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__________________________________________

A Product Submitted to the Faculty of
Western Conservative Baptist Seminary
Portland, Oregon

In Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Ministry

by Paul S. Dixon
July 3, 1995

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT

The evangelism of Christ, including His beliefs, strategy, and methodology, can and should serve as a model for evangelism today.

This is an inductive study of the gospel accounts. It asks two questions. What must a man do to acquire eternal life, and who can be saved? It is argued that Christ believed that belief and obedience, both gifts of God, are essential to life. Also, He believed that only some, not all, can be saved.

Christ's beliefs are consistently reflected in His strategy and methods of evangelism.

CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION

In the study of scripture it is generally felt that almost all of what the apostles taught and wrote can be traced back ultimately to the teachings of Christ. Evangelism is a case in point. It is fully developed in the Acts of the Apostles and certainly promoted extensively in the epistles. But, Jesus was the originator of evangelism and He commissioned His apostles on two separate occasions to do the work of evangelism. It was from Him they learned how to evangelize. This brings us back, then, to the evangelism of Christ. If we want to know about it, and how to do it, it would seem His beliefs, strategy and methods regarding evangelism would be well worth our consideration and form the basis of the Christian position. These three concerns will be our focus. But, is there a need for this paper? It would seem that enough has already been written on evangelism. To this author's surprise, however, very little has been written concerning the evangelism as practiced by Christ. The nature of this paper will be inductive. We will be gathering information from the gospels pertaining to the evangelism of Christ, then drawing conclusions on the basis of that data. After developing the evangelism of Christ we will discuss its relevance and application to the church today. It will be argued that the evangelism of Christ can and should serve as a model for modern day evangelism.

CHAPTER 2:
A DEFINITION OF EVANGELISM

J. I. Packer in his book, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, describes two definitions for evangelism. Quoting the Archbishops' Committee which gave its report on the church's evangelistic work in 1918, Packer states,

"To evangelize . . . is to present Christ Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, that men shall come to put their trust in God through Him, to accept Him as their Savior, and serve him as their King in the fellowship of His church." Packer has many good things to say about this definition, namely, 1) that it makes the point that evangelizing means declaring a specific message that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God who became man at a particular point in time in order to save a ruined race, and 2) that evangelism means declaring this message with a specific application, to wit, that sinful man must accept Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord and as his only hope for salvation. He disagrees, however, in one significant point. The definition, as stated, means that the work involved is not really evangelism unless the effect of such work results in conversion. He says that this amounts to saying, "that the essence of evangelism is producing converts." Packer asserts, rather, that evangelism according to the New Testament "is just preaching the gospel, the evangel." It may be accepted or rejected, but it is still evangelism. We will accept Packer's definition as a working definition for the evangelism of Christ. This seems easily supportable from the ministry of the Lord. In Mark 1:14-15, Jesus began preaching the gospel of God and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is as hand; repent and believe in the gospel." This is evangelism in the truest form, whether it is received or not.
  1. J. I. Packer, Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1961), 126.
  2. Ibid., 40.
  3. Ibid., 41.

CHAPTER 3:
THE BELIEFS OF CHRIST REGARDING EVANGELISM

Christ's belief that Faith and Obedience are Essentials to Salvation

When Jesus began His public ministry He came "preaching the gospel of God and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel'" (Mk. 1:14-15). What did He mean by "repent and believe in the gospel"? There are times throughout His ministry where only belief is stated as a prerequisite for salvation (Jn. 3:16; 11:25). At other times He says nothing about belief, but urges repentance and obedience in order to be saved (Lk. 10:25-28; 18:18-30). Is a man justified by faith alone (Rom. 3:28), or by works and not by faith alone (Jas. 2:24)? This on-going debate between Lordship salvationists and simple-faith-only advocates finds its roots in the teachings of Christ. We will divide our study into: 1) passages speaking only of faith and salvation, 2) passages speaking only of works and salvation, and 3) passages speaking of faith, works and salvation. We will then seek a resolution of the problem.

Passages Speaking Only of Faith and Salvation

The Gospel of John is written "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name" (Jn. 20:31). In John 11:25, Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies." John 3:16, of course, sums it up well by the classic, "whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Essential to the idea of believing "in Christ" is more than just giving intellectual assent to, as some maintain. The Greek idiom employed (pisteuein eis) denotes "the moral element of personal trust." N

Not only is the proposition clearly and simply stated, but numerous testimonies of the salvation of individuals through faith in Christ abound in the Gospel. Just a few will illustrate. Jesus marvelled at Nathaniel's simple faith resulting in salvation (Jn. 1:49-51). The man born blind was asked by Jesus, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answers, "Lord, I believe," and worships Him.

Perhaps one of the clearest examples of salvation by faith alone is the testimony of the dying thief on the cross. All he does or says is, "Lord, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" Jesus answers, "Today you shall be with Me in paradise."

Passages Speaking Only of Works and Salvation

In this section we will consider passages where works only, that is, obedience to the law without any specific mention of faith in Christ, is stated as a means to eternal life.

In Matthew 19:16-21 (cf. Lk. 18:18-27) the Lord is asked by a certain man, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?" Jesus responded:

. . . if you wish to enter life, keep the commandments . . . You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself . . . If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. I

In Luke 10:25-36 a certain lawyer wishing to test Christ and to "justify himself," asks a similar question, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" The Lord asked him what the law says. When the man responded, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself," Jesus responded, "Do this, and you will live."

The Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:1-7:29) lays stress upon the importance of obedience to the law. Christ said, "I did not come to abolish (the law), but to fulfill . . . whoever keeps and teaches them (obedience to the moral law), he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." The sermon reveals the hypocrisy of those who kept the law outwardly, but inwardly were guilty of breaking it. The clauses, "You have heard that it was said . . . but I say to you," show the intent of the Lord was to stress obedience to the spirit of the law "in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven," (5:45).

Passages Speaking of Faith, Works, and Salvation

Sometimes both faith and works are mentioned together as qualifying ingredients for eternal life. When Christ began His public ministry He came "preaching the gospel of God" and said, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mk. 1:14). Perhaps as a condition to, or as a precursor of, belief is repentance, a sorrow for and a change of behavior.

In Mark 16:16 Jesus said, "he who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved." Lest someone question the use of this verse because of textual uncertainty, a parallel is found in Acts 2:38 where Peter says, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins."

Finally, in John 3:36 the parallelism between the present participles "he who believes," and the last half of the verse, "he who does not obey," clearly implies that both an habitual belief and the on-going work of obedience are in view with respect to eternal life.

Toward a Resolution

The teachings of Christ in relation to faith, works and salvation may then be summarized by the following conditional propositions:

  1. If a man obeys the law of God, then he will have eternal life.
  2. If a man believes in Christ, then he will have eternal life.
  3. If a man believes in Christ and obeys the law, then he will have eternal life.

According to the teachings of Christ, these are the only conditions for eternal life. Two questions, then, immediately emerge. First, which of these, if any, are requirements for salvation? Second, how do these two, faith and works (obedience to the moral law), relate to each other in the teachings of Christ?

Requirements of a Requirement

The first question relates to the logic of the three propositions. Conditional propositions do not imply the negatives of those propositions. "If A, then B," does not imply its negative, "If not A, then not B." For example, the conditional, "If a man is a citizen of Oregon, then he is a citizen of the United States," does not imply its negative, "if a man is not a citizen of Oregon, then he is not a citizen of the United States." Thus, "If a man believes in Christ, then he is saved," does not imply, "if a man does not believe in Christ, then he is not saved." Likewise, "If a man obeys the law of God, then he will be saved," does not imply, "if a man does not obey the law of God, then he is not saved."

