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Role of Biblical Examples in Sharing the Gospel Message

The Gospel message centers on the person and work of Jesus Christ, described in the New Testament as "good message" or "good news" (from the Greek euaggelion) [1]. The earliest Christian preachers announced "the intelligence that the Saviour had come into the world" [1], and this proclamation formed the core of apostolic preaching. Biblical examples—both narrative accounts and the conduct of believers—serve multiple functions in communicating this message, providing both content and method for Gospel witness.

The Apostolic Pattern of Proclamation

The apostle Paul's ministry demonstrates how biblical testimony functions in Gospel preaching. Writing to the Romans, Paul describes how he "fully preached the Good News of Christ" from Jerusalem to Illyricum "in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of God's Spirit" [5]. This pattern combines verbal proclamation with demonstrable evidence of divine power. The Gospel itself is identified as "the power of God to salvation" and brings "life and immortality" to light through Jesus [4]. Paul's approach suggests that biblical examples serve not merely as illustrations but as testimonies to God's redemptive action in history.

The transmission of testimony across generations appears as a deliberate pattern in Scripture. Psalm 78 records that God "established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a teaching in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children" [7]. This intergenerational witness creates a chain of testimony, where each generation receives and transmits the account of God's faithfulness. When applied to Gospel proclamation, this pattern means that biblical examples function as authoritative testimony that believers are commissioned to relay.

Christ as the Central Example

Christ himself stands as the primary example in Gospel proclamation. Peter identifies Christ as an example of sincerity [2], and the New Testament repeatedly presents his life as a pattern for believers (1 Peter 2:21; John 13:15) [3]. This exemplary function operates on two levels: Christ's life demonstrates the character of God's kingdom, and his death and resurrection constitute the substance of the Gospel message itself. Jesus identifies himself as "the root and the offspring of David; the Bright and Morning Star" [6], connecting his person to the entire biblical narrative of promise and fulfillment.

The doctrine of Christ as both subject and substance of Gospel preaching appears in Baptist commentary on Isaiah 52:7, which applies the prophecy about "him that bringeth good tidings" to Christ himself, "the messenger of the covenant, who was anointed to preach glad tidings to the meek, and by whom grace, peace, life, and salvation came" [9]. The passage also extends this application to the apostles, suggesting that those who proclaim the Gospel participate in the pattern Christ established. The Gospel is thus "the doctrine of Christ" because "Christ, as God, is the author of it; as Mediator, he received it from his Father; as man, he was the preacher of it; and he is also the sum and substance of it" [10].

The Conduct of Believers as Testimony

Beyond verbal proclamation, the conduct of believers serves as a living example that validates and extends the Gospel message. Ministers are instructed to be "examples of" sincerity [2], and pastors are to serve as examples "to their flocks" [3]. This exemplary function is not incidental but integral to Gospel witness. Baptist commentary on Ezekiel 1:19 interprets the movement of wheels alongside living creatures as representing how "churches and members ought to walk as they have them, for an example in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" [11]. The visible consistency between profession and practice becomes part of the Gospel's credibility.

The principle extends to the corporate life of the church. When the Gentile churches demonstrated liberality toward the Jerusalem saints, their generosity became a "specimen, a proof, an experience" that caused recipients to "glorify God" and acknowledge "the grace and goodness which they, and others, were partakers of" [8]. Material generosity thus functioned as evidence of "professed subjection to the Gospel of Christ" [8], making the believers' conduct itself a form of Gospel testimony.

The Communicative Nature of Gospel Discovery

The Gospel's discovery naturally produces communication. Methodist commentary on John 1:41 observes that "every discovery of the Gospel of the Son of God produces benevolence, and leads those to whom it is made to communicate it to others" [12]. Andrew's immediate response upon encountering Jesus was to find his brother Simon, demonstrating that "those who find Jesus find in him a treasure of wisdom and knowledge, through which they may not only become rich themselves, but be instruments, in the hand of God, of enriching others" [12]. This pattern—receiving and then transmitting—mirrors the intergenerational testimony of Psalm 78 and establishes personal encounter with Christ as the catalyst for witness.

