A Nerdy Seminary Paper on Evangelism

Evangelism is the proclamation of the Good News of the person and work of Jesus Christ to people who neither acknowledge Jesus as Lord nor believe on His name for the forgiveness of sins.  It is an essential task of all followers of Jesus, because Jesus Himself commanded it in saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”  Additionally, Jesus speaks of Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life making it imperative that all people have a chance to hear the gospel and be reconciled to God through Christ.  Scripture makes it clear that faith comes from hearing, and thus makes it the job of every Christian to proclaim Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. 

            What is the message of evangelism?  What is this Good News that we are to announce?  While the gospel has been defined in many different ways by many people much smarter than I am, it seems from texts such as Zechariah 9:9 and Mark 1:14-15 that the Good News describes the coming kingdom of God in the person of Jesus Christ.  Beginning with a broad definition enables us to talk about Jesus as king, prophet, and priest and prevents us from reducing the gospel to less than it actually is.  First and foremost, the gospel is the joyful news that Israel’s promised messiah-king is here to restore order to all of creation, not just to provide forgiveness of sins.  The King of kings has come, and He is now reigning forever at the right hand of God. 

            At the heart of this Good News is the Cross.  Without the Cross, there would be no means of justifying sinners, and without justification there is no Good News for any of us.  To evangelize successfully, a robust understanding and presentation of Calvary is necessary for two reasons.  First of all, at the Cross, all of us are faced with the reality that we have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.  The Cross displays God’s judgment on sin and the consequences for all people who have violated the Law of a holy God.  God stands ready to pour out His wrath against all lawlessness and the men who stand in opposition to Him.  This is really, really bad news for all of us, and this backdrop is placed behind the Cross, it will not appear nearly as bright and marvelous as God intends for it to be.  Without accurately communicating the bad news, the Good News won’t seem so necessary to respond to.  Secondly, presenting Calvary is necessary to show how it is possible for God to forgive sin and reconcile sinners without compromising His holy and righteous character.  God is able to do this because Jesus is both fully God and fully man, and as such is uniquely capable of taking the full punishment of sin for all men.  He who knew no sin has become sin so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.  It is the great exchange.  He takes our sin; we receive His righteousness.  Without the Cross, we have no Good News. 

            Because this Good News requires a response, we must also have a good understanding of the desired outcome of proclaiming Jesus: conversion.  Like the gospel, conversion can be defined in a variety of ways, so I anticipate the potential for my own definition to change.  It seems best to me to define conversion as the initial act of turning from sin and trusting in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Since Scripture speaks in terms of a person’s old nature passing away and a new creation being born in a moment of time, it seems best to represent God’s act of regeneration by the Holy Spirit, which is accomplished in an instant, with an exact moment (although probably imperceptible) of conversion where the new believer repents and trusts in Christ.

            Even though conversion is thus defined as a moment in time rather than a process of many steps as Gordon Smith has defined it, conversion does not end the journey.  Instead, it sets the believer on a new course for the remainder of his or her life.  Considering the Great Commission again, we realize that Jesus did not command that we make converts but rather disciples.  So it is important to answer the question, “What does a disciple of Jesus Christ look like?”      

            Simply defined, a disciple is a follower, and since Jesus commanded that we make disciples, evangelism cannot end once a person is converted.  The new believer must take steps to identify him/herself with Jesus Christ and His body, the Church.  The first and possibly primary step for a new believer to take is water baptism.  Baptism by immersion is done to symbolize being buried with Christ in His death as the individual is laid beneath the water, and then raised to new life as he/she is lifted back out of the water.  (This understanding is found in the Apostle Paul’s teaching in Romans 6:1-4.)  While having no salvific effect, baptism is a command of Jesus and is a public affirmation of union with Christ and should be celebrated for the truly significant event that it is.  In addition to baptism, in which the new Christian associates with Jesus, the convert must identify with the body of Christ by joining a community of believers.  This is the outward display of the internal reality that all Christians are not only united with Jesus Himself but also with all other believers around the world in one body. Jesus tells us that the world will know we are His disciples if we love one another.  Joining a local church displays this brotherly love and is a mark of true Christian discipleship.  If either of these steps is not taken, it raises questions as to the authenticity of the individual’s conversion. 

            Ultimately, the goal of evangelism is not conversion but maturity in Christ.  The gospel is heralded so that individuals and nations would respond rightly to who God is by turning from sin and entrusting themselves to Jesus Christ by faith.  We share the Good News in hope that people’s lives would be radically changed and reoriented towards God.  We exalt the name of Jesus Christ so that others might see and believe and come to worship the one and only God and know eternal life.  This is evangelism’s goal and why we must obey the command of Jesus.  Like sheep, we have all gone astray, but there is hope of reconciliation and renewal in Christ. 

            Lastly, no theology of evangelism is complete without a vital understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit.  Scripture is abundantly clear that it is the Spirit who gives life.  The Spirit replaces hearts of stone with hearts of flesh.  The Spirit opens blind eyes and unstops deaf ears and resurrects those who are dead in their sins.  All evangelistic efforts done apart from the Holy Spirit are done in vain.  We plant and water, but God through His Holy Spirit gives the growth. This promise gives us great confidence to go and make disciples, because God’s Spirit has been poured out on all flesh for the glory of Jesus Christ.  God will build His Church, and we have the privilege of sharing in His work through the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ knowing that God’s Spirit will cause our words to raise sinners to new life.