In Mark 16:16 the conditional, "he who believes and is baptized shall be saved," has often been abused by some who assert the negative and conclude that if a man believes but is not baptized, then he is not saved. It is significant that the negative of belief is asserted in 16b, "he who believes not is condemned already." But, the negative conditional of baptism (if a man is not baptized, then he is not saved) is never asserted.

The negatives of conditionals, to be true, must be stated as such. This is important, and its adherence is borne out in the teachings of Christ and of Scripture. When the negative is stated with its conditional, it has often been misinterpreted to be a tautolgoy or simply a repetition for emphasis. But, "if A, then B" does not mean the same thing as "if not A, then not B." If the negatives of the above conditional propositions are not stated in Scripture, then all we can deduce for sure is that these are just ways to salvation, that they may not be required, and that there may be other ways to eternal life.

The Requirement of Both Faith and Obedience

This is the beauty of the teaching of Christ, for He does assert the negatives of faith and obedience. The belief conditional and its negative are both stated in John 3:18, "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." The negative is also stated forcibly in John 8:24, " . . . for unless you believe that I am, you shall die in your sins." In John 14:6 Christ states both that He is the way to the Father, and that He is the only way, "no one comes unto the Father but by Me."

The negative of the obedience conditional is stated by Christ in passages such as Matthew 7:20-27, and Mark 9:43-47. Christ said:

So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but [only] he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven . . . then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness' . . . and everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like the foolish man, who built his house upon the sand . . . and it fell, and great was its fall. M
Mark 9:43 adds, "And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire." The implied conditional and negative are: if your hand causes you to stumble and you cut it off, then you will enter into life; but, if your hand causes you to stumble and you do not cut it off, then you will not enter into life (but be cast into hell). Matthew adds, "Unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven," (Matt. 18:1-4).

The teachings of Christ in Matthew 16:24-28 (cf. Lk. 9:23-24) make it clear that self-denial, an essential of obedience, is necessary for finding salvation. The Lord said, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his soul shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it," (Lk. 9:23-24).

So, then, faith and obedience are taught by the Lord not only as ways to eternal life, but as requirements. In order for a man to inherit eternal life he must: believe in Jesus and practice obedience to God.

The Relationship Between Faith and Works

Our second question then needs to be addressed. What is the relationship of faith to works in the salvation process? And, why is it, if both are required, that sometimes only faith is mentioned, and at other times only works? Why is it, for example, that only obedience to the law is mentioned as the way to eternal life in passages such as Luke 18:18 ff, and Luke 10:25 ff?

One view sees Jesus espousing an alternative path altogether to salvation: a strict, though impossible, adherence to the Old Testament law. MacArthur comments:

Strictly speaking, Jesus' answer was correct. If a person could keep the law all his life and never violate a single jot or tittle, he would be perfect, sinless (cf. Jas. 2:10). But no one except the Savior alone is like that; we are born in sin (Ps. 51:5). To suggest that the law is a means to eternal life clouds the issue of faith. So why in the world would Jesus tell the man that? If he had come with the right motive and the right attitude to the right source, asking the right question, why was it that Jesus did not simply tell him the way of salvation through faith?

The idea is that if a man were completely obedient to God's law, then he would inherit eternal life. But, since no one could ever obey God's law perfectly, then the only possible way is through faith in Christ. Why doesn't the Lord say something about faith at this point? MacArthur goes on to say He does not because the man was not ready for it. He did not recognize his need because of his self-righteousness.

This view, however, has a serious problem. It makes Jesus' answer a begging of the question. He ends up telling the man to do something that is impossible to do, and He gives him no other way out. It seems much better to posit that in order for the man to inherit eternal life he would have to do what Jesus said and that it was possible, because "with God all things are possible" (Matt.19:26).

A second view is that when Christ speaks of obedience to the law only, then the element of faith and trust are implied. Commenting on the Luke 18:18-30 passage, Hendriksen explains:

The question may be asked, "But by thus instructing the young man was not Jesus endorsing the 'salvation by good works' doctrine?" The answer is that "Trust completely in me" was exactly what the Lord was telling him, for certainly without complete confidence in and self-surrender to the One who was issuing the order, the rich young ruler could not be expected to sell all he had and give the proceeds to the poor.

But, does obedience necessarily imply belief? Can a man intentionally obey the law of God and not have faith? The classic passage is Luke 10:25-28. Does loving God "with all your heart, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself," imply a genuine faith? Is it possible to do such, and not be saved?

In Matthew 12:37 the Lord teaches that "by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned," a passage sounding much like James' comments to the effect that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In John 3:20-21, Christ teaches that the one "who practices the truth comes to the light" (an equivalent in John to belief in Christ) "that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." John reaffirms this thought in 1 John 4:7 where the one who loves "is born of God and knows God," because "love is of God.'

In other words, the one who truly loves (agape) God and his neighbor gives evidence he has been begotten of God and knows God. In fact, his being born of God is the cause of his love for God and for his neighbor. What this means is simply that no one can practice obedience to God who has not been born of God. No one can practice the agape love who has not experienced the second birth which comes by faith. Therefore, obedience to God implies faith.

But, does genuine faith imply works? Jesus addresses this question head on in Matthew 7:17-20. He states first the proposition, "every good tree bears good fruit," then its negative, "but every bad tree bears bad fruit." This demonstrates the necessary one-to-one relationship between faith and good works. Then, to remove any possible doubt, the Lord emphatically denies the possibility of genuine faith not producing good works. He states, "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit . . . so then, you will know them by their fruits." As for those who claim to have faith, but have no works to back it up ("Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles," Matt. 7:22), the Lord will say, "depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness" (Matt. 7:23). Such is the faith of demons "who believe and tremble" (Jas. 2:19).

This close connection between saving faith and obedience is brought out forcefully by the Lord in John 3:36, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." This rules out the possibility that someone can have saving faith and yet practice disobedience to God.

Thus, in any context it would be appropriate to mention either faith or obedience as a requirement for salvation. It is not necessary to state both, because each automatically implies the other. And it is true that what is required for eternal life is faith plus obedience. But, why does Christ select only faith at times, and at other times, only obedience?

It seems to depend largely on the perceived need. When obedience is stressed it appears at times when the individual is proud, combative and not in a particularly receptive mood (Lk. 10:25 ff, 18:8-14; 18:18 ff). When faith is stressed the individual usually appears already contrite, repentive and receptive (Jn. 9:1-41, Jn. 4:1-26, Jn. 3:1-16).

Another possible explanation is that mentioning only faith stresses how the salvation experience is entered and maintained, whereas mentioning only obedience would lay stress on the necessary result of the salvation experience. Thus, a man could examine his life more readily to see if he measured up, to see if his life matched his profession. This appears to be the intent of Christ's response to the lawyer who "wished to justify himself" and to the rich ruler in Luke 18 who became very sad when told he had to sell all he had and give to the poor.

Since both propositions and their negatives are taught by Christ, then both faith and obedience must be seen as requirements for entrance into eternal life. There is a faith that results in obedience. That is the faith that saves. There is a faith that does not result in obedience. That is the faith that does not save.

At this point some may object violently on the grounds that this sounds like salvation by the works of man. It is not. Biblically, both faith and works are considered to be works of God (Jn. 6:29, 3:21; Rom. 12:3; Eph. 2:8-9, 3:10; Phil. 1:29, 2:12-13). It is faith and not works that brings a man into a right relationship with God. But it is works that accompany and confirm a man's faith. Thus, it is correct to say that in order to inherit eternal life, one must obey the law of God and not practice lawlessness.