The multiplication of witnesses appears as part of God's design. Commenting on Psalm 68:11, Baptist interpretation notes that "the Lord gave the word" of the Gospel to the apostles, and "great was the company of those that published it," numbering twelve apostles and seventy disciples in Jesus's time [13]. This expanding company of witnesses suggests that biblical examples of Gospel proclamation are meant to reproduce themselves, with each generation adding its testimony to the cumulative witness.

The Growth Pattern of Gospel Influence

Jesus's parable of the mustard seed, applied to "the Gospel dispensation, or the Gospel church state, and the ministry of the word" [14], illustrates how biblical examples function in Gospel expansion. The kingdom begins with small, seemingly insignificant origins but grows to provide shelter and usefulness [14]. This growth pattern suggests that biblical examples of faithful witness, however modest initially, participate in a larger divine work that extends beyond immediate visibility. The prophets serve "as a warning" and as examples "of suffering affliction" [3], demonstrating that even examples of endurance under opposition contribute to the Gospel's advance.

The Gospel was "foretold" in the Old Testament and "preached under the old testament" [4], indicating that the entire biblical narrative serves as preparation for and testimony to Christ. This continuity means that Old Testament examples—whether of faith, judgment, or divine faithfulness—function as part of the comprehensive witness to God's redemptive purposes. The Gospel "exhibits the grace of God" and reveals "the knowledge of the glory of God" [4], making every biblical example that points to divine character or action a potential instrument in Gospel proclamation. The cumulative effect of these examples creates a multifaceted testimony that addresses human need from multiple angles while maintaining Christ as the central focus.

