What Did Paul Mean When HeWrote the words, “How Beautiful are the Feet of Those Who Bring Good News?”
In the skeptical world we live there are many descriptions that our media has for gospel preachers, but beautiful is certainly not one of them. Usually, the world thinks of gospel preachers as conniving, deceitful and manipulative people who seek to take advantage of the unsuspecting. In general the public has become increasingly cynical toward anyone who identifies themself as a gospel preacher. Some people think of gospel preachers as money-grubbing tele-evangelists who are out to swindle old widows out of meager savings accounts. Yet, the Bible has a solution for every problem. We only need to discover the true meaning of the beauty of the gospel and its author to appreciate the full wonder of Paul’s teaching in this passage. What did Paul the apostle really means when he wrote, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news?” Let us examine several aspects that will help people appreciate the value, worth and power of those who are involved in the preaching of the gospel.
1. The gospel is beautiful because of its author, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is beautiful in His character, in His love and in the truth that He personified in every aspect of His life. As the words of the old song taught us about Jesus, “He is the lily of the valley, He is the bright and morning star. He is the fairest of ten thousands, everybody ought to know.” Christ authored the gospel so that the world could come out of the ugliness of their sin, depravation and bondage into a relationship with a God who is beautiful beyond description. A life of forgiveness, purpose and privilege is truly beautiful in all aspects. When one gains an intimate appreciation of the beauty of the Lord Jesus one is compelled to want to share His beautiful holiness, truth and joy to others who struggle through the mire of sin’s ugliness. It is truly beautiful to be around people who characterize the fruits of the gospel of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. Only the gospel delivers people from the ugliness of hate, envy, jealousy, wrath, evil speaking, slander, divisions and immorality.
2. The gospel givers are beautiful because they take on the identity of Jesus Christ. We all tend to become more and more like the people we associate ourselves with. When we involve ourselves in the giving of the gospel we gain a closer identification with Jesus Christ. Those who identify with Christ are known by the beautiful service that they render to those who are suffering in the ugliness of sin’s self-destruction.
3. The feet of the gospel givers are considered beautiful because they bring a message of peace, hope and eternal life. Everything in this world is ultimately vain so those who bring the gospel offer deliverance from emptiness and meaninglessness. There is great delight when a sinner turns away from sin’s turmoil and pain. Many people may not recognize the beauty of gospel messengers at the time, but God delights in those who share the message of eternal life with a world that is dying in their sin.
4. Paul quotes from Isaiah’s original phrase, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bring good news, that publish peace.” (Isa. 52:7) Isaiah taught that the good news of God’s truth brings hope, peace, and spiritual prosperity to the beleaguered places in the world. Oh how people long for peace, stability and security even today. The bringers of good news provide a message that gives peace within and without. They lift hearts to eternal promises of a lasting peace. How beautiful God considers those who are involved in disseminating this message to all 6.2 billion people on the planet. Do you not also want to be commended by God for a personal involvement in spreading the gospel around the world? Why not share in the beauty of being a gospel giver and sender?
5. Paul knows that the feet of the gospel preachers are beautiful because of the nature of the gospel. The good news of Jesus Christ sets people free from sin, destruction and eternal judgment. When the truth of the gospel takes root in a person’s life they are given Spirit led freedom to overcome all vices of life. This is what Jesus meant when he said, “If you continue in my word, then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31,32) How beautiful it is to be a free person when others are servants to their own selfish desires.
6. The gospel is beautiful because it teaches people about a God who is lovely, honorable and excellent in every way. No greater beauty exists than in the person of our Creator God who made all things beautiful in their time. Do not try to make something beautiful without God’s help. Many people are self-deceived by the world’s promises of earthly beauty. Solomon wrote, “Charm is deceitful and outward physical beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” The gospel gives all people a key to the door of eternal beauty through a personal relationship with God who transforms them more and more into His likeness through the sanctifying power of the Spirit. Paul wrote, “Now the Lord is the Spirit and were the Spirit of the Lord, is there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:18) The gospel helps us gain entrance into a beautiful relationship with God who gives us freedom and ever increasing maturity, intimacy and transformation into His likeness.
7. The gospel is beautiful in the way that it influences individuals and societies. When I was in Nigeria I saw how the gospel transforms people and communities in beautiful ways. It lifts people to a higher level of dignity, respectability and responsibility. Gospel givers buoys the spirits of the faint-hearted. The gospel gives people a sense of eternal purpose that helps them transcend the barriers of culture, language and class distinctions. Some of the most beautiful relationships I have ever known came through the mutual sharing of the gospel to thousands of people who came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. I saw 450 gospel-givers help to start more than 650 churches in Nigeria. In each case it was beautiful to behold the transforming power and lift that the gospel gave to every new community of believers.
8. The gospel is beautiful in the way it elevates women, the poor and the helpless. Paul once wrote, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential, not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no-one may boast before him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom, from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (I Cor. 1:26-31) It is a beautiful thing to see how the gospel elevates the lowly of the world to a state of great wisdom, holiness and redemptive lift.
9. It is a beautiful thing to be involved in bringing the gospel to millions of soul-starved people. I praise God for allowing me to be involved in sharing the gospel through film evangelism to well over a three million people. When I was in Nigeria our film evangelism teams went out from the seminary, where I taught, for nearly twenty years showing the Jesus film in thousands of remote villages and towns. We saw nearly 300,000 people profess to receive Christ as their Savior and Lord following the invitation given at the close of the film. I am trusting the Lord for many more thousands of people to come to Christ as we have hundreds of film teams even now showing gospel films to people who are hungry for the gospel throughout West Africa and I know people like Paul Eschelman of Campus Crusade for Christ who pilots of the Jesus film project around the world. Their organization has done an outstanding job in showing the Jesus film to close to 4 billion people where they have recorded more than 130 million decisions for Christ. We can only praise God for such beautiful people and pray for more such laborers to be sent into God’s harvest fields. What are some of the things that you can do to help be a part of this beautiful ministry of gospel seed sowing? Remember the song, “We’ve a story to tell to the nations that will turn their hearts to the right. A story of love and mercy. A story of peace and light. A story of peace and light. And the darkness will turn to the dawning. And the dawning to new day bright. And Christ’s great kingdom will come to earth. The kingdom of love and light.” (That is a beautiful picture we all should be involved with)
