See evangelism through the glasses of Jesus

427 evangelization

On a drive home, I listened to the radio for something that might interest me. I ended up on a Christian radio station where the preacher was proclaiming, "The gospel is good news only when it is not too late!" His point was that Christians should evangelize their neighbors, friends, and families if they have not yet accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. The underlying message was evident: "You must preach the gospel before it is too late!" While this view is shared by many (though not all) evangelical Protestants, there are other views held by orthodox Christians both today and in the United States have been represented in the past. I will briefly present a few ideas here that suggest that we do not need to know exactly how and when God will bring people to salvation in order for them to be active participants in the Holy Spirit's existing evangelistic work today.

Restriktivismus

The preacher I heard on the radio holds a view of the gospel (and salvation) that is also known as restrictivism. This view asserts that there is no more opportunity for salvation for a person who has not expressly and consciously accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior before death; God's grace no longer applies. Restrictivism thus teaches that death is somehow stronger than God - like "cosmic handcuffs" that would prevent God from saving people (even if it is not their fault) who did not explicitly commit themselves to Jesus as their Lord during their lifetime and have known Redeemer. According to the doctrine of restrictivism, failure to exercise conscious faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior during one's lifetime seals one's destiny 1. those who die without hearing the gospel, 2. of those who die but have accepted a false gospel and 3. those who die but have lived a life with a mental handicap that has left them unable to understand the gospel. By creating such harsh conditions for those entering salvation and those who are denied it, restrictivism raises amazing and challenging questions.

inclusivism

Another conception of evangelism that is held by many Christians is known as inclusivism. This view, which the Bible regards as authoritative, understands salvation as something that can only be attained through Jesus Christ. Within this doctrine there are many views about the fate of those who did not make an explicit confession of faith in Jesus before their death. This variety of views is found throughout the history of the Church. Justin Martyr (2. 20th century) and CS Lewis (th century) both taught that God saves men solely because of the work of Christ. A person can be saved even if they don't know Christ if they have an "implicit faith" wrought by God's grace in their lives through the help of the Holy Spirit. Both taught that "implicit" faith becomes "explicit" when God directs circumstances to allow the person to understand who Christ is and how God, by grace, made possible their salvation through Christ.

Postmortal evangelism

Another view (within inclusivism) relates to the belief system known as post-mortem evangelism. This view asserts that the non-evangelized can be redeemed by God after death. This view was taken at the end of the second century by Clement of Alexandria and popularized in modern times by the theologian Gabriel Fackre (born 1926). The theologian Donald Bloesch (1928-2010) also taught that those who have not had the opportunity to know Christ in this life but trust in God will be given the opportunity by God when they stand before Christ after death.

universalism

Some Christians take what is known as universalism. This view teaches that everyone will necessarily be saved (in some way) regardless of whether they were good or bad, have repented or not repented, and whether or not they believed in Jesus as Savior. This deterministic direction states that in the end all souls (whether human, angelic or demonic) will be saved by the grace of God and that the individual's response to God does not matter. This conception apparently developed under the Christian leader Origen in the second century and has since given rise to various derivations advocated by its followers. Some (if not all) doctrines of universalism do not recognize Jesus as Savior and regard man's reaction to God's generous gift as irrelevant. The idea that one can refuse grace and reject the Savior and still obtain salvation is utterly absurd for most Christians. We (GCI / WKG) consider the views of universalism to be unbiblical.

What does the GCI / WKG believe?

As with all doctrinal issues we deal with, we are first and foremost committed to the truth revealed in the scriptures. In it we find the statement that God has reconciled all humanity to himself in Christ (2. Corinthians 5,19). Jesus lived with us as a man, died for us, rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. Jesus completed the work of atonement when, just before his death on the cross, he said, "It is finished!" We know from biblical revelation that whatever ultimately happens to human beings is not lacking in God's motivation, purpose, and purpose becomes. Our Triune God has truly done everything to save every person from the horrific and horrific condition called "hell." The father gave his only begotten son on our behalf, who has since interceded for us as high priest. The Holy Spirit is now working to draw all people to partake of the blessings that are in store for them in Christ. That's what we know and believe. But there is much we do not know, and we must be careful not to draw conclusions (logical implications) about things that go beyond what we are given for sure knowledge.

