The gospel of Christ, the wonderful story of Jesus Christ paying the price for our sins by tasting death for all men (Hebrews 2:9), must be preached to the lost if they are to have any chance at salvation.  Sadly, this great message concerning Jesus has been perverted by many (2 Corinthians 2:17).  Those of us who are Christians should do all we can to keep this from happening by always being ready to defend the gospel of Christ.  Paul serves as a great example of this.

Philippians 1:15-17 (NKJV)
15 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good will: 16 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; 17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

The gospel needs defending today as much as it did in Paul’s day.  People are still corrupting the Word of God, even if they do not realize it.  Are you ready to defend the gospel against the assaults of the devil?  Are you prepared to earnestly contend for the faith? (Jude 1:3)

To be ready to do so, we have to know the Word of God ourselves.  How can we defend the gospel if we are not sure what it teaches?  The question, then, is, “How can we become well acquainted with the gospel?”  The answer is by studying the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15).  There is no shortcut when it comes to learning the Bible.  Commitment to the Word is the only thing that will lead us to a strong knowledge of it.  Let us all strive to be mighty in the scriptures (Acts 18:24), by making a habit of studying the Word of God.

The gospel needs defending against those who would turn grace into lasciviousness.

Jude 1:4 (KJV)
⁴ For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Another word for lasciviousness is licentiousness and refers to the disregarding of moral restraints.  There are those today who pervert the gospel in such a way that it gives people a license to sin.  Let me give you an example.

Many teach that we are saved by faith alone.  When this false doctrine is followed to its natural conclusion, it would mean that as long as people believe in Jesus, they can live any way they want and still enjoy fellowship with God.  Whether those who advocate this teaching mean to encourage others to sin, or not, this is the result of such teaching, and it is something that the genuine gospel of Christ never does.

Most denominational churches have accepted this lie.  It is our job, as defenders of the gospel, to teach the truth.  Instead of giving people a license to sin, the gospel teaches us to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world (Titus 2:12).

This is just one example of how the gospel can be perverted, but many more could be given.  From the first century until now, man has attempted to pervert the gospel (Galatians 1:6-9).  When anyone tries to add to or take away from it, we should be there to defend it.  While it will not always be popular, it will always be the will of God, and doing God’s will should be the aim of our lives.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.