The apostle Paul wrote of what the gospel can do, saying, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Rom. 1:16, NKJV). The “gospel” is the good news of the loving Savior who came from heaven and brought a perfect teaching, lived a perfect life, died as a perfect sacrifice for sin, and was resurrected as a perfect display of the power of God. This gospel message is the power that God uses to bring about the salvation of lost souls.

In order for the gospel to accomplish its purposes, it must be preached and heard (cf. 10:13-17). But, how does the gospel of Christ serve as the power of God to salvation for those who believe? What exactly does the gospel do? In response to this question, please notice that it does the following:

1. Convicts the sinner. On the night of His betrayal Jesus promised His apostles that the Holy Spirit would come to guide them in spreading the gospel. The Lord said, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” (John 16:8-13). The gospel message, which is inspired by the Holy Spirit, has the ability to “convict the world of sin.” The gospel confronts each individual with the reality that he has sinned against God and is condemned as a result. The apostles used the gospel to convict the crowd on Pentecost of sin, as Peter preached, saying, “‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ’” (Acts 2:36). The Bible goes on to say, “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’" (v. 37). Sinners are convicted of sin by the gospel of Christ.

2. Corrects the sin. While the gospel of Christ convicts sinners, it also goes on to correct the sin in their lives. Along with pointing out that each individual is guilty of sin and condemned before God, the message of the gospel instructs sinners to, “Sin no more” (cf. John 5:14; 8:11). Paul writes of this aspect of the gospel’s work as follows: “knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust” (1 Tim. 1:9-11). The “glorious gospel” sheds light on the kinds of behavior and attitudes that are contrary to the will of God so that the sinner is able to turn from his sins. Sinners have the sin in their lives corrected by the gospel of Christ.

3. Converts the soul. Along with convicting sinners of their sin and correcting their sin, the gospel goes on to convert sinners to Christ. Peter preached the gospel in Jerusalem, saying, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). The soul is converted to the Lord when the individual’s sins are blotted out upon meeting the terms for forgiveness which are set forth in the gospel of Christ. Of the gospel preaching that was done on Pentecost, the Bible says, “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’…Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them” (2:38, 41). Sinners are freed from their sins and enter into a relationship with God upon meeting the conditions for conversion which are made known by the gospel of Christ.

Conclusion: When planted in the heart, the gospel of Christ is powerful enough to convict sinners, correct their sins, and convert them to Christ. The word of God promises that, at the last day, Christ will come “in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:8). Will you help spread the gospel?