Christ's Belief That Only Some can be Saved

Who, then, can be saved? This was the startled question of the disciples after being told by the Lord that it was "easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Lk. 18:25). Apparently, getting into heaven is not as easy as some people think. In fact, it may not be possible for some.

Did Jesus believe that all men, or only some, could be saved? This is an important question. How it is answered will greatly affect one's strategy in evangelism. If, for example, it is true that all men can be saved, then the evangelist must never give up hope that his evangelistic efforts might yet result in the salvation of the one being evangelized.

Perhaps such thinking has caused some missionaries to persist for years in fields where little, if any, response has resulted. Furthermore, if evangelistic efforts seem to be failing, then it might cause the evangelist to erroneously deduce that his methods were incorrect or insufficient and that it may be time to make changes in his methodology.

On the other hand, if the evangelist believes that only some can believe and be saved, then he would be less likely to either condemn or to condone his methodology on the basis of the results. He would not fall into the trap of thinking that the ends justify the means. The question is, what did Jesus believe?

His Belief That Only Some Could be Saved

Jesus taught extensively in parables. When asked by His disciples why He taught in parables, and not more openly He responded, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables, in order that while seeing, they may see and not perceive; and while hearing, they may hear and not understand lest they return and be forgiven" (Mk. 4:10-12). Matthew's account makes it clear that " . . . to you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted" (Matt. 13:11).

Apparently, God made it possible for only some to be saved. He determined ahead of time who they would be who would be given the ability to hear and discern the meanings of the parables. Those that were not chosen ahead of time and not given the ability to discern would not and could not hear, understand, repent and be forgiven. In fact, Christ taught in parables explicitly so that they would not "repent and be forgiven."

In the parable of the marriage feast (Matt. 22:1-14) the enraged king sent his servant out to invite to the wedding, "as many as you find." When the king saw the dinner guest not properly clothed he had him cast out. The moral: "many are called, but few are chosen" (v. 14). Does this not teach us to extend the gospel invitation to all men, but know that even though many receive it, only those who are chosen will be accepted?

John's Gospel which is written "that ye may believe" (20:31) repeatedly states or implies that only some can believe. In John 6:65 Christ states, "no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father." To the nonbelieving Pharisees Jesus says, "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word . . . . He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God" (8:43-47). Finally, in 10:26, He tells the Pharisees why they do not believe, "you do not believe, because you are not my sheep." His sheep, a reference to those given to Him by the Father (17:2), hear His voice and follow Him and He gives to them eternal life and they never perish (10:27-31).

The encounter with Nicodemus illustrates well the salvation experience. The whole point in Jesus' response seems to be that the salvation experience is not a work of man, but entirely that of God who works sovereignly to beget whomever He wills (5-8). Being born again, being born of the Spirit, is compared to being born physically. Christ uses the figure of birth to illustrate that just as no one has a say in his first or physical birth, so no one determines his second birth. It is a sovereign work of God's Spirit Who, like the wind, moves wherever He desires.

A Conflicting View That All Can be Saved

A popular view today is that all men are capable of being saved. The argument runs something like this. God "desires all men to be saved" (1 Tim. 2:4), and is "not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). Furthermore, Christ died for the sins of the "whole world" (1 Jn. 2:2).

A necessary corollary to this, of course, is a belief in free will. If man were not free to repent and believe in the gospel, then all of God's desires and efforts would be in vain. Indeed, it would seem absurd for Christ to die for someone if he could not be saved anyhow, because he was not free to repent and believe.

But, if man's choices are not predetermined by God and he is truly free to either believe or disbelieve the gospel, then it follows that all can believe and be saved.

A passage often quoted by adherents of free will is Matthew 23:37, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kill the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling." Apparently, Jesus desired to gather the children of Israel together unto Himself, but was foiled in his desire because they chose not to believe in him.

Likewise, passages such as John 1:12, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name," and 3:16, "whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life," are often appealed to as proof that all may believe and be saved.

A Resolution

There is no necessary conflict with Matthew 23:37 and the view that only some can believe. In the Matthean passage we see the compassion of Christ for the lost children of Israel. The compassion and longing for them serves as an example of how we ought to love and long for the salvation of the lost. But, it does not imply they were able to believe and be saved. Christ practiced what He taught in that He loved His enemies and prayed for them (Matt. 5:44; Lk. 23:34). Nor does the fact that they were unwilling imply that they were able to be willing. Why were they unwilling? Is it because they did not understand? Why did they not understand? Jesus said elsewhere, "because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father the devil," (Jn. 8:43), and "you do not believe because you are not My sheep," (Jn. 10:26).

The "whoever believes" passages do not imply all can believe. They simply assert something about those who do believe, that is, that they have eternal life and never perish. In fact, the John 1:12 passage clarifies that such belief and childhood are not the result of man's will, but of God's, "who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Did Christ die so that all without exception could be saved? No teaching of Christ says so explicitly. Scripture never says that Christ died for the elect and the nonelect. Jesus did say, however, "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep," (Jn. 10:11). He also said, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mk. 10:45). Why would He say "for the many," or "for the sheep," if His death were for the elect and the nonelect?

Passages such as 1 Timothy 2:4, 1 John 2:2, and 2 Peter 3:9 are often cited in support of an unlimited atonement. This interpretation, however, is based upon taking the meanings of "all" or "world" as "all or world without exception." This forces the meaning to include every individual without exception.

But, many have concluded that such words as "all" and "world" in biblical writings have a limited focus and refer to all or world without distinction versus all or a world without exception. Hendriksen, for example, commenting on 1 Timothy 2:4, says:

The expression "all men" here in verse 4 must have the same meaning as in verse 1 . . . In a sense, salvation is universal, that is, it is not limited to any one group. Churches must not begin to think that prayers must be made for subjects, not for rulers; for Jews, not for Gentiles. No, it is the intention of God our Savior that "all men without distinction of rank, race, or nationality" be saved.

Likewise, Matthew Henry, commenting on the extent and intent of Christ's death in 1 John 2:2, says:

It is not confined to one nation; and not particularly to the ancient Israel of God . . . not only for the past, or us present believers, but for the sins of all who shall hereafter believe on him or come to God through him. The extent and intent of the Mediator's death reaches to all tribes, nations, and countries.

Second Peter 3:9 is often cited as proof that God desires all without exception to come to repentance. The "all" in this verse, however, is restricted in scope by the preceding clauses, "The Lord . . . is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish." The "any" has to refer to the preceding "you," that is, "any of you," not "any of everybody." The "you" refers back to the recipients of the epistle, to those who have or would have "a faith of the same kind as ours," (1:1). The Lord's "not wishing for any to perish," then refers to these who are also called the elect (1:10). It is His desire that all such should come to repentance, and that none of them should perish.

This desire, by the way, will be fulfilled, because no purpose of God's will ever be thwarted (Job 42:2). But, if His desire is to save all without exception, then all without exception will be saved. This is absurd, however, for all without exception are not and will not be saved (Rev. 20:11-15).

Theologically, an unlimited atonement doctrine conflicts with the doctrine of unconditional election. Why would Christ die for everybody, the elect and the nonelect, if God made it possible for only some to be saved by choosing only the elect? The purposes of the Father and the Son are then set in opposition to each other. On the other hand, if we go with an unlimited atonement and conditional election, then we are left in conflict with eternal security which holds that once an individual is saved, then he is eternally secure and cannot be lost. But, what does this do to free will? Does that not mean that he is not free to disbelieve later on?

