Leaving Beyond – Grounded In Scripture

Written by: April J. Buchanan

“You have not been called to succeed, you have been called to obey.” ~ J. I. Packer

I once shared the Gospel—or more often than not a seeker-sensitive version of it, and on the rare occasion a faithful proclamation of it—with great hope that the hearer would be convinced and be saved. When that didn’t happen, I often felt that in some way I had failed. I’d replay the words in my mind, and rather than engaging in a healthy self-examination, I’d often feel like it was partly my fault.

Our understanding of the sovereignty of God in salvation either encourages us in our responsibility in proclaiming the Gospel with confidence in God for the results, or discourage us if we think God is merely trying to save man but He must somehow work around his free will. Likewise, our understanding of man’s depravity will either drive us to trust in the Gospel alone and the Holy Spirit’s work, or it will lead us to look for something in man to appeal to and devise a message he will receive.

Many are robbed of assurance of salvation, joy in sanctification, and confidence in the proclamation of the Gospel. Why? We have a wrong view of God and of man in salvation.

If God is merely “trying His best” to save man and to keep him, then we really do look to man’s will as greater than God’s. We lose confidence in who Christ is and what He has accomplished, treating His atoning sacrifice as merely potentially effective. Scripture knows nothing of the power of the Gospel resting upon the free will of man but it is declared to be powerful and effective. We are commanded to proclaim the Gospel with the promise that it is powerful and effective. We do not have a God that is “trying His best”. We have a God who is Lord and King and commands every man everywhere to repent! We serve a God that has sent us not with a powerless message to declare a king and kingdom that is trying to appeal to man to ask Him into their heart but of a King who commands man to repent. We proclaim a message of a Savior who died not merely to offer Himself as a sacrifice so we may potentially be saved but who accomplished redemption for all of whom the Father chose. We do not proclaim a Gospel that depends on our clever ability to appeal to some perceived goodness in man but is powerful to save, that is sufficient and whereby the Holy Spirit applies salvation for all of whom the Father elects and the Son accomplished redemption.

A healthy self-examination after sharing the Gospel is always whether we correctly proclaimed the Gospel, not whether we got the results we wanted. If we focus on results, then we will adjust the message to get the results we desire, rather than trusting God’s sovereignty in salvation and its effects.

Though we may fail in obedience to proclaim the Gospel, God will never fail to bring to salvation all for whom He has chosen, all the Son has secured redemption, and all to whom the Holy Spirit applies that redemption.

No man enters heaven because we are so persuasive in our delivery, and no man enters hell because we failed to find the most effective way to deliver the message such as he would have received it. The message needs no adjustment. It is perfect. Gods plan cannot fail.

This ought to give us confidence. We are not called or burdened with the task of seeking a better method but simply to obey His command to proclaim the Gospel. We can fully trust that He will save all who come to Him in repentance and faith, such faith being evidence of the Spirit’s work.

If men reject the Gospel and we have been faithful to proclaim it, we did not fail—we have obeyed. And we must continue to obey this command, trusting that God is saving.

Friend, hang not your head in shame when men reject the Gospel, and lift not your head in pride when they believe. We are mere messengers. More often, we will see hearts hardened than hearts renewed—but this should remind us that God is sovereign. We cannot thwart His plan but we can find ourselves in opposition to His message.

Be careful not to lose faith in the God of salvation, or in His Gospel, which is sufficient for salvation. Look to Him in faith, trusting that He is saving today. We are still here. He is still saving.

Grace and Peace, y’all
Soli Deo Gloria