The gospel is the good news that something wonderful has happened. That marvelous event was the incarnation by which God entered human life and history for our reconciliation and redemption. In Jesus Christ, God came into the world “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
As Christians, we are transmitters of this good news so “that the world may know” that God loves all people and desires their redemption (John 17:23). We are “ambassadors of Christ” charged with a “ministry of reconciliation” while God makes His appeal for reconciliation through us (2 Cor. 5:18-20).
Sharing our faith should begin by bringing members of our own family to saving grace in Jesus Christ. In a class at Duke University we were surprised when James Moffatt, a distinguished biblical scholar who produced the Moffatt Bible, spent the whole class period on one word in John 1:41. It was the Greek word proton, translated in most Bibles as “first.” For example, when Andrew first met Jesus, “He found his own brother Simon,”… and “He brought him to Jesus” (John 1:41 RSV).
Moffatt translates the passage to mean “In the morning.” Andrew found his brother and brought him to Jesus. He claims that the Greek work proi has been misused in early all manuscripts for “first.” Some old Latin manuscripts do not have “early in the morning,” but Greek scholar A.T. Robertson holds that “first” (proton) is correct.
The word proton is an adverb meaning that the first thing he did was to find his brother and bring him to Jesus. The healed man was told by Jesus to go home and tell what great things had been done for him (Mark 5: 18-20).
Witnessing should begin in the home with family members. Evangelism has been largely focused outside the home. I have yet to see a book or a systematic program on personal sharing of faith in the family of any serious concern.
How are we to share our faith? We learn from Scripture to do it with zeal and intelligence, gentleness and reverence (1 Pet. 3: 15-16).
Henlee Barnette
Louisville, Ky.
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