Our Confidence in Evangelism
Christian, you are to share the gospel. You are to do so because Jesus commands us to in the Bible (Matthew 28:18–20). Paul writes that Christians have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation where we are to implore sinners to be reconciled to God through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14–21).
In high school, God opened my eyes to believe in Jesus’ finished work on the cross for my salvation. As I read the Bible, I understood the mandate to be obedient to God’s Word in sharing the gospel. I felt motivated and even sensed the urgency to evangelize but feared that I would have inadequate responses in my gospel conversations. I feared that my lack of knowledge surrounding apologetics could deter people from God. I felt I was tasked with the impossible. When would I ever know enough Scripture to faithfully share the gospel?
The following Scripture was exposited at a CCF program in my first year and corrected my understanding of evangelism:
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:1–10).
Because of the Fall, all humans are dead in their trespasses and sins. Humans’ default spiritual state is “dead in sin”. All are sinners in rebellion against God. Specifically, all are in as great rebellion as possible against God. This is a sobering reality to consider. If sinners are dead, as in dead dead, we can have no fear in our evangelism. It is impossible to push sinners further away from God when they are already dead in their sins. Dead people cannot become more dead.
In Ephesians Two, we see God as the active agent of a sinner’s conversion. God is the One who makes sinners alive in Christ. God definitively, as in decisively and with authority, raises His elect and seats saints with Christ in the heavenly places. Jesus did not come to die for bad people, He came to die for dead people so that dead people could be raised to new life.
With this, if you are in Christ and know Him as your Lord, Saviour, and Treasure, be confident in your evangelism! Be an aroma of Christ to God among those who are perishing and among those who are being saved (2 Corinthians 2:15). Be prayerful for the salvation of unsaved family, friends, classmates, and unreached people groups around the world (Ezekiel 11:19). Plead with God to glorify Himself in the saving of sinners (Romans 11:36). God is mighty to save and uses His children as a means to draw His sheep to Himself (John 10:16).
Christian, will you be obedient in sharing the gospel treasure?
[02/11/2019]
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More reading for you about Biblical evangelism from Tim Chailles:
- There is work to be done (Matt 9:37–38)
- Jesus has commanded Christians to do it (Matt 28:18–20)
- Success is guaranteed (John 10:16)
- Jesus is the only salvation (John 14:6)
- You were given the Holy Spirit for this purpose (Acts 1:8)
- People won’t be saved without hearing (Romans 10:11–15)
- Evangelism is necessary for your own growth in Christ (Philemon 6)
(https://www.challies.com/resources/7-scripture-texts-about-evangelism)