If we persist in holding on to free will and/or unlimited atonement, it seems we are left with conflict. Is it any wonder that a mistrust for logic today seems to be permeating the Christian community? Nash comments regarding such a mistrust:

Much modern theology is tainted by a distrust of or contempt for such principles of logic as the law of noncontradiction (i.e., A is not non-A). Large numbers of fundamentalists and evangelicals who ought to know better promote and preach versions of irrationalism; they claim, for example, that faith has no intrinsic relationship to reason. Some Christian pietists urge the faithful to believe that God's logic and human logic are different somehow.

This modern day tendency among evangelicals, to disregard the importance of logic in matters of biblical interpretation and theology, is dangerous and leads to serious complications. Clark, for example, warned that doing such leads to skepticism of biblical truth. Essential to man's being created in the image of God, according to Clark, is the idea of rationality. Man was created with the capability of thinking God's thoughts after Him, and using the same logic as God. Such logic is divine and a gift of God. If we are to disregard the importance of logic, then the hope of knowing God's truth vaporizes.

So, then, the logically conflicting doctrines of predestination and free will should not both be held. Clark comments:

One of the standard objections to predestination is that it conflicts with free will. The person who makes this objection is undoubtedly correct on one thing, viz., free will and predestination are contradictory concepts. No one who knows the meanings of the terms can believe both doctrines, unless he is totally insane.

One attempt to maintain sanity without blatantly rejecting the principles of logic is to posit the idea of antinomy, an appearance of contradiction. The idea is that two apparently contradicting truths may both be held as true, because of man's limited understanding. Reconciliation may be beyond the abililty of man to comprehend, though not so for God. The consequence is explained by J. I. Packer:

What should one do, then, with an antinomy? Accept it for what is is, and learn to live with it. Refuse to regard the apparent inconsistency as real; put down the semblance of contradiction to the deficiency of your own understanding; think of the two principles as, not rival alternatives, but, in some way that at present you do not grasp, complementary to each other. Be careful, therefore, not to set them at loggerheads, nor to make deductions from either that would cut across the other (such deductions would, for that very reason, be certainly unsound). Use each with in the limits of its own sphere of reference ... Note what connections exist between the two truths and their frames of reference, and teach yourself to think of reality in a way that provides for their peaceful coexistence, remembering that reality itself has proved actually to contain them both. This is how antimonies must be handled, whether in nature or in Scripture.

This approach, however, has some major problems. First, it is without biblical precedent. Antinomies simply are not to be found elsewhere in Scripture. Second, this approach tends to lead to skepticism of logic and of biblical truth (see Nash and Clark above). It certainly affects our hermeneutical system which is based upon tenants such as "comparing Scripture with Scripture." If our interpretation of one portion of Scripture brings us into conflict with our interpretation of another portion of Scripture, so what? Could this not be just another case of antinomy? Such could lead to chaos and disorder, of which God is not the author.

The biblical case against a free will doctrine is well summarized by John Calvin. He comments:

And, indeed, if we admit that men, without grace, have any motions to good, however feeble, what answer shall we give to the Lord, who declares, by Moses, that "every imagination of man's heart is only evil continually"? (Gen. viii. 21.) Since the blunder has thus arisen from an erroneous view of a single passage, it seems unnecessary to dwell upon it. Let us rather give due weight to our Saviour's words, "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin" (John viii. 34). We are all sinners by nature, therefore we are held under the yoke of sin. But if the whole man is subject to the dominion of sin, surely the will, which is its principal seat, must be bound with the closest chains. And, indeed, if divine grace were preceded by any will of ours, Paul could not have said that "it is God which worketh in us both to will and to do" (Philip. ii. 13) . . . Let us therefore rather adopt the sentiment of Augustine, ". . . Confess that you have all these things from God, that all the good you have is from him, all the evil from yourself" (August. De Verbis Apost. Serm. 10). Shortly after he says, "Of our own we have nothing but sin."

Likewise, Martin Luther, after denouncing the free will doctrine as biblically obscure and ambiguous comments:

the doctrine concerning "Free-will" . . . does not belong unto Christians and the Scriptures, and is, therefore to be left alone entirely, and classed among those "old wives' fables" (1 Tim. iv. 7.) which Paul condemns in contentious Christians. But if it do [sic] belong unto Christians and the Scriptures, it ought to be clear, open, and manifest, and in every respect like unto all the other most evident articles of faith.

There is no clear evidence from Scripture that Christ believed the free will doctrine. He certainly did not believe that all could believe and be saved, for only those given to Him by the Father were able to come and believe (Jn. 6:65, 10:26).

That Christ believed that only some could be saved has far-reaching implications. No longer need we necessarily persist in the evangelizing of certain individuals or groups with the hopes that they may yet come to Christ. We very well may be wasting our time. Nor need their rejection of the gospel cause us unnecessarily to take it personally as though it were our fault. This, of course, has a direct bearing upon the strategy of missions. If only some can be saved, then it is possible that certain population areas may contain relatively few, if any, of the elect at a particular period of time.

Of course, this position can be abused. Just because somebody initially rejects the gospel call does not mean we should necessarily give up on him or her. In the following section we will examine guidelines used by Christ to determine when it is time to withdraw the gospel offer and to move on.

The real issue of this debate is not so much the question of Lordship, but the nature of saving faith. It is simple faith in Jesus which does not necessarily result in works versus the kind of faith that does produce works.

  1. E. F. Scott, The Fourth Gospel (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1906), 52, 267.
  2. C. H. Dodd, The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel (Cambridge: University Press, 1953), 183.
  3. Matthew 19:17-21.
  4. cf. John 3:18, 36; 6:53-54; Mark 16:16; 1 John 5:12.
  5. Matthew 7:20-27.
  6. It must be understood that both of the requirements presuppose an opportunity to practice belief and obedience. They would not apply to the dying thief on the cross as he had no opportunity to demonstrate fruit of obedience.
  7. John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 90.
  8. William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978), 834.
  9. Free will means that God does not determine man's choices. The will is uncaused, not predetermined.
  10. Unlimited atonement means that Christ died for all men without exception, including both the elect and the nonelect. Limited atonement views Christ's death as for the elect only. Because of the negative connotation some refer to these as an indefinite (unlimited) verus a definite (limited) atonement. An indefinite atonement views Christ's death as being for everybody in general but nobody in particular, while a definite atonement sees His death as being for a definite number of individuals only, the elect.
  11. Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984), 253-261.
  12. William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1957), 95.
  13. Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary of the Whole Bible (McLean, Virginia: MacDonald Publishing Company, 1706), 1065.
  14. Unconditional election is the view that God chose certain individuals for eternal life on the basis of His good pleasure alone, not on any other conditions such as foreseen faith.
  15. Conditional election says God chose certain individuals for eternal life on the condition of foreseen faith. This makes man the determinator. Unconditional election views God as such.
  16. Gordon H. Clark, "Ronald H. Nash," in Handbook of Evangelical Theologians, ed. Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1993), 187.
  17. Gordon H. Clark, "The Bible as Truth," Bibliotheca Sacra 114 (April 1957): 163.
  18. Gordon H. Clark, Predestination (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1987), 110.
  19. J. I. Packer, Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1961), 21.
  20. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. Henry Beveridge (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1972), 246-247.
  21. Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will, trans. Henry Cole (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1976), 110.

CHAPTER 4:
THE STRATEGY OF CHRIST IN EVANGELISM

The First and Foremost Desire of the Lord

The Lord's mission in life was to do the will of the Father. In the Gospel of John alone Christ refers to His intimacy with the Father and/or to His desire to do the will of the Father no less than 106 times. In His high priestly prayer (Jn. 17) Christ prays, "I have glorified Thee on earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do." In John 4 after evangelizing the Samaritan woman and being offered food to eat by His disciples, He responded, "I have food to eat that you do not know about . . . My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His will" (Jn. 4:32-34). Clearly, the most important thing to the Lord was His Father and doing His Father's will.

