“Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham and the scripture for seeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preach the gospel beforehand to Abraham saying, in you shall all the nations be blessed. So then those who of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”
-Galatians 3:7–9
Oh, I love Galatians 3:7–9. Did you hear that language as the Bible’s talking here about Abraham way back in the Old Testament and how God preached the gospel? So thank the gospel, the good news of God’s love for us in Jesus, for our salvation, for our redemption, for our restoration to him, that good news was preached before him to Abraham saying, in you shall all the nations be blessed. Oh, there’s so much here.
The Gospel is Good News
To think about how one, the gospel is the good news that we can be saved from our sins, restored to relationship with God, enter into covenant relationship with God by faith, by faith in Jesus, not by our works. That’s part of the point that Paul’s making here in Galatians chapter three, and that this faith is available to all people in all nations, not just Abraham and his family, the people of Israel, no, all the nations. Part of what makes the gospel, the gospel, what makes it good news is that it’s for everybody.
The gospel’s not good news if it’s only for certain types of people. Therefore, we pray continually on this podcast for people around the world who have little to no knowledge of the gospel because we have good news for them because the gospel by its very essence is good news for them. And if they haven’t heard it, we need to get this news to them.
We need to pray toward that end, give toward that end, go toward that end. How can we live to see like we’re praying today for the people of Brazil, another one of these Amazon tribes, that’s totally unreached by the gospel. And they’re joined by thousands of other people groups and tribes in the world who have little to no knowledge of the gospel, about three billion people. Indeed, the gospel is good news for them that they can be justified before God, reconciled to God by faith in Jesus.
The Eternity of the Gospel
This has been the gospel since the very beginning of the Bible. It was proclaimed beforehand to Abraham and it’s been proclaimed to you and me. So let’s be faithful to proclaim it to all the nations with everything we have in us. God, we pray, help us to be faithful, to proclaim this gospel until all the nations have heard it. God, we pray that each of us would play whatever part you’re calling us to play in the proclamation of this good news to the ends of the earth. Even right now as we pray, God, we intercede together for the people of Brazil.
God, please cause this good news to go to them. Bless all those who are working right now for the spread of the gospel among these Amazon tribes in Brazil. God, raise up more laborers to go. Maybe even some who are listening to this right now. Indeed, whether to Amazon tribes or one of 7,000 other people groups in the world. God, we pray that you would raise them multitudes and that you would help us to use our resources to help them get there. Help us to use our money for the spread of the gospel among the nations, among people who’ve never heard it. Above all, that they might know that by faith in Jesus, they can be reconciled to you.
All Praise to God
God, we praise you for this gospel. Praise you that it’s come to us. We know we are among the nations. God, we praise you that this good news has reached our ears and our hearts. We have been transformed by it. Thank you that we’re in the line of Abraham, the man of faith. And that by faith, we have been reconciled to you. We praise you that this gospel was proclaimed to us. We pray that you would help us to faithfully proclaim this gospel to others.
God, help us to faithfully, boldly, courageously, and compassionately share God’s grace today. This grace comes through faith alone in Jesus alone. And how they can be restored to you and have eternal life with you starting now. God, please help us not to keep this gospel to ourselves. We pray that you help us to proclaim this gospel right around us and far from us. Oh, God. If we pray this in Jesus’ name, according to Galatians 3:7–9 amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
