A Universal Individual Gospel*

      The Gospel of salvation is for both the individual person and for the whole world. Jesus spoke to a ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus, and He told him of this truth about salvation: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God...Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit...And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (Jn. 3:1-16, excerpt).

     Jesus spoke about how each person must be changed, or be born again by the Spirit of God, in order to enter into the kingdom of God, which is Spirit. Nicodemus pretended that he did not understand what Jesus was speaking about, but Jesus knew that he did.

     In His discussion with Nicodemus, Jesus also spoke about the salvation of the world, which is accomplished one person at a time: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (v. 16-18). The Gospel to the world is universal and the Gospel to "whosoever" is individual.

     Paul wrote that he doesn't give up or faint in the ministry to others that was given to him because he was a receiver of God's mercy himself. This is true for all of the believers. He said that the ministry of salvation is done, not through deceit or dishonesty, but "by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God...For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Paul also noted that there are those who didn't believe in Christ because their minds have been blinded by the god of this world so that the light of the Gospel of Christ should not shine on them. (see 2 Cor. 4:1-6).

     Paul also wrote of the Gospel for the individual and also the world: "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation....For he hath made him (Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Cor. 5:17-21, excerpt). From the salvation and reconciliation to God of the individual, the same Gospel is universal -  to go out into the world.

     Christ died for the ungodly, and while we were yet sinners, Christ died for both each one and all. (Rom. 5:5-8). This is the universal and individual truth of the Gospel. Even more is included with the Gospel of salvation which joins us with the love of Christ: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us...And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn amongst many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." (Rom. 8:28-39, excerpt). God sent His Son to die for the whole world even knowing that all would not receive Him, turning down everlasting life.

    When He was criticized by the religious leaders for associating with and eating with sinners, Jesus spoke a parable to them of a man who owned one hundred sheep and one of them went missing. The shepherd left the ninety-nine sheep to go into the wilderness to find the one missing sheep. When He found that lost sheep, he would rejoice and carry it back on his shoulders. He would tell his friends to rejoice with him because he found the lost sheep from his herd: "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance." (Lk. 15:1-7). The one individual who is lost is worth seeking out and restoring. This is the heart of God and the Good Shepherd, Jesus, whom He sent to find each of us who was lost. We are all sinners in need of the Savior, Jesus, so we cannot look down upon another. The whole world is lost, but we need to know God's heart is for the lost, even if only one.

     Jesus as our Shepherd even chastises His church and calls it to repentance in order to keep that church in His light and life. Jesus, "the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God," told John to bring a message to His church at Laodicea: "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup (deipneo - sup, principle meal, Messiah/Christ's feast symbolizing salvation and shared intimacy in the kingdom) with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." (Rev. 3:14-22).

     Jesus spoke above of a shared intimacy with Him. It is the restoration of the intimacy that Adam and Eve had with God as they walked with God in the Garden of Eden. God loves us enough to have died in our place in order to make us righteous and holy beings, and He loves us enough to chasten us so that we may continue to walk with Him. Are we also willing to share and lay our lives on the line to bring the Gospel to the lost?

*Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson, Jr.'s 3/8/26 message to the church. If you would like to hear the complete message, you can find it on the Facebook page of Kenneth E. Stevenson Jr. Dr. Stevenson's video messages are also found on You Tube at the Kenneth Stevenson channel. To contact or support this ministry, or to request prayer, you can write to PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. To find out more about the Shroud of Turin, which is evidence of Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection, and to receive a free e-book now available in several languages, go to http://www.theshroudofturin.org/freebook. Also the book NAZAH: White Linen and the Blood of Sprinkling, written by Dr. Stevenson, is available on Amazon.