What was the Father's will for the Son? In His prayer the Lord acknowledges the Father's will for Him. It was two-fold: to glorify the Father here on earth by giving eternal life to those given to Him by the Father (Jn. 17: 2, 6, 9, 12) and to be glorified Himself thereafter (vv. 1, 5).

According to John 17, then, Christ's mission first of all was to give eternal life to the elect. These were the ones selected by the Father before the foundation of the world and given to the Son. His mission was to come into the world and to give eternal life to them. In order to do this the Father had given to the Son authority over all mankind, authority and power to administer such grace and to set free the captive soul (v. 2). Jesus had done just that. He had manifested the Father's name to the elect and they had kept the Father's word (v. 6). Indeed, they had received and understood and believed the words which had come from the Father through the Son (vv. 7-8) and had come to know both the Father and the Son (v. 3). For these, the elect, Jesus prays that they may have the kind of unity that exists within the Godhead (v. 11). Of course, His concern was for more than just these 12 disciples given to Him by the Father. He prayed also for the rest of the elect who would believe through their word (v. 20).

Giving eternal life to the elect, however, also implies that Jesus would go to the cross and pay the price for their sins. Everything else had been accomplished. Only that remained to be done. Thus, Jesus prays, "Glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee" (vv. 1, 5). This glorification is the result of and implies the crucifixion preceding it.

Jesus' Preparation for Evangelism

In order for Christ to do His Father's will, by proclaiming eternal life to those given to Him by the Father and dying for them, he had to prepare for this by acquiring humanity and reflecting the Father's glory by complete obedience to Him. So, the first part of His strategy involved the Incarnation. Jesus was the manifestation of God to man. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth" (Jn. 1:14). Joseph Aldrich elaborates:

Jesus Christ became the visible expression of the invisible God. This was His strategy. He told His disciples, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). He was, as it were, a "visual aid" to reveal the nature of His Father. He didn't just talk about love; He loved and the sinners considered Him their friend. He didn't just preach on forgiveness; He forgave. And sinful, guilt-ridden people fell at His feet, forgiven and cleansed. He didn't just proclaim the necessity of justice and righteousness; He attacked the unrighteous institutions of His day. He didn't start a Bible institute and establish a chair of theology in His father's name; He invited men to live with Him twenty-four hours a day. His strategy was to become flesh and live among them.

In addition, Jesus obeyed the law of God impeccably. He lived in subjection to His earthly parents (Lk. 2:51). He grew in wisdom as well as stature and had a favorable reputation with God and man (Lk. 2:52). He submitted to water baptism by John the Baptist, because in so doing it was fitting, "to fulfill all righteousness." This, of course, was the time when the Father publicly expressed His approval of the Son in saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased" (Matt. 3:17). Finally, Jesus demonstrated faithfulness and righteousness when tempted by Satan in the wilderness after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights. It is only after this sequence of events that Jesus began His public ministry of evangelism.

Does this not say something about preparation for evangelism today? If an individual seeks to serve the Lord in an official capacity as a minister, evangelist or missionary, it might behoove him to follow such a preparatory pattern. It may also serve as a guideline for the church as it encourages the work of evangelism in general.

Has the individual demonstrated subjection to both His heavenly Father and his earthly parents? Has He grown in wisdom and in the knowledge of the Word? What evidence do we have of the Father's approval of him for such work? Finally, has he demonstrated faithfulness in a time of testing?

The General Call

If we define evangelism as the proclamation of the gospel, that is, proclaiming that men should repent of their sins and believe in Christ, then Jesus did evangelize the nonelect as well as the elect. When Jesus began His public ministry He went into Galilee and preached the gospel apparently indiscriminately (Mk. 1:14-15). He certainly proclaimed the gospel to the multitudes among whom were some of the nonelect. After the feeding of the 5,000 in John 6 Jesus proclaims Himself as the Bread of Life and says, "he who comes to Me shall not hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst" (6:35). Immediately after saying this He states, "But I said to you, that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out" (6:36-37). When many of His hearers grumbled at this teaching and turned away from Him He did not try to persuade them otherwise, but asserted, "that no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him" (6:44).

This evangelization of the nonelect as well as the elect is often referred to as the general call. This call to "repent and believe in the gospel" (Mk. 1:15) was extended to everyone, but that does not imply that everybody could do it. Such an invitation was given for the simple reason that the masses contained two unidentifiable groups in addition to the saved elect: the unsaved elect and the unsaved nonelect. Such a call, therefore, was necessary. But, the Lord knew only the elect could and would hear and believe.

The parable of the marriage feast illustrates the strategy of a universal call. For, although many were eventually invited and came to the marriage feast for the king's son, only the chosen few were allowed. "Many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt. 22:14). Likewise, the parable of the sower and the seed illustrates that just as the seed is sown upon the different soils and only that soil previously prepared is able to receive it, understand it, and bring forth fruit, so also the gospel is proclaimed to all mankind, yet only those previously prepared by the Father are able to receive it.

The teaching and preaching ministry of Jesus, however, was usually directed toward specific individuals, and not toward everybody in general.

Often at the close of Jesus' teaching He would say, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." This shows Jesus' belief that not everybody has an ear to hear. Those who do not have ears, will not and can not hear and believe. Those who do have ears to hear, because they are chosen of God, can and will hear and believe (Jn. 10:27, 6:37). This should be a comfort to an evangelist who may find, as Jesus did, that sometimes very few, if any, of his hearers have ears to hear. On the other hand, it is also humbling, because when someone does hear and believe it was because he was chosen of God Who gave him ears to hear. Jesus said of the nonbelieving Pharisees, "you do not believe, because you are not My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish" (Jn. 10:26-28).

On another occasion Christ invited the "weary and heavy-laden" to come to Him to receive rest. We are also told explicitly that He was anointed to "preach the gospel to the poor . . . and recovery of sight to the blind" (Lk. 4:18). The "poor" are the spiritually poor who are aware of their poverty, and the "blind" are those who are spiritually blind and recognize their blindness (Jn. 9:39-41). Clearly, the Lord directed His ministry toward the downtrodden and humble. These were the ones in all probability whom the Father had chosen, who had ears to hear, and in whom the Spirit was working.

The modern day evangelist would do well to learn from the Master in the giving of his gospel invitations.

The Specific Call

Much of the teaching of the Lord was done in parables. When the disciples asked one day why he spoke in parables, he answered, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted . . . Therefore I speak to them in parables" (Matt. 13:11-13). Mark's gospel adds, "those who are outside get everything in parables, in order that while seeing, they may see and not perceive; and while hearing, they may hear and not understand lest they return and be forgiven" (Mk. 4:11-12). Even in His teaching ministry His strategy of granting salvation to the elect was evidenced. He taught in parables, then, so that the elect who had ears to hear would be saved. But, the nonelect who did not have ears to hear could not hear and be saved. Cole comments:

God has been pleased to reveal His Son to some and not to others, and that what is revelation to some is merely baffling to others. This is again the mystery of God's choice: and it is at this point that Matthew introduces the Lord's solemn words: "Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear . . . for . . . many prophets and just men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them."

Not only did Christ speak in parables so that the outsiders (nonelect) would not repent and be forgiven, but doing so was also a demonstration of His compassion for them. At first glance this might seem rather contradictory. How would speaking in parables so the nonelect would not repent and be forgiven demonstrate compassion? It would seem to be just the opposite.

