Five Points of the Universal Gospel
Romans 1:15-16 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
We Baptists tend to repudiate the word “universal”. After all, we are particular Baptists. We believe that the Lord only came into the world to save His elect. We believe in a limited atonement, which means that Jesus died only for the elect who were chosen by God in eternity past unto eternal salvation.
We believe that Jesus built His Church while He was here on the earth, and that only churches that bear the marks of that first church are His true Churches. Only these churches have His authority to exist, and only these churches truly give Him glory, honor, and praise!
Having said all that about us Baptists, I want to bring a message entitled “Five points of the universal gospel”. As much as we repudiate the word “universal”, I think we must concede that the gospel is universal, if we are going to fulfill the great commission. The five universal points of our message include…
1) The universal depravity of man;
2) The universal need for Jesus Christ;
3) The universal purpose of the law;
4) The universal manifestation of Jesus Christ and His righteousness; and…
5) The universal gospel message.
This morning I want to consider these five points of the universal gospel from the book of Romans chapters 1 & 3.
1. First, consider the universal depravity of man.
Romans 1:18-32 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
This passage is speaking of Adam’s fallen, sinful race, which encompasses all nations and all people, Jew and Gentile, regardless of any human distinctions. How can anyone honestly deny the universal depravity of the entire human race. It is clearly taught in the Bible as here in Romans 1 and 3, and throughout the Word of God.
We also see it clearly manifested in real life. Just look at our world today, and the mess that total depravity has got our world into! Violence is everywhere. Every day we read about new cases of rape, child molestation, murder and other acts of violence, in hometown newspapers accross the country, even in our small town of Ashland Kentucky!
The world is filled with war and constant threats of war. The governments of the world are full of corruption. The land is full of the vile, filthy sin of Sodomy, which has become the accepted norm of our society. Innocent unborn babies are being brutally murdered by the millions. Drug abuse and suicide are at an all time high. The religions of the world claim to know God, but they are completely blind and ignorant of the true God of the Bible! The world is reprobate and void of judgment, and willingly ignorant of the truth about God and His Son Jesus Christ! Beloved, we are seeing Romans chapter 1 unfolding before our eyes!
2. Secondly, we want to consider “The universal need for Jesus Christ”.
Romans 3:9-18 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
In these verses Paul interwove several Old Testament passages from the Psalms, Proverbs and other Scriptures, to show the universal depravity of man and the universal need for Jesus Christ.
The argument here is that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin. Read verse 9 again…
Romans 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
By “we have before proved…”, Paul means what he said about the depravity of man in chapter 1 where we already read.
The Jews thought that they were better than the Gentiles. They didn't see themselves as sinners under the wrath of God. They thought they were OK because they were God's chosen nation and people. But that wasn't the case. They were just as sinful and wicked as the Gentiles, and therefore just as much in need of Jesus Christ!
And this is still true today. Total depravity and the need for Jesus Christ are universally true of all people of all time!
3. Thirdly, we want to see “The universal purpose of the law”...
Romans 3:19-20 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
The purpose of the law is not to save sinners, but to shut the mouths of guilty sinners who think they are acceptable with God because of their own inherent righteousness and goodness.
The law says in essence… “Don't say that you're OK! Don't say how good you are! Don't say that you're not a sinner. Don’t say that you don't need a Saviour! Shut your mouth! Bite your tongue! Repent, change your mind! Agree with God, and see yourself as God sees you!”
All the good deeds and good works of the law won't make you righteous or justified before God! The Bible says that we are “all as an unclean thing”, and that “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” in the sight of God. (Isaiah 64:6).
What the law does say and do is to show us that we are sinners in need of Jesus Christ.
Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
Romans 7:9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
In other words, Paul thought he was OK. He thought he was acceptable to God. But when the law came into his heart by the power of the Holy Spirit, he was convicted of his sins, and he saw himself as dead in his sins before the Holy God of heaven!
Galatians 3:24-25 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
So the universal purpose of the law is to show all men that we are sinners, and to bring lost sinners to see their need for Jesus Christ.
