Salvation Basics: How to Share the Gospel
October 24th, 2022 • by Joanna Kimbrel
Imagine you’re sitting in a coffee shop with your Bible open when someone walks up to your table. “Excuse me,” she stammers, fidgeting with the cardboard sleeve on her half-empty cup, “I noticed you’re reading a Bible, and I was wondering if you can explain to me what the gospel is.”
How do you think you’d react in that moment? Would you be excited for a surprising opportunity to share your faith so openly? Or, if you’re honest, would your palms start sweating just thinking about it? If fear or hesitation is one of your first responses, you’re not alone. Many Christians—including those who read the Bible regularly and become excited about a good theology discussion—find it difficult to simply and clearly articulate the gospel we love so dearly.
Opportunities to share our faith can come from all over. It may not be in the form of a stranger with a chai tea latté asking you how to be saved—although it’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility. Perhaps instead the opportunity arises in conversation with the next-door neighbor you’ve been getting to know, over breakfast with a younger woman in the faith you’re discipling, or when your 5 year old asks, “mommy, am I going to die one day?”
“We must be ready to give a reason for the hope we have in Jesus (1 Peter 3:15). We must be ready to share the gospel.”
A Reason for Our Hope
Sisters, we must be ready to give a reason for the hope we have in Jesus (1 Peter 3:15). We must be ready to share the gospel. To that end, here are three salvation basics to share with anyone who will listen.
1. The Problem
Way back at the beginning of everything, God created the universe, and everything was good. God made humans, and he lived with them and loved them and gave them everything they needed and more. But the first humans disobeyed God’s good commands, and rebellion against God is called sin. God warned them that the payment for sin is death, and now the world is full of it.
Because the first humans sinned, we are all sinful too, and that means that every one of us deserves to die. We are guilty and condemned. Now all the bad things in this world—grief and pain, suffering and sickness, broken relationships and broken bones—are all a result of that first sin. This world is not the way God designed it to be.
Key Scripture: Genesis 1–3, Romans 1–3
2. The Solution
Because of our sin, there is nothing we can do to save ourselves from death and separation from God forever. We can’t do enough or be enough. But in God’s extravagant, unfathomable love, he sent his only Son to become a human—like you and me—to pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus is the Son of God who was born as a baby and lived on this earth. He went through all the pain and suffering and temptation that you and I face every day, but he never sinned. He didn’t deserve it, but he took our place by dying on a cross to pay the price for our sins. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. His resurrection proved that he really is the Son of God. Anyone who believes that Jesus is Lord and trusts in him to rescue them from their sins will be saved.
When we trust in Jesus, he changes us. Just like Jesus was resurrected, we have new life in him. His Spirit lives in us, and he gives us the power to obey God and say no to sin. We still make mistakes, but he makes us a little more like Jesus every single day. Now we can show other people what Jesus’s love is like by the way we love them.
Key Scripture: Romans 5:8–9, Romans 8, Ephesians 2:1–10, 2 Corinthians 5:21
3. The Beautiful Future
The world is broken by sin, but God has not given up on his good plan. He will fix all that’s broken. After Jesus was crucified and resurrected, he ascended into heaven. One day, Jesus is going to come back, and when he does, he’s going to make all things new. Everybody who believes in him will be given new, perfect bodies that can never age or die. He will renew the world and rid it of all sadness, suffering, and sin. Best of all, God will live right there with us, and he himself will wipe away our tears and welcome us into eternal joy with him.
Key Scripture: John 14:1–6, Revelation 21–22
“The more we preach the gospel to ourselves, the more naturally it will come to share it with others. ”
When the Moment Comes
Sharing the gospel takes practice, and one way we can become more comfortable is by rehearsing the gospel to ourselves. The more we preach the gospel to ourselves, the more naturally it will come to share it with others. Besides, we need the gospel too, every day and for every moment.
When someone asks the hard question or you see an opportunity to share your faith, it doesn’t come down to memorizing a perfect script. Yes, you should be prepared, but do not neglect the help of the Holy Spirit. Pray and ask for his help in those moments. I can personally attest that he is faithful to help us say what we didn’t know we could.
So next time you find yourself in a potential gospel conversation, my prayer is that you wouldn’t hide behind your iced coffee or try to change the subject, but that you would joyfully step into the good work God has set before you.
Joanna Kimbrel serves as content coordinator for The Gospel Coalition. She is a Bible teacher and writer with a passion for sharing the beauty of God’s Word with others. She is author of The Greatest Hero: The Book of Romans (Kaleidoscope, October 2022). Joanna and her husband Chad have two daughters and are members of Sojourn Community Church in Woodstock, Georgia. You can follow her on Instagram.
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