But, this is not the case. There is a principle of Scripture that says "to whom much is given much is required." Stated another way it is, "with greater revelation comes greater responsibility." This is borne out in several passages. In explaining the parable of preparedness (Lk. 12:35-48) the Lord said that the slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, would receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, would receive but few. But, "from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more" (vv. 47-48).

The idea that with greater revelation comes greater judgment is further developed in Luke 10:1-16. Christ pronounces woe upon Chorazin and Bethsaida because even though they had witnessed great revelation in the form of miracles, they had rejected it. Indeed, if the same miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. For this reason, He concludes, "it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment, than for you" (Lk. 10:13-14). This, by the way, is an interesting parallel with why Jesus taught in parables. If Jesus knew that Tyre and Sidon would have repented had they had miracles, why did He not go there and perform such miracles? Apparently for the same reason that He taught in parables, so that only those to whom it had been given would repent and be forgiven.

Those Jesus did not Seek to Evangelize

In Matthew 7:6 Jesus says, "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before the swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." Herein Jesus shows us another time when evangelism should not be automatically rendered to everyone. In His ministry and in His instructions regarding evangelism and ministry Christ taught that when encountered with 'dogs' one should not bother to cast the precious and holy truths of the gospel. Hendriksen explains:

Combining all this, we are now able to conclude that here in 7:6 Jesus is saying that whatever it is that stands in special relation to God and is accordingly very precious should be treated with reverence and not be entrusted to those who, because of their utterly wicked, vicious, and despicable nature, can be compared to dogs (see also Phil 3:2) and hogs. This means, for example, that Christ's disciples must not endlessly continue to bring the gospel to those who scorn it. To be sure, patience must be exercised, but there is a limit. A moment arrives when constant resistance to the gracious invitation must be punished by the departure of the messengers of good tidings.

Christ's further sayings and also his actions serve as a commentary on Matt. 7:6. How patient he was with Thomas (John 20:24-29) and with Peter (John 21:24-29), but for Herod Antipas, who often had been warned (Mark 6:20) but had disregarded all of these admonitions, Jesus had not a single word (Luke 23:9). He pronounced a curse upon Capernaum, which had failed to take his messages to heart and to apply to itself the lesson taught by his mighty works (Matt. 11:23). He instructed his disciples not to remain too long in those places that would reject their preaching (Matt. 10:14, 15, 23). In the parable of The Barren Fig Tree (Luke 13:6-9) he showed that God's patience, though prolonged, is not endless. Cf. Prob. 29:1.

The apostles took this lesson to heart, as we see, for example, in the case of Paul (Acts 13:45, 46; 18:5, 6; cf. Rom. 16:17, 18; Titus 3:10). Staying on and on in the company of those who ridicule the Christian religion is not fair to other fields that are waiting to be served, especially in view of the fact that the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few ... Besides, the capacity of the disciples to endure persecution so that they will be sufficiently vigorous to continue the work elsewhere has its limits; note the words of the Lord ... lest they trample on them with their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

This teaching of not casting one's pearls before the swine was practiced by the Lord also with respect to the religious leaders of the day. After the Pharisees attributed the workings of Christ to the power of Beelzebul (Matt. 12:22 ff) it is apparent the Lord deliberately withdrew any evangelistic efforts toward them. To Him their true sonship was evident and there was no point in seeking to act as though things could be changed.

In John 8:43-44, Jesus says of them, "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father." In John 10:25-26 He says to the Pharisees, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep."

Finally, it is interesting to note that on a number of occasions when Jesus is asked by nonbelievers if He is the Christ, He answers somewhat surprisingly in an oblique manner, certainly not in a clear and affirmative way. In John 10:24, for example, the Pharisees ask Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." The Lord responds, "I told you and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these bear witness of Me."

Pilate asked Jesus whether He was a king. Christ responded, "You say correctly that I am" (Jn. 18:37).

In Matthew 26:63, Mark 14:61-62 and Luke 22:67-70 the Jews ask Jesus, "Are You the Son of God?" (Lk. 22:70). Often the translated responses of the Lord are interpretive. In Luke 22:70, for example, the translators render it, "Yes, I am." The literal rendering is simply, "You say that I am." In Mark 14:62 the translated response by some is, "I am." But, this is based on an uncertain textual reading. It may best be explained as an addition by an overly zealous scribe.

All this must be compared to clear revelations of Himself to those who were receptive, such as the Samaritan woman in John 4. When she says, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us" (4:25). To this Jesus responds, "I who speak to you am He." To the blind man who received his sight and asked who the Son of Man was Jesus responded, "You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you" (Jn. 9:37).

Jesus' Evangelism of the Poor in Spirit

It is evident in the evangelistic strategy of Christ that a special concern for the evangelism of the poor existed. In His hometown when the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him, Jesus read from the 61st chapter the words, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor." Later, when John the Baptist inquired whether Jesus was the Expected One Jesus sent back word, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard; the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them" (Lk. 7:22).

What are we to make of this? Is this a reference to the economically poor, or to the spiritually poor? Let us consider both views.

In recent days an internationally renewed interest in evangelism to the economically poor has surfaced. Ron Sider's, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, is an important work in this regard. In an international consultation in London in 1980 entitled Simple Lifestyle, Sider comments:

At the central moments of revelation history (e.g. the Exodus, the destruction of Israel and Judah, and the Incarnation), the Bible repeatedly says that God acted not only to call out a chosen people and reveal his will (although he certainly did that); he also acted to liberate poor, oppressed folk (Ex. 3:7-8; 6:5-7; Deut. 26:5-8; Amos 6:1- 7; Is. 10:1-4; Jer. 5:26-29; Lk. 4:16-20).

At the Pattaya Congress in 1980 a certain study group drew some important conclusions from the Bible regarding evangelism and the poor. They wrote:

The poor refers to the manual worker who struggles to survive on a day to day basis, the destitute cowering as a beggar; the one reduced to meekness, the one brought low . . . those weak and tired from heavy burdens, the leper and very often 'the common people' . . . the majority of references indicate that the poor are the mercilessly oppressed, the powerless, the destitute, the downtrodden . . . it had been the rich who accommodated to the religious and social demands of the Greek and Roman overlords. The poor tended to remain faithful to God. Some rich actually became poor because of their faithfulness. So the poor and the faithful became the same. There is no indication that in this use (of 'poor in spirit' in Mt. 5.3) economic realities were excluded.

A lot can be said for this interpretation. The use of the word is instructive in Luke's gospel. In addition to the passages already mentioned (4:18 and 7:22) we find the word occurs in 6:20, 14:13, 14:21, 18:22, 19:8 and 21:3. In 18:22 the Lord tells the certain ruler that in order to inherit eternal life he must sell all he has and give to the poor. In other words, it seems as though He is telling the man he must become poor in order to inherit eternal life. In 19:8 it is the rich Zaccheus who says, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." Finally, in 6:20 Christ says, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." The context in Luke does seem to support an economic destitution rather than a spiritual one. The contrast is stated in verse 24, "But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full." Certainly this could not be spiritual richness, for such are only blessed.

Hendriksen gives the alternative interpretation:

The Greek word translated "poor" occurs also in the Beatitudes (Mt. 5:3; Luke 6:20). The Speaker in Isaiah was thinking of the destitute, those who know themselves to be such. Isa. 66:2 provides a good commentary, "But this is the man to whom I will look, he that is humble and crushed in spirit, and trembles at my word.