4. Fourthly, we want to consider “The universal manifestation of Jesus Christ and His righteousness”...
Romans 3:21-24 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested…”
That word “manifested” here means to make visible or known something that has been hidden or unknown. It also means to become known, or plainly recognized, and thoroughly understood.
The law and the prophets witnessed and foretold in the Old Testament about the way of righteousness through Jesus Christ the Messiah. The law was never intended to be the way to obtain righteousness, but it was to manifest, or reveal the way to obtain righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.
The universal need for the righteousness of Christ is clearly manifested in verse 23...
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
In verse 24 we see how this righteousness is obtained… “Being justified freely by His grace”. Justified means "just as if we've never sinned", or to be declared righteous before God!
This was done freely by His grace. That is, by nothing that we are, and nothing we could do. It was freely imparted to us by God's unmerited favor!
And that is through “the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”! God didn't just overlook or ignore our sins, but sin had to be paid for. That was the purpose of the death of Jesus on the cross, to pay for our sins, and thereby redeem or purchase us from the penalty of our sins, by paying our sin debt.
And this righteousness of Christ is universally manifested in the Scriptures, and by the preaching of the gospel to all people, in all the world, which leads us to our last point…
5. Fifthly, and finally, we want to see “The universal message of saving faith in the gospel”.
Romans 3:25-26 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
I want to consider the phrase “Whom God hath set forth…”. The “Whom” here is Jesus Christ from verse 24. “Set forth” means basically two things. First, it means to set forth to be looked at, or to be exposed to public view. Secondarily, “set forth” means “to purpose or determine”.
Both of these definitions are true of Jesus Christ. God exposed Jesus to public view. Not just while hanging on the cross, but more so through the preaching of the gospel!
God purposed and determined that Jesus should be exposed to public view. God never intended for the gospel of Jesus to be hidden from the world, but rather, He purposed for it to be manifested and exposed to all the world!
Jesus was exposed to public view in order to be the propitiation, or the satisfaction for our sins in order to appease God's justice that demands that sin be punished. Jesus became the atoning sacrifice for sin, or literally the “Mercy Seat” where lost sinners can find pardon and forgiveness for their sins, through faith in the blood of Jesus!
To “declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past”, means all the Old Testament saints that trusted in the blood of Jesus for the remission of sins.
And in verse 26 “To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness”, Paul is speaking about the present gospel age of grace. “To declare” means to make public through the preaching of the gospel, so that all who hear it and believe it, would be saved from all their sins!
The righteousness of Christ was manifested so that He “might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus”. That God might be “just” because He punished our sins in His Son. Our sins didn't go unpunished, but they were punished in His Son when He suffered and died on the cross for our sins. And at the same time, He justified us by imputing the righteousness of Christ to us!
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
In Romans 3:26 of our text, the Bible says… “that He might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus”. The key to receiving righteousness and justification, is believing in Jesus. In other words, faith in the gospel message!
And that brings me back to our opening text…
Romans 1:15-16 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
The gospel of Jesus must be preached universally to the whole world if they are to be saved. “It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth!” The elect of God must hear the gospel to be saved, and they are scattered throughout the whole realm of lost humanity. If sinners are going to be saved they must hear the gospel!
Conclusion -
In conclusion, all of these five points that we've preached about in this message are universal, and therefore true of all men.
The depravity of man is universally true of all people everywhere, of all time.
The need for Jesus and His saving grace is true of all men of all time.
The purpose of the law of God is to show all men that they are sinners in need of Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
Jesus Christ and His righteousness have been clearly manifested for all people to see.
And the gospel goes out to all men everywhere, without exception or distinction.
Now the question is, can you believe it? Beloved, saving faith is not universal! Not all people believe in Jesus and receive the forgiveness of their sins, and the gift of eternal life through Him.
I can tell you about the gospel. I can try and make it as clear as I can, but I can't give you faith to believe it.
Only the Holy Spirit can make the message real to you, and give you the faith to believe it.
Yet that is my hope and my prayer, that He will bring you to repentance and saving faith in Jesus.
There is nothing else to live for. There is nothing nearly as important as knowing and believing in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour!