Is Evangelism Biblical?
Fewer and fewer Christians today are sharing their faith. It begs the question: why? Was sharing our faith just a fad that Christians have grown out of? Was it ever a commandment in the first place? Is evangelism actually biblical? We’ve opened up the scriptures to get to the bottom of it, starting with what evangelism means in the first place.
What Does Evangelism Mean?
Evangelism comes from the greek word ‘euangelion’ which, when literally translated, means “good newsing”. So evangelism is simply the act of sharing good news. In a practical sense, we actually do this all the time if you think about it. As soon as we hear good news (good grades, engagements, promotions), we want to share it.
In the Christian sense, Evangelism still means sharing good news that we’ve heard. But in this case, it’s God’s good news: that our sins are forgiven in Jesus Christ.
However, even if we know the meaning of evangelism, that doesn’t answer the question of whether or not evangelism is biblical. In order to know that, we need to take a look at how both the old and new testaments approach evangelism and see whether God actually commands us to share our faith or not.
Evangelism in the Old Testament
The Old Testament begins with God creating everything, including the Earth, animals, stars, humans, and everything in between. He created all of these things good, even people who he remarked were “very good” after creating them (Gen. 1:31).
However, things didn’t stay good long. At the beginning of Genesis 3, Adam and Eve sinned. They deliberately ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They had chosen disobedience and rebellion against God, instead of intimacy and relationship with Him. This changed everything.
For starters, Adam and Eve realized they were naked. The Bible tells us that when God first put them in the garden, the two were “both naked and were not ashamed.” (Gen. 2:25). However, as soon as they ate the fruit in Genesis 3, they suddenly became aware of their nakedness and felt ashamed.
This led to two things:
1) A scramble for fig leaves to cover up their own nakedness
2) Adam and Eve then tried to hide themselves in the garden in order to hide from God.
At this point Adam and Eve weren’t just trying to hide their nakedness, but also attempting to cover their shame and guilt for having disobeyed God. I’ve always referred to this as the first Great Coverup, and while Adam and Eve did it in Genesis 3, if you think about it we still have the same response to our sin before God (hide it so he doesn't see!) thousands of years later.
God’s Response to Sin and Shame
However, something interesting happened when God entered the garden where Adam and Eve, who had once walked in an unbroken relationship with him, were now burying themselves under the weight of the shame and guilt that their sin brought about. This is also where we start to see God’s heart and the biblical proof for evangelism.
God entered the garden, and Genesis 3:9 tells us “the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
Newsflash, God is omniscient. He knows everything. He knew very well where Adam and Eve were attempting to hide themselves and their guilt. So why did he ask? Why did he enter the garden in the first place? At this point, with Adam and Eve having disobeyed his commands, God could have turned his back on them, condemned them to guilt forever, and allowed them to wallow in their sin.
But he didn’t. Our God came to them! Even though Adam and Eve were in a defiled state, having broken God’s law, God came to get them. Were there consequences for their sin? Yes. But as we see, God ultimately fashions clothes to cover their nakedness (Genesis 3:21), and even though he must now drive them from the garden, his plans for their redemption and the destruction of sin and death are already in motion, as we’ll see in the New Testament.
God’s Evangelistic Heart in the Old Testament
I believe God’s actions towards Adam and Eve show us His evangelistic heart and the emergence of Evangelism in the Old Testament. What do I mean by that?
When we practice evangelism, we’re choosing not to sit idly by while the world struggles under the weight of sin and tries to hide its shame and guilt before God. Instead, we choose to go to them and share with them that God has provided a new covering for them in Jesus Christ. They don’t have to be ashamed before Him. He has forgiven them and washed them in the blood of Jesus.
When we do this, we are doing the same thing God did to Adam and Eve when they were in sin and fallen, we’re doing the same thing He did for us when we were in sin. Now that he has removed our guilt, we get to assume the same posture toward others. Biblical evangelism is simply mimicking the heart of God.
We also see the biblical nature of evangelism in the rest of the Old Testament too. To name just a few examples: when God calls Abraham he says that Abraham’s seed (who we ultimately know to be Jesus) will bless all families of the earth (Genesis 12:3). Isaiah 12:4 commands us to “make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.” And Psalm 46:10 tells us that God will be “exalted among the nations…exalted among the earth.”
Simply put, from the beginning to the end of the Old Testament, we see that God’s heart was never to stand far off and uninvolved when it came to the sins of his people. Instead, there was good news as he drew near to them to conver their shame.
So, evangelism is sharing the goodness of God with others, in the same way that it was shared with us. We see that in the Old Testament, but what about the New?
Evangelism in the New Testament
The New Testament is ripe with examples and verses for tackling the question of “is evangelism biblical?” Through the life and teachings of Jesus to the words of the apostles in the epistles, we have a wealth of verses that give us plenty to think about when it comes to the biblical nature of evangelism.
God’s Evangelistic Heart in Jesus
John 3:16 is perhaps the most crucial verse in the whole Bible to understanding God’s evangelistic heart in the New Testament. It says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Just as we saw in Genesis, we see it now in the New Testament that God is the one who comes towards us in our sinfulness. He doesn’t let us sit in our depravity and rebellion, but in sending Jesus, God is the one who moved towards us even in our fallen state. This is the same heart for evangelism that God showed in Genesis 3 with Adam and Eve, but now on display in his Son to the world.
His plan from the beginning of the fall of Adam and Eve has always been to bring reconciliation and redemption through Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:21 puts it this way, “For our sake he made him be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Jesus is simply evangelism incarnate. He is good news walking, talking, and calling all men to himself. And when we come to him, he extends to us the invitation to do the same
God’s Invitation to Us For Evangelism
There is no denying that, biblically, God has a heart for evangelism. But what we also see is that the command that believers DO evangelism is also biblical and that it isn't reserved for a few super saints but is something all believers get to partake in. In 1 Peter believers are commanded, “to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” In Matthew 28, the Great Commission, Jesus commands his followers to, “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” And finally, in 2 Corinthians 5:20, Paul says we are actually Christ’s ambassadors, and that God makes his appeal to the world THROUGH us! This is an amazing reality that God has called us into. Evangelism is biblical, and it’s one of the most incredible calls God has laid on our lives.
Not only do we see that evangelism is biblical, but when we reflect on the frameworks given above we also discover the heart behind it. When we do biblical evangelism, we aren’t doing anything God hasn’t already been doing. Instead, he is inviting us to co-labor with him as he moves towards the sinful and broken with the good news that Jesus has brought them salvation. Evangelism has always been the primary function of the global Church throughout history where every Christian is disciles to share the Gospel everywhere, everyday.
We get to be like God in the garden as we ask unbelievers, “Where are you?”, why do you hide and try to cover your shame before God? He has provided a covering in Jesus.
Go Deeper
So, is evangelism biblical? Yes. We see it in the heart of God, we see it commanded in both the Old and New Testaments. However, as much of a joy as it is to join God in his evangelistic heart and share the good news with those who need it. It can often be daunting.
If you want to learn more about how to share your faith and be encouraged walk it out. Sign up for my newsletter where you’ll get a free copy of my book, Why Not You, as well as monthly encouragements and tools to share the Gospel with others.