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| Except a man be born again, he CANNOT... Life must precede any action of that life. Spiritual life must first be given to the dead before the dead in trespasses and sins is able act to hear, repent and believe! |
A good friend wrote and shared that he is witnessing to a man in order to get him into heaven. He said, "I prayed and fasted and was ready for a visit, but this was delayed so there was not much time. In any case there is not much time so I felt it was more important to share about how the subject may go to heaven, even if it means that in such witnessing he decides that he does not want to be my friend. "
Dear Brother,
Thank you for sharing about your labour with this man. It is very commendable.
One thought cross my mind as I read your sharing about 'how the subject may go to heaven.'
I will raise a very basic and fundamental point concerning the function/end of evangelism for your careful consideration. I would be glad to hear your thought.
I will start with two familiar passages to introduce the subject:
John 3
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
From this passage, several non negotiable truths can be stated:
- Jesus is making a statement of truth. He is not telling Nicodemus to do something to be born again. Jesus DIDN'T say to Nicodemus, "THOU must be born again." He said, "YE must be born again." Jesus is making a statement of truth about new birth. He is not exhorting a man to do something that he may be born again.
- New birth must precede any spiritual activity, like 'seeing' and 'entering the kingdom of God.' Life must precede the activities of that life - is an obvious and indisputable truth. There is no exception to this truth.
- God alone is the cause of this new birth. It is the life-giving activity of the Spirit of God ALONE that brings about the new birth.
- Man is entirely passive in this new birth, "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" - this excludes exhaustively any role plays by man in the new birth. The activity of the wind is absolutely independent of man, it acts freely and sovereignly. EVEN SO is EVERY ONE that is born of God - there is no exception whatsoever.
"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Of blood refer to the pedigree - 'that which born of the flesh is flesh'! Of the will of the flesh - refers to the will/activities of the man himself, who is dead in sins and trespasses, incapable of any spiritual activity. In fact it is worse, natural man is in enmity against God, actively opposed to God. Of the will of man - refers to will/activities of other men like priests, preachers, pastors, etc. All these may have good intentions, but their good intentions are all misguided, if [sic] they think that their activities have anything to do with the new birth [sic]! God excludes everything about man exhaustively from the new birth, the divine act of giving eternal life to a sinner dead in sins and trespasses.
Believing is an activity of the eternal life as a result of the new birth. Believing in Jesus Christ evidences that a man has been born again with everlasting life, thus giving him the right to call God His Father, and himself a son of God. (John 1:12)
2 Tim 1
10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: 11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
The purpose and function of the gospel ministry is to BRING TO LIGHT eternal life and immortality that are already present in a child of God through the new birth by the exclusive act of God. Death has been abolished when Christ's finished work is applied to a sinner at new birth.
Life and immortality must be present before it can be brought to light by the gospel ministry. If life and immortality are not already present, then they can never be brought to light.
An illustration will help. Imagine you walk into a dark room with a torch light. Your torch light brings to light the many pieces of furniture in the dark room. The furniture is already there. Your touch light did not bring the furniture into existence! Your torch light manifests the furniture that is ALREADY in the room!
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| In a dark room, the furniture is not manifest! The light in the room will bring the existing furniture to light! The light does not bring the furniture into the room!!! |
The gospel serves the same function. It makes manifest life and immortality that the sovereign and gracious activity of God has brought about. The gospel ministry serves to show forth the children of God and to gather them into NT churches so that they may be made disciples and be taught to live soberly, godly and righteously in this life as they journey through this world to their eternal home.
The SOLE activity of God ALONE makes a man fit for heaven. Salvation is by God's grace alone PLUS nothing. He alone calls a man out of his native state of sin and death to grace and salvation, and made him perfectly fit for eternal glory.
The gospel ministry is appointed for the temporal blessings - knowledge, comfort, assurance, joy, hope, fellowship, etc, etc, - of God's children (produced SOLELY by His own begetting activity ALONE, without any aid of/from man whatsoever) as they journey through this world to heaven.
The BEING of God's children is by God's SOLE and SOVEREIGN act alone. Man has nothing to do with this.
The WELL-BEING of God's children is conditioned upon their obedience to the instrumentality of the gospel ministry. You and I have a vital role to play here.
Coming back to your ministry to the Catholic friend. Your effort is most commendable.
If his name has been written in the book of life by God (all written before the foundation of the world), then he shall be in heaven by the finished work of Christ, applied to him by the Spirit of God at regeneration/new birth at God's own appointed and accepted time. In which case, your witnessing will bring some temporal blessings to him. Your ministry can only bring to light the life and immortality that is there by God's free and sovereign grace. If there is no life and immortality, no matter how powerfully the gospel light shine, it will show forth nothing. If the room is empty, the most powerful floodlight will not be able to bring to light anything other than emptiness.
Another familiar passage: Matt 28
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Please note the precise nature of the commission. It is not, 'Go ye therefore and make children of God.' So many think it that way. It say, 'Teach...' It is a given, only God's children (sinners ALREADY born-again by God's own activity) are capable of being taught the gospel truth. Disciples cannot be made out of those still dead in their sins and trespasses. Disciples can only be made out of God's children, those whom God has regenerated. It is God's children alone who can be converted by the gospel ministry.
Whoever goes around thinking to teach the dead with the hope that the dead may then become alive is most certainly deluded and misguided. Spiritually dead sinners are INCAPABLE of receiving the things of the Spirit of God - "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God... But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." The gospel is for them that ARE SAVED - effectually CALLED to grace and eternal salvation.
Milk and meat that the gospel ministry dispenses are for the living, them that are saved; not the dead, them that perish. The commission is to make disciples, not children for God; it is making disciples of God's children, that they may be instructed the truth of their salvation by the free and sovereign grace of God, and thus may have joy and comfort and hope, etc. in the life here and now.
The gospel ministry is very important, BUT only for the specific purpose it was divinely ordained. It is for the instruction and nourishment of those already destined and made fit for heaven by God himself.
Just my brief thoughts. Some similar thoughts are found in the blogs below.
sing in penang
http://pruning-deformed-branches.blogspot.com/
http://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/
