have served the Lord for a short time (Mt 20:1-16).
  • The reward is essentially in the future and, therefore, still invisible. In the Millennial Kingdom, the Lord Jesus will allow us to share in his reign as a reward – this will then be visible to everyone.
  • Even if we are "only" ridiculed, reviled, hated, and slandered because we confess our Lord, we will one day receive a "great reward" (cf. Luke 6:23).
  • It is not the greatness of our deeds that counts, but our faithfulness (Mt 25:21, 23). What is "great" or "small" is determined by the Lord alone.
  • Even the supposedly "small" things we do not find worth mentioning are rewarded (Mt 10:42).
  • Ultimately, we have not earned the reward we receive – it is an act of God's sovereign grace (Mt 20:1-16).

 

Conclusion

Especially when we look at the "terror of the Lord" and the "love of Christ," we realize what "great salvation" we have experienced. The more we ponder on this salvation, the more we will be motivated to share the gospel out of gratitude for Calvary. Someone once said: "Being saved creates a sense of salvation." A good example is the possessed Gardarene in Mark 5, whom the Lord freed from the many demons. After being saved in this way, this man receives a commission from the Lord: "Go ... and proclaim ... how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you." (V. 19). We want to do the same: proclaim what the Lord has done for us.

 

 

 

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