“Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” (2 Corinthians 5:11, KJV)
Why do Christians preach the Gospel? Why do missionaries leave their homes to carry the message of Jesus to distant lands? Why do believers share their faith with neighbors, friends, coworkers, and even strangers?
The answer begins with an understanding of eternity.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” Paul understood that every person will one day stand before God. Just a few verses earlier he declared, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10). The certainty of God’s judgment gave urgency to his ministry. He knew that heaven and hell were real. He knew that every soul would spend eternity in one of those two destinations. Because of this, he could not remain silent. He persuaded men.
Many people today feel uncomfortable with the idea of judgment. They prefer to speak only of God’s love while ignoring His holiness and justice. Yet the Bible presents both. God is perfectly loving, and He is perfectly holy. His love provided a way of salvation through Jesus Christ. His justice requires that sin be judged. The Gospel is the wonderful announcement that Jesus took our place on the cross, bore our punishment, and rose from the dead so that everyone who believes in Him can receive eternal life.
This message is too important to keep to ourselves.
Imagine escaping from a burning building. Flames have engulfed every floor. Smoke fills the air. At the last possible moment, firefighters pull you through a window to safety. You stumble outside, coughing, brushing burning embers from your clothes. Your heart races as you realize you have been spared.
Then, through the smoke, you hear the cries of people who are still trapped inside.
What would you do?
Would you quietly walk away? Would you say, “I am thankful that I am safe,” and continue with your day? Of course not. Every instinct within you would compel you to act. You would shout to the firefighters. You would point toward the windows where people are trapped. You would plead for every possible rescue to take place. The thought of remaining silent would be unbearable.
This is a picture of evangelism.
Jesus has rescued us from the judgment that our sins deserved. We have been delivered from eternal separation from God. We know there is a way of escape because we have experienced it ourselves. How can we hear the cries of a lost world and remain silent? Love compels us to tell others where salvation can be found.
Consider another picture.
Imagine that you have fallen into deep water. Exhausted, you struggle to keep your head above the surface. Your strength is gone. Just as you are about to disappear beneath the waves, someone throws you a life preserver. You grasp it, and rescuers pull you safely to shore.
As you catch your breath, you suddenly hear another voice.
Someone else is drowning.
Would you ignore their cries? Would you say, “I am grateful that I have been saved,” while watching another person sink beneath the water? No. You would immediately point rescuers toward the person in danger. If another life preserver were nearby, you would throw it with all your strength. Your heart would be filled with urgency because you know exactly what it feels like to be lost.
Spiritually, this is the condition of humanity apart from Christ. People are drowning in sin. They are searching for hope in wealth, success, pleasure, religion, and countless other substitutes, yet none of these can save. Jesus alone is the Savior. He alone can forgive sin. He alone conquered death. He alone offers eternal life.
This is why we preach the Gospel.
Some people think evangelism is motivated by guilt or religious obligation. Scripture presents a different motivation. We preach because we love God. We preach because we love people. We preach because eternity is real. We preach because Christ has entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation. Paul continues in 2 Corinthians 5 by declaring that God “hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” We are Christ’s ambassadors, appealing to the world on His behalf: “Be ye reconciled to God.”
An ambassador does not create his own message. He faithfully delivers the message of the king who sent him. Christians have received a divine commission from the King of kings. We do not preach our opinions. We proclaim the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We announce forgiveness to every person who will repent and believe.
Jesus Himself demonstrated this urgency. He looked upon the crowds and was moved with compassion because they were weary and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. His compassion led Him to teach, heal, and ultimately lay down His life for the salvation of the world. The same compassion should fill our hearts today.
The early church understood this urgency. After receiving the power of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the disciples boldly proclaimed Christ throughout Jerusalem and beyond. Persecution could not silence them. Imprisonment could not stop them. Threats could not intimidate them. They believed that every person needed to hear the Gospel, and they devoted their lives to making Christ known.
The world today is just as desperate.
Billions of people have never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel. Many have never met a committed follower of Jesus. Every day, thousands enter eternity without knowing Christ. These are not merely statistics. Each number represents a person made in the image of God, someone deeply loved by the Father, someone for whom Christ died.
The urgency of evangelism does not produce fear driven panic. It produces faithful action. We pray because people need Jesus. We give because the Gospel must reach every nation. We go because Christ has commanded us. We speak because someone shared the Gospel with us.
Someone cared enough to tell us.
Someone prayed for us.
Someone invested time, energy, and resources so that we could hear the Good News.
Now it is our turn.
One day, the work of evangelism will be finished. The final invitation will be given. Christ will return. The opportunity to preach the Gospel will come to an end. Until that day, we must labor while there is still time.
Paul’s words continue to echo across the centuries: “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.”
May that conviction become our conviction. May our hearts be moved with compassion for those who are far from God. May we never lose sight of eternity. May we faithfully proclaim Jesus Christ to every person we can reach.
We preach the Gospel because people matter to God.
We preach the Gospel because Christ has commanded us.
We preach the Gospel because eternity is forever.
And knowing the reality of God’s coming judgment, we lovingly, faithfully, and urgently persuade men to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.
Daniel King, D.Min. is a missionary evangelist who has traveled to over seventy nations in his quest for souls. He loves preaching about Jesus. Can you help us reach more people for Jesus? Click here: https://kingministries.com/donate/
