Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. Romans 1:1
During my lifetime, I have heard many different preachers of the Gospel. In my earliest days, I heard the Gospel preached clearly and powerfully from denominational pulpits, and heard it over the radio by faithful men such as Dr. Charles Fuller, Perry Rockwood, Ernest Manning, and others whose names I no longer remember. In my teenage years, I heard the stirring preaching of such men as Fred Holder, Doug Howard, Frank Piercey, and Albert Ramsay, just to name a few. As the years went by, I have heard from dozens more commended workers as well as hundreds of local brethren doing their part in the faithful preaching of the Gospel. Every voice has been different, and every message has had its own distinct character. But the Gospel has always been the same, the consistent and clear reminders of man’s ruin, God’s remedy, and man’s responsibility. The Gospel can’t change, because it’s not the Gospel of a particular denomination, or even the Gospel of our Assemblies. No, it’s the Gospel of God.
There are other gospels being preached, we know. The cults such as the Mormons and Russelites have their messages based on their distortions and additions to the Word of God, presenting a false Christ who is not the Christ of the Bible. Most modern denominations present a gospel of good works, of church service, or of religious learning. Even most of the so-called evangelical churches have abandoned the clear preaching of the Gospel and have adopted a message that calls on people to make a commitment, to sign a pledge card, or to recite a sinners’ prayer. These are not the Gospel of God and cannot bring salvation. Only a message that calls for repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ can save souls and be qualified to be called the Gospel of God.
In our text, the apostle Paul identifies himself as being separated unto the Gospel of God. In Paul’s case, that meant that his entire life and everything about it was devoted 100 percent to the Gospel. Nothing else mattered, no other associations were as important. The Gospel was his entire reason for living. For some of us, that is more of a commitment than we can make. We need to carry out our secular duties, provide for our families, living in our communities, and function in the place where God has placed us. But we can certainly make the furtherance of the Gospel a priority in our lives. We can keep it high on our prayer list. We can keep it high on our budget list, we can keep it high on our activity list. And, of course, we must make sure that we are supporting the Gospel of God, and nothing less.
To Paul, being separated unto the Gospel of God was life’s highest privilege. Is it ours? – Jim MacIntosh