{"id":11012,"date":"2021-01-16T16:13:53","date_gmt":"2021-01-16T16:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thescripturecache.com\/?p=11012"},"modified":"2022-01-12T15:12:28","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T15:12:28","slug":"how-to-handle-the-gospel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thescripturecache.com\/?p=11012","title":{"rendered":"How to Handle the Gospel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Views: 0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">[<strong>Note: <\/strong>This MS is available in larger font on our <strong>Brief Articles 1<\/strong> page.]<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino, serif;\">Paul told Timothy to \u201chandle aright the word of truth\u201d (2 Tim. 2:15). This passage also tells us that God\u2019s approval depends upon our handling the Gospel properly. What does this involve?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino, serif;\"><strong>Don\u2019t be ashamed of it<\/strong>. Paul suffered continually for the Gospel\u2019s sake because he wasn\u2019t ashamed of it (Rom. 1:16). Many people try to be \u201ccloset Christians,\u201d ashamed for others to know that they are Christians. We must be willing to suffer hardship with the Gospel (2 Tim. 1:8).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino, serif;\"><strong>Don\u2019t pervert it<\/strong>. Paul denounced those in Galatia who perverted (changed to a wrong purpose) the Gospel (Gal. 1:7). Some wrest (twist, torture) Scripture to their own destruction (2 Pet. 3:16). Those who tamper with the truth mishandle it and commit spiritual suicide!<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino, serif;\"><strong>Obey it. <\/strong>The Gospel is not for us to read and forget, but to hear and obey (Jam. 1:22\u201325). The Lord will condemn the disobedient at his coming (2 The. 1:8).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino, serif;\"><strong>Defend it<\/strong>. Paul did (Phi. 1:7, 16). In spite of the rich heritage of able defenders of the Gospel (inspired\u2014including our Lord\u2014and uninspired), misguided men are now saying it needs no defending, only proclaiming. But if it will defend itself, why will it not also proclaim itself? We must contend earnestly for it (Jude 3)!<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino, serif;\"><strong>Hold fast to it<\/strong>. Once we have embraced the Gospel, we must cling to it (1 Cor. 15:1\u20132). If we drift away in neglect (Heb. 2:1\u20133) or make shipwreck of the faith (1 Tim. 1:19) we are doomed! How awful to stand at the judgment with but a memory of faithfulness, long ago abandoned.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino, serif;\"><strong>Live it<\/strong>. \u201cLet your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ\u201d (Phi. 1:27). It isn\u2019t enough to be good professors; we must be good practitioners of the Gospel. Do our neighbors, kindred, friends and work associates think highly of the church or poorly of it because of our conduct? Give no one cause to call you \u201chypocrite.\u201d Let your life habits adorn the Gospel (Tit. 2:10).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino, serif;\"><strong>Preach it<\/strong>. Jesus commanded that we preach the Gospel everywhere because no one can be saved without it (Mark 16:15\u201316; Rom. 1:16). Like Paul, we need to be \u201cready to preach the Gospel,\u201d believing \u201cwoe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel\u201d (Rom. 1:15; 1 Cor. 9:16). The Gospel wasn\u2019t given to be hoarded, but to be heralded.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino, serif;\">Nothing in all of the world is comparable to the Gospel. It is that unique message from heaven that reveals God\u2019s plan to redeem man from sin through his own Son. With that infinite and loving care God has given it to us and preserved it for us to this very hour! With what incomparable cost\u2014the very blood of Jesus\u2014was it certified and energized! The Gospel is so important and precious to God that our attitude toward it gauges our attitude toward Christ himself (John 12:48).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino, serif; font-size: 10pt;\"><strong>[Note: <\/strong>I wrote this MS for and it was published in the January, 1986 edition of <em>Spiritual Sword<\/em>, ed. Thomas B. Warren.]<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino, serif; font-size: 10pt;\"><strong>Attribution:<\/strong> From <em>thescripturecache.com<\/em>; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Views: 0[Note: This MS is available in larger font on our Brief Articles 1 page.] Paul told Timothy to \u201chandle aright the word of truth\u201d (2 Tim. 2:15). This passage also tells us that God\u2019s approval depends upon our handling the Gospel properly. What does&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"easywp-readmore\"><a class=\"read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/thescripturecache.com\/?p=11012\">Continue Reading&#8230;<span class=\"easywp-sr-only\">  How to Handle the Gospel<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[352,69,18,309,42,9,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-attitude","category-authority","category-false-teachersdoctrine","category-gospel","category-obedience","category-preaching","category-scripture","wpcat-352-id","wpcat-69-id","wpcat-18-id","wpcat-309-id","wpcat-42-id","wpcat-9-id","wpcat-6-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thescripturecache.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thescripturecache.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thescripturecache.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thescripturecache.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thescripturecache.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11012"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/thescripturecache.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17323,"href":"https:\/\/thescripturecache.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11012\/revisions\/17323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thescripturecache.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thescripturecache.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thescripturecache.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}