"For 'whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.' How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:13-14).

God, in His divine wisdom, has seen fit to save man through the gospel. God created man with free-will and respects our exercise of this gift. Just as man has chosen to sin, he must choose to be saved. The above passage tells us that our salvation is dependent upon our hearing and believing.

Man does not have the ability to formulate his own plan for salvation from sin. "O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23). We cannot chart our own path to Heaven, nor can we perform enough good works to atone for our sins. We are at the mercy of God for our salvation. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us..." (Titus 3:5).

Our faith is the first step that we take in establishing a soul-saving relationship with God. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). We must believe in God, but more specifically, we must also believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins" (John 8:24).

The Scriptures contain amply evidence that Jesus is the Son of God. "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:30-31). This evidence is found in the gospel, but man must hear the gospel in order to develop his own faith.

In the Parable of the Sower, the seed represents the word of God and the different kinds of soil represent the hearts of men (Luke 8:11-15). Just as the seed is powerless to produce fruit unless it comes to rest in the soil, so also the Word of God is powerless to save a sinner unless it comes into his heart through the process of hearing. Jesus concluded this parable by saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Luke 8:8)

Before His ascension into Heaven, Jesus commissioned the apostles to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15-16). This commission was necessary because, although Jesus had secured man's salvation, no one could benefit from His death, burial, and resurrection without hearing the gospel.

On the first Pentecost after the Lord's resurrection, Peter and the other apostles preached the gospel to the Jews who were assembled in Jerusalem for that feast. When they heard the gospel, the Jews were "cut to the heart" (Acts 2:37) because they had come to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. The hearing of the gospel produced belief, which resulted in their obedience to the gospel and the remission of their sins (v. 38).

When Philip encountered the Ethiopian eunuch, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip was invited to join the eunuch in the chariot and he "preached Jesus to him" (Acts 8:30, 35). The eunuch never would have come to believe in Jesus if he had not heard the word of God.

Cornelius was a good man, but he was lost in his sins. An angel appeared to him and told him to send for Peter who would tell him what he must do (Acts 10:1-6). Cornelius was told to "Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved" (Acts 11:13-14). Cornelius needed to be saved, but in order to be saved Cornelius needed to hear "words." Specifically, he needed to hear the gospel.

The same is true today. In order to obey the gospel, man has to first believe the gospel, and in order to believe the gospel, man has to hear the gospel. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).

This week we are having our Spring Gospel Meeting with Mike Pittman. A Gospel Meeting provides an opportunity for the Gospel to be preached and heard by man. For those who are already Christians, this is an opportunity for our faith to be strengthened and built up through the word (Acts 20:32). For those who are not yet Christians, it is an opportunity for you to hear God's saving Gospel and respond in obedient faith.

We encourage you to be present for every service this week that you can attend. Bring your Bible and follow along with what is being said (see brother Pittman's article below). Feel free to ask any questions that you may have. We would love to have an opportunity to sit down with you and help you better understand the word of God.