Sources

  1. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Gospels — The central fact of Christian preaching was the intelligence that the Saviour had come into the world (Matt. 4:23; Rom. 10:15); and the first Christian preachers who called their account of the person and mission of Christ by the term evangelion_ (= good message) were called _evangelistai (= evangelists) (Eph. 4:11; Acts 21:8). There are four historical accounts of the person and work of Christ: "the first by Matthew, announcing the Redeemer as the promised King of the kingdom of God; the second by Mark, declaring him a prophet, mighty in deed and word'; th”
  2. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Sincerity — Christ was an example of -- 1Pe 2:22. Ministers should be examples of -- Tit 2:7. Opposed to fleshly wisdom -- 2Co 1:12. Should characterise Our love to God. -- 2Co 8:8,24. Our love to Christ. -- Eph 6:24. Our service to God. -- Jos 24:14; Joh 4:23,24. Our faith. -- 1Ti 1:5. Our love to one another. -- Ro 12:9; 1Pe 1:22; 1Jo 3:18. Our whole conduct. -- 2Co 1:12. The preaching of the gospel. -- 2Co 2:17; 1Th 2:3-5. A characteristic of the doctrines of the gospel -- 1Pe 2:2. The gospel sometimes preached without -- Php 1:16. The wicked devoid of -- Ps 5:9; ”
  3. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Example — Of Christ (1 Pet. 2:21; John 13:15); of pastors to their flocks (Phil. 3:17; 2 Thess. 3:9; 1 Tim. 4:12; 1 Pet. 5:3); of the Jews as a warning (Heb. 4:11); of the prophets as suffering affliction (James 5:10).”
  4. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Gospel, The — Is good tidings of great joy for all people -- Lu 2:10,11,31,32. Foretold -- Isa 41:27; 52:7; 61:1-3; Mr 1:15. Preached under the old testament -- Heb 4:2. Exhibits the grace of God -- Ac 14:3; 20:32. The knowledge of the glory of God is by -- 2Co 4:4,6. Life and immortality are brought to light by Jesus through -- 2Ti 1:10. Is the power of God to salvation -- Ro 1:16; 1Co 1:18; 1Th 1:5. Is glorious -- 2Co 4:4. Is everlasting -- 1Pe 1:25; Re 14:6. Preached by Christ -- Mt 4:23; Mr 1:14. Ministers have a stewardship to preach -- 1Co 9:17. Preached before”
  5. Romans “in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of God’s Spirit; so that from Jerusalem, and around as far as to Illyricum, I have fully preached the Good News of Christ; -- Romans 15:19”
  6. Revelation “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify these things to you for the assemblies. I am the root and the offspring of David; the Bright and Morning Star.” -- Revelation 22:16”
  7. Psalms “For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a teaching in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; -- Psalms 78:5”
  8. 2 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 2 Corinthians 9:13: Whiles by the experiment of this ministration,.... That is, the poor saints at Jerusalem having a specimen, a proof, an experience of the liberality of the Gentile churches ministered to them by the apostles, first, they glorify God; by giving thanks unto him, acknowledging him to be the author of all the grace and goodness which they, and others, were partakers of; particularly for your professed subjection to the Gospel of Christ. The Gospel of Christ is the doctrine of grace, life, and salvation by Christ, of which he is the author, as God, the subject m”
  9. Isaiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Isaiah 52:7: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings,.... Not of the messenger that brought the news of Cyrus's proclamation of liberty to the Jews; rather of John the Baptist, the forerunner of our Lord; best of Christ himself, the messenger of the covenant, who was anointed to preach glad tidings to the meek, and by whom grace, peace, life, and salvation came; and also of the apostles of Christ, for to Gospel times are these words applied, and to more persons than one, Rom 10:15, who were not only seen "upon the mountains" of the land of I”
  10. Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 6:1: Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ,.... The Gospel is the doctrine of Christ, and is so called, because Christ, as God, is the author of it; as Mediator, he received it from his Father; as man, he was the preacher of it; and he is also the sum and substance of it: the principles of this doctrine are either the easier parts of the Gospel, called milk in the latter part of the preceding chapter; which are not to be left with dislike and contempt, nor so as to be forgotten, nor so as not to be recurred to at proper times; but so as not to abide in”
  11. Ezekiel (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ezekiel 1:19: And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them,.... When the ministers of the Gospel begin the worship of God, and move in acts of devotion, the churches join with them; see Rev 4:9; and in their lives and conversations they are examples to them; and churches and members ought to walk as they have them, for an example in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up; when the ministers of the word have their affections raised, and are in lively f”
  12. John (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on John 1:41: Findeth his own brother Simon - Every discovery of the Gospel of the Son of God produces benevolence, and leads those to whom it is made to communicate it to others. Those who find Jesus find in him a treasure of wisdom and knowledge, through which they may not only become rich themselves, but be instruments, in the hand of God, of enriching others. These disciples, having tasted the good word of Christ, were not willing to eat their bread alone, but went and invited others to partake with them. Thus the knowledge of Christ became diffused - one invited another to com”
  13. Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 68:11: The Lord gave the word,.... The word of the Gospel to his apostles. He committed the word of reconciliation to them; he intrusted them with it, as a sacred depositum; he gave gifts unto them, qualifying them for the ministration of it; he gave them a commission to preach it; and he gave them a door of utterance to speak it as it should be, and an opportunity to publish it. The Targum wrongly interprets it of the word of the law; great was the company of those that published it; there were in our Lord's time twelve apostles and seventy disciples, who were sent out t”
  14. Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 13:29: Another parable put he forth unto them, saying,.... As the former parable sets forth the condition of the Gospel church state until the end of the world; this expresses the small beginnings of it, and the large increase and growth of it, and its great usefulness to the saints, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field: by "the kingdom of heaven" is meant, as before, the Gospel dispensation, or the Gospel church state, and the ministry of the word, and the administration of ordinances in it: by the grain of mu”
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