Biblical claims concerning Christ’s death. . .
- “by his blood [Christ] ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people group and nation”. (Revelation 5:9)
- Christ “laid down his life for the sheep”; he died for those the father “had given to him”. (John 10:14-15, 29)
- Christ “gave himself up for the church” which he dearly loves. (Ephesians 5:25)
But the problem is
- Spiritually dead in sin, no one left to their own devices can or will come to Christ unless God enables them and draws them. (John 6:44, 65)
So
- God’s power, operative in grace, regenerates spiritually dead hearts, giving new life through union with Christ resulting in a response of repentant-faith, which is “not their own doing, but it is the gift of God.”. (Eph. 2:4-5, 8-9; 2Tim. 2:25)
Therefore
- Everyone “the father has given to the son will come to him”. (John 6:37)
- All Christ’s sheep “will listen to his voice and come to him”. (John 10:16, 26-27)
- All those “appointed to eternal life will believe” the gospel. (Acts 13:48)
Salvation is a work of God to the glory of God!
Some personal thoughts…
Our role according to Christ’s commission in Matthew 28 is to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”. The emphasis was not placed on “Getting people saved”. Salvation is a work of God; only God can create (regenerate) spiritual life in the spiritually dead. So, we should preach the gospel in complete assurance that those Christ has ransomed, those who are Christ’s sheep, will hear his voice (his call) and will come to him in repentant faith.
Through our preaching and evangelizing we are not so much ‘getting people saved’ as we are seeking to discover those whom the Father has given to the Son. In the final analysis this will be evidenced by response to the Gospel. When sinners come to Christ, our duty – by Christ’s commission – is to make disciples by teaching obedience to Christ.
Every day, all over the world, God is regenerating men and women, boys and girls “chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). He is saving them by grace through faith. This God-given gift of faith enables them to repent and trust Christ as their Savior as they are exposed to the Gospel, the Word of God! As Christ’s sheep, already in His fold, we are not uncaring inactive observers. No, we are to faithfully preach and share the Gospel as urgently and effectually as we can (1Cor. 15:1-2), knowing that its worldwide proclamation is the will of God until he returns (Matthew 24:14).
Christ’s “sheep” are given “new hearts” with “new desires” enabling them to walk in submissive obedience to their Lord and Savior. They are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:24-27) – the Spirit of Christ. This is all part of God’s saving-work, the work of regeneration. It results in “conversion”! This is what we pray for! It is what we ask God to do for those we love and care about.
A few implications…
- To those whom God calls, the Gospel is saving-truth (1Cor. 1:21-31).
We must never water down the gospel message out of concern it may cause offense or be rejected! It reveals the eternal consequence of man’s rebellion and unbelief as he faces the wrath of a holy and righteous God. It reveals the impossibility of self-salvation. It is incredibly good news of how God asked his own son to pay the penalty for our sin and to die as our substitute. How Christ took on himself the wrath of God in our place so we would not perish but have everlasting life. There is no other teaching other than the “gospel of Christ” that can save (Gal. 1:6-9).
- It is impossible to disciple an unregenerate person.
God must regenerate new hearts, creating hearts that are inclined to submit and obey him. We can “Christianize” people using social pressure and rewards and punishments, but we cannot disciple them; we cannot facilitate their growth into the likeness of Christ if they are not born-again.
- Only God has the power to grow his church.
It is very possible to grow churches using psycho-therapeutic preaching by good-looking charismatic speakers accompanied by upbeat emotionally stirring music and entertainment-based youth programming. Churches frequently grow by drawing people away from less ‘with-it’ churches in the area. But accommodating “consumer-Christianity” and ‘felt-needs ministry’ in order to attract nominal Christians is usually an indication that we are no longer trusting God to build his church.
- When we trust God to be the author of salvation and to build his church according to his sovereign pleasure. . .
1. We will have confidence to “guard the pulpit” and faithfully preaching of the whole counsel of God.
2. We will resist transforming our worship services into entertainment/spectator events. [This doesn’t mean we will not seek to be culturally relevant and pursue excellence for the pleasure of God!]
3. We will live within our means and avoid corporate debt in order to escape the temptation to place too much emphasis on ‘not causing offense and possibly losing contributing attenders’.
4. Our steadfast loyalty to the Word and to the glory and pleasure of God requires genuine faith in his power to “build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matt. 16:18)
