| October 17, 1999 |
Vol. II, No. 25
|
All accountable humans have sinned, Rom. 3:9-10, 23. Because of imperfect knowledge, carelessness, weakness of the flesh -- and sometimes outright rebellion -- we have fallen short of the glory of God. There hangs over each of us the penalty of eternal death, Rom. 6:23; James 1:15.
It is not possible for us to pay for our own sins and survive the penalty,
but "God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). The blood of Jesus was "shed for
many for the remission of sins" (Matt. 26:28). There are also conditions
sinners must meet "for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38).
No person can earn salvation by being a good father, mother, citizen, neighbor, etc. Nor can we please God through a humanly devised system of righteousness. In order to be forgiven, sinners must submit themselves to the righteousness of God (God's system for making them righteous, Rom. 10:1-3).
That is why Paul wrote, "I am ready to preach the gospel... For it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed..." (Rom. 1:15-17).
That is why Jesus instructed His apostles as He was about to ascend to heaven, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved..." (Mark 16:15-16).
That is why Paul charged Timothy: "And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2). Without the gospel, men are lost in sin. If we die in our sins, we cannot go to heaven, John 8:21, 24. (Now, don't get me wrong. The gospel isn't the problem. Sin is the problem. The gospel is the solution to the problem.)
Teaching and preaching the gospel is a responsibility that falls upon each Christian to the extent of his ability and opportunity. It is also a responsibility of the local church collectively. An effort on our part will often lead a friend or loved one to attend worship services with us, where they can be exposed to the preaching of the gospel and become acquainted with others who can help us lead them to Christ.
Congregations in the New Testament saw a need to spread the gospel in their own communities and to other areas as well, in keeping with their ability to do so. The church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch in Syria to spread the gospel. Later, Paul joined with him and they "assembled with the church and taught a great many people" (Acts 11:26). Still later, in obedience to a revelation from God, the Antioch congregation sent them to other areas to plant the gospel and save souls, Acts 13:1-3. The church in Thessalonica was commended as an example to be followed by other churches because they had sounded out the word in their own area and beyond, 1 Thess. 1:7-8
One arrangement congregations have used over the years to spread the gospel in their locality is the gospel meeting. Perhaps a few old-timers can remember when multitudes of people attended such efforts and dozens were baptized. Most of us have heard the stories. However, in our day of TV, computer games, constant emphasis on recreation and entertainment, easy travel, etc., it is not nearly so easy to "draw a crowd." That being the case, we often hear that the day of the great gospel meeting is past. And thus, we talk ourselves out of taking advantage of an opportunity that can still be effective in spreading the gospel -- and, worse yet -- we usually replace it with nothing at all.
In my 35 years of working with relatively small congregations, I confess I have not seen hundreds of people respond to the invitation in gospel meetings. But I have seen several. And I have seen brethren strengthened so that they went out into the community with new zeal and brought others to the Lord, as a direct result of the influence of a gospel meeting upon them personally. I have also seen local preachers and teachers strengthened and encouraged so that their work became more effective in the months following a gospel meeting. I have gone away to hold a series of gospel meetings and, spurred by the encouragement of the audiences, have returned home with new vigor and improved results in my local work.
Let's not kid ourselves. When the gospel is preached, good is done. A gospel meeting provides an opportunity in a busy world for just about anyone to "find time" to attend and be blessed. Let's not minimize the value of such a great opportunity to save souls. And let's not forget the worth of even one soul, Matt. 16:26.
--CRJ
In Matt. 12:31-32, Jesus said, "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."
This is one of the most puzzling and frightening things Jesus ever said. Just what is that unpardonable sin, and how do we know if we have committed it?
We will seek an answer by noting the context and by giving consideration to the other recorded accounts of this statement in Mark 3:28-30 and Luke 12:10. Mark is especially helpful. He records for us the reason Jesus said what He did about blaspheming the Holy Spirit. It was because the scribes and Pharisees had said that Jesus had an unclean spirit, Mark 3:30.
In the context, Matt. 12:22ff, the Lord had freed a man of a demon that had caused blindness and muteness. The multitudes, properly impressed, realized that Jesus might well be the Son of David (Messiah) foretold by the prophets. The scribes and Pharisees were not willing to even consider that possibility.
The scribes could not deny that a marvelous deed had been done. They could not deny the mighty power that Jesus exemplified. Since they could not deny the existence of that power, and were not willing to accept the implications of it, they picked the alternative of declaring that the power was evil -- that it came from Beelzebub or Satan.
Jesus knew it was hardness of heart that caused them to oppose Him and to malign His mighty power as coming from Satan. They were doing more than just speaking against Him personally. They were blaspheming the power and Spirit of the Almighty God.
Those scribes and Pharisees knew that Jesus lived in harmony with the will of God. Later when the opportunity came to have Him crucified, they had to seek out false witnesses in order to bring any charge against Him at all. They knew that by healing the sick, raising the dead, and casting out demons, Jesus was working against the devil, not for him. Deep down in their hearts, they had to know the power Jesus manifested was God's power. Yet they spoke against it. They blasphemed it. Why was their sin unforgiveable? We suggest that they had so hardened their hearts against the Spirit and power of God that they could not be brought to repentance. And sin, unrepented of, cannot be forgiven, Luke 13:3, 5.
How can we know if we have committed such a sin? As long as we are concerned about that possibility, we have not reached that state of hardness. As long as we have in us the will to repent, we have not passed beyond the possibility of forgiveness.
--CRJ
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.