The resolution of this debate may hinge around the interpretation of the word in two passages, Matthew 5:3-11 and Luke 4:18-19.

In the abbreviated version of the sermon on the mount Luke's record does not stress the spiritual aspects of the beatitudes as Matthew's detailed account does. Luke says, "Blessed are the poor . . . blessed are you who hunger now" (6:20-21). Is Christ referring to the physically poor and hungry? Matthew's account makes it clear that it is the spirit of the man that He has in mind, "blessed are the poor in spirit . . . blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (5:3-6).

In Luke 4:18 Jesus saw Himself as preaching "the gospel to the poor." This is set in parallel with proclaiming "release to the captives," "recovery of sight to the blind," and setting free "those who are downtrodden." Are these not to be taken spiritually, that is, as release from spiritual captivity, release from spiritual blindness (Jn. 9:39), release or relief for those who are spiritually downtrodden ("the weary and heavy-laden," Matt. 11:28-29)? If not, then it would seem His preaching ministry takes on more of a social message whereby He sees Himself as delivering the poor people from physical captivity and oppression.

The spiritually poor interpretation is to be preferred also because it does not restrict the preaching focus of Christ to just one sector of the population, the physically destitute. While there may be a correlation between physical poverty and spiritual poverty, that is not to say a physically wealthy man could not be spiritually poor. Christ sought to evangelize generally all without distinction and specifically those who were given to Him by the Father. These cannot be restricted to just the physically and economically destitute, though many of those are chosen and called.

A significant implication of this interpretation, however, is that Jesus came preaching the gospel specifically to and for those who were spiritually poor, that is, to those who were spiritually poor and knew themselves to be. A parallel is found in John 9:39-41. Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind." When the Pharisees responded, "We are not blind too, are we?" Jesus answered, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, 'We see,' your sin remains."

Apparently Jesus looked for such a spirit in individuals and when He found it proclaimed the gospel, even as He did to the blind man in John 9.

It is in this light that Christ's invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 takes on meaning. He says, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."

Jesus invited the poor in spirit, those who were blind and knew it, those who were weary and heavy-laden, to come unto Him and find true riches, eyes to see, and rest for their souls.

The Praying of Jesus for the Salvation of the Elect Only

We have shown that Jesus believed that the elect and only the elect could and would be saved. If this were the case, then we would expect Him to pray consistently that only the elect would be saved. Under scrutiny this appears to stand up in the gospel accounts. In fact, it may be "startling to realize that Jesus Christ never prayed explicitly and directly for the eternal salvation of the lost."

In His High Priestly prayer the Lord prays explicitly for the elect only. He prays to the Father, "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine" (Jn. 17:9). His prayer for them is that the Father would "keep them in Thy name . . . that they may be one, even as We are" (v. 11). Later He adds, "I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee that they also may be in Us" (vv. 20-21).

When Jesus saw the multitudes He felt compassion for them, because "they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd" (Matt. 9:36). He gave instructions, therefore, for His disciples to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send out workers into His harvest. It may come as a surprise that He does not instruct the disciples to pray that the multitudes may be saved, or that even some of them might be saved. His concern, rather, was for prayer that the Lord of the harvest would send out workers unto the field.

The supposed prayer of the Lord on the cross where He asks the Father to forgive them "for they know not what they do" (Lk. 23:34) has serious textual problems. It is omitted by some very important early manuscripts. Nevertheless, even if it were allowed, it poses no necessary problem. Assuming that the prayers of the Lord were always answered, then we have to deduce that at least some of those in the multitude watching His crucifixion were later saved. Certainly, the Roman soldier, then many of those converted at Pentecost and after must have been eyewitnesses of the crucifixion. The Lord did pray for His enemies, as He instructed His disciples to do (Matt. 5:44). But, this does not mean He prayed for their salvation.

Clearly, if modern day evangelistic prayers were modeled after those of the Lord we would see somewhat different types of praying for the lost. We would not, for example, pray for the salvation of certain individuals by name. The only exception to this would be if we were to append such prayers by something like, "yet not My will, but Thine be done" (Lk. 22:42). Our prayers would be not for everybody in general, including the nonelect, but for the elect that they may hear, be saved, be built up, and be united. Furthermore, we must pray with compassion for the lost that God would raise up laborers unto the harvest.

Jesus' Evangelism of the Jews First, then the Gentiles The evangelistic strategy of Christ in relation to the Jews and Gentiles is clearly manifest in the Gospel according to Matthew. The two commissionings of the apostles are found in Matthew 10 and Matthew 28. In the former the Lord explicitly directs the apostles to "not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (10:5-6). He Himself observed the Jew first, then the Gentile evangelistic pattern as evidenced in Matthew 15:21-28. When the Gentile Canaanite woman came to Jesus crying for mercy, His response was, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." From all appearances it seemed Jesus was not going to extend mercy to this Gentile, not until her faith persisted and she cried out, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master's table."

It is not until after the crucifixion and resurrection that the Lord commissions the apostles to "go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Matt. 28:19). Under the Great Commission the pattern was nevertheless followed as evidenced in the Acts of the Apostles. In Acts 1:8 the Lord informs His apostles that after the Holy Spirit comes upon them at Pentecost they will be "witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest apart of the earth." And that is just how the book of Acts unfolds.

Even on Paul's missionary journeys the pattern of Jew first, then Gentile is observed. Paul typically went into Gentile towns but entered and ministered first in the synagogues. It was not until after repeated resistance and blasphemy that Paul finally said to them, "Your blood be upon your own heads! I am clean. From now on I shall go to the Gentiles" (Acts 18:6).

Is this pattern to be followed by the church today in evangelism? Probably not. The pattern followed by Christ and the apostles was in fulfillment of Old Testament Scripture (Gen. 12:3; 18:18; etc.). It is in Christ, Abraham's offspring, that all the nations of the earth are now being blessed. Paul would say, "there is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28). Besides, Romans 11:25 makes it clear that "a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in."

Jesus' Training of the Twelve to do Evangelism

It was evident that Christ knew the Father had chosen 12 men to become His apostles and that these were the men upon whom He would build His church. He would spend 2 to 3 years living with them and discipling them. It is instructive to note how much of His teachings were directed to the disciples. The Sermon on the Mount was directed particularly, if not exclusively, towards them (Matt. 5:1-2, Lk. 6:20). His teachings in parables though spoken in public were meant for their hearing (Mk. 4:11) as he would typically explain the meanings to them later. Certainly the Upper Room Discourse, John 13-16, was for their hearing only. The miracles of the Lord were designed to demonstrate that He was the Son of God (Jn. 20:31). Almost all of them were done in their presence, and some exclusively so (eg. Jn. 6:19; Mk. 4:35-41; Jn. 20:19; 21:1-14).

The two commissionings (Matt. 10 and Matt. 28:18 ff) were directed toward them. In each he instructed them explicitly how to do the work (Matt. 10:5-42; Matt. 28:19-20) and encouraged them in their work on the basis of divine authority and sustaining grace (10:1, 28:18, 20).

Jesus chose the twelve because they had been chosen by the Father (Jn. 17:1-6), and he knew it was the Father's will that through them many would subsequently come to believe.

Is it not likely that we, too, should recognize that our mission is not so much to evangelize the many, as it is to concentrate upon the few the Father has given to us to evangelize and disciple? This can be verified by checking the occurrences of "father" in a concordance. The vast majority of such occurrences in John's Gospel refer to such.