For example, we must not overtax God's grace by dogmatically propagating the universalistic view that God, in the salvation of all men, will violate the freedom of choice of those who willingly and determinedly reject His love, thereby turning away from Him and rejecting His spirit. It is hard to believe that anyone would make such a decision, but if we read Scripture honestly (with its numerous warnings not to defy the Word and the Holy Spirit), we must recognize that it is possible that some eventually will reject God and his love. It is important to remember that such a rejection is a choice of their own and not simply their destiny. CS Lewis astutely put it this way: "The gates of hell are locked from within". In other words, hell is where one must eternally resist the love and mercy of God. While we cannot say for sure that all people will eventually accept God's grace, we can hope that they will. This hope is one with God's desire that none perish but that all come to repentance. Certainly we cannot and should not hope less and should use the Holy Spirit to help bring people to repentance.

God's love and God's wrath do not face each other symmetrically: in other words, God resists everything that opposes his good and loving purpose. God would not be a loving God if he did not do the same. God hates sin because it defies his love and good purpose for humanity. His anger is therefore an aspect of love - God resists our resistance. In his grace, motivated by love, God not only forgives us, but disciples us and changes us as well. We must not think God's mercy is limited. Yes, there is a real possibility that some will choose to resist eternally the loving and forgiving grace of God, but that will not happen because God has changed their minds - his meaning is made clear in Jesus Christ.

See through the glasses of Jesus

Because salvation, which is personal and relational, concerns God and persons in relation to one another, when considering God's judgment we must not assume or impose limits on God's desire for relationships. The purpose of judgment is always salvation—it's about relationships. Through judgment, God separates what must be removed (damned) for a person to experience relationship (unity and fellowship) with Him. Therefore, we believe that God holds judgment so that sin and evil are condemned, but the sinner is saved and reconciled. He separates us from sin so that it may be "as far away as morning is from evening". Like the scapegoat of ancient Israel, God sends our sin out into the wilderness that we may have new life in Christ.

God's judgment hallows, burns and purifies in Christ to save the person being judged. God's judgment is thus a process of sorting out and segregating - a separation of things that are right or wrong, that are against or for us, that lead to life or not. To understand both the nature of salvation and judgment, we must read Scripture, not through the glasses of our own experiences, but through the glasses of the person and ministry of Jesus, our Holy Redeemer and Judge. With this in mind, consider the following questions and their obvious answers:

  • Is God limited in His grace? NO!
  • Is God limited by time and space? NO!
  • Can God act only in the context of the laws of nature, as we humans do? NO!
  • Is God limited by our lack of knowledge? NO!
  • Is he the master of time? YES!
  • Can he put into our time as many opportunities as he wants, so that we open ourselves to grace through his Holy Spirit? DEFINITELY!

Knowing that we are limited but God is not, we must not project our limitations onto the Father who knows our hearts perfectly and completely. We can count on His faithfulness even when we have no definitive theory as to how His faithfulness and mercy are detailed in each person's life, both in this life and in the life to come. What we do know for sure is that in the end no one will say, "God, if you had been just a little bit more merciful...you could have saved Person X". We will all find that God's grace is more than sufficient.

The good news is that the free gift of salvation for all mankind depends entirely on Jesus accepting us—not on our accepting him. Because "all who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved," there is no reason for us not to receive His gift of eternal life and to live by His Word and the Spirit that the Father sends us to be full today share in the life of Christ. Therefore, there is every reason for Christians to support the good work of evangelism—to take an active part in the Holy Spirit's work of leading people to repentance and faith. How wonderful to know that Jesus both accepts and qualifies us.       

by Joseph Tkach


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