  1. Joseph C. Aldrich, Life-Style Evangelism (Portland, Oregon: Multnomah Press, 1981), 31-32.
  2. Matt. 11:15, 13:9, 13:43; Mk. 4:9, 4:23, 7:16, etc.
  3. R. A. Cole, The Gospel According to St. Mark (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1970), 92.
  4. William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1973), 359-360.
  5. Some translations are interpretive here. The NASB, for example, inserts in italics 'correctly.' Literally, the translation is "You say that I am a king."
  6. Ronald J. Sider, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1978).
  7. "Living more simply for evangelism and the Poor" by Ronald J. Sider in Lifestyle in the Eighties edited by Ronald J. Sider (Exeter, Paternoster and Philadelphia, Westminster 1982), 29.
  8. "Evangelism and the Poor - an Introduction" in Evangelism and the Poor edited by Vinay Samuel and Christ Sugden (Exeter, Paternoster, 1982), 2-3.
  9. William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel Accorrding to Luke (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1978), 253.
  10. See our discussion above under "The Beliefs of Jesus regarding evangelism," chapter 2.
  11. Curtis Mitchell, Evangelistic Praying (Winona Lake, Indiana: Grace Theological Journal, 1984), 127.
  12. It is omitted by such geographically diverse and early manuscripts as p75, aleph, B, D and W.
  13. Such praying is often maligned by some who regard it as lacking in faith. This is an unfair charge, however, as such praying is modeled after the praying of the Lord who certainly prayed in faith.

CHAPTER 5:
THE EVANGELISTIC METHODS OF CHRIST

In this section we will consider the evangelistic methods employed by the Lord. We will consider His mass evangelistic techniques, His evangelism of the disciples, then His personal encounter methods.

Christ's Evangelism of the Masses

His Evangelistic Message in General

Matthew's Gospel states that when Jesus began His public ministry he began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). Mark's Gospel says, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mk. 1:15). It is interesting to note that He does not say, "The kingdom of God is at hand; believe in the gospel." Why does He say only "repent" in Matthew, but "repent and believe" in Mark? The difference is inconsequential only if repentance implies belief. Thus, belief would not have to be stated. Clearly, Christ's evangelistic preaching included the admonition to repent of sins and to believe the truth about Himself as Lord and Savior.

His Evangelism in the Sermon on the Mount

Few passages in Scripture have seen more controversy. Is the Sermon on the Mount primarily evangelistic in nature, portraying the gospel in its fundamental content, or merely ethical, commenting "not of salvation, but of the character and conduct of those who belong to Christ"? Walvoord comments:

That the sermon on the Mount presents ethical content all agree. That it delineates the gospel that Jesus Christ died and rose again, that it presents justification by faith, or is suitable to point an unbeliever to salvation in Christ is plainly not the intent of this message.

Hendriksen espouses a different point of view. He argues:

The reasons why the doctrine of the atonement is not here specifically set forth may be that even the disciples were not yet ready to receive it. It was reserved for later . . . Besides, the way here prescribed and the way of the cross do not clash but blend beautifully (cf Matt 5:3-5, 10-12 with 16:24-26; John 15:20). Essentially they are the same.

We agree with Hendriksen. Our discussion earlier demonstrated that sometimes the Lord mentions faith as a requirement for salvation while at other times He mentions only obedience to the moral law as a requirement (Lk. 10:25-28; Lk. 18:18-22). We also showed, however, that such obedience to the law always implied faith and vice versa. When the Lord stresses obedience to the moral law (loving God and loving one's neighbor) it is done to lay emphasis upon the necessary resulting aspect of the salvation experience, and is certainly not meant as a means in and of itself. In such cases He lays stress upon the whole picture, not just the beginning part which is done exclusively by faith.

Besides, in the sermon the Lord teaches the essence of the righteousness of the kingdom is two-fold: to love God above all else (Matt. 6) and to love one's neighbor as one's self (Matt. 7:1-12). This is exactly His message to the lawyer in Luke 10:25-28 who asked, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus' answer is, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?" When the man answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself," Jesus responded, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live."

But, what is most telling is the exhortation given at the end of His sermon on the mount where Christ admonished them to "enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it" (Matt. 7:13-14). Surely, this is an evangelistic call!

His Evangelism in the Sermon in Matthew 11:7-30

Another evangelistic sermon of our Lord is found in Matthew 11:7-30. The historical context and cause for the sermon is given in verses 1-6. John the Baptist had been imprisoned and word had been sent to Christ asking whether He was the Expected One. After sending His response, He turned to the multitudes and gave the sermon. The first part of the sermon is a defense of John's ministry (11:7-15). His second point is a rebuke of that generation for rejecting both John and the Son of Man (11:16-19). This is followed by a pronouncement of judgment upon Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum for refusing to repent when miracles had been performed there (11:20-24). Then, the Lord praises the Father for "hiding these things from the wise and intelligent . . . for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight" (vv. 25-27).

Finally, He gives the invitation, "Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light" (11:28-30).

He does not extend the invitation to all without exception, but to those who are weary and heavy-laden, a synonym for the poor in spirit as found in Matthew 5.

In His Rebuke of the Pharisees

What should be the tactic taken by the evangelist today when his message is rejected and the cause of Christ maligned? How long should a missionary stay in a field where there is nothing but rejection and hardness of heart?

Jesus experienced this at the hands of the scribes and Pharisees. The turning point of His ministry with them appears to be in the twelveth chapter of Matthew when they attribute the work of the Spirit to the work of Beelzebul (Matt. 12:24). The Lord responds by saying, "any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven" (Matt. 12:31).

Thereafter His relationship with them becomes decidedly judgmental. When these same scribes and Pharisees subsequently asked Him for a sign (v. 38), Jesus responded, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah" (v. 39). It is at this point that He begins to speak in parables so that they would not be saved (13:2-17). And, He later pronounces eight woes of judgment upon them (Matt. 23:1-39).

Furthermore, in His first commissioning instructions to the disciples (Matt. 10) He directs them, "whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city" (Matt. 10:14-15).

May God give us grace to wisely evangelize!

In His Teaching in Parables

The public preaching and teaching ministry of the Lord makes a marked change after the religious rulers commit the unpardonable sin in Matthew 12:22-37. They had just attributed the work of the Spirit to Beelzebul. Thereafter, the Lord begins teaching in parables, "in order that while seeing, they may see and not perceive; and while hearing, they may hear and not understand lest they return and be forgiven" (Mk. 4:12; cf. Matt. 13:13).

The parables were designed to teach truths regarding the kingdom of God. To those who were outsiders who had not been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom (Matt. 13:11) the teachings would make no sense. But, to those to whom it had been given to know the mysteries, to these Christ would explain in private.

How Christ Evangelized His Disciples

Jesus knew the Father had given certain men to Him in order that He might give to them eternal life (Jn. 17:6). How was He to find and select these men? Would He have to rely upon His omniscience as the Son of God, or did He use other means as a man, and so serve as a model for subsequent disciple calling?

When Christ became a man He did not cease being divine. The point of John's Gospel is to demonstrate Him to be the Son of God. But, it is evident He did voluntarily give up the exercise of certain divine attributes when "He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil. 2:8). Even His knowledge was somewhat less than omniscient as He testifies, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." (Matt. 24:36).

How then did Jesus determine the will of the Father regarding whom to call as an apostle? The night before He called the twelve Luke tells us Jesus spent all night in prayer (Lk. 6:12-13).

Another key ingredient was the testimony of John the Baptist. John's Gospel tells us upon seeing Christ John said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" (Jn. 1:35), whereupon two of John's disciples then left John and followed Jesus. Matthew reports that Jesus saw Simon and Andrew casting their nets and merely said, "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men" (Matt. 4:19). Later He saw James and John casting their nets and called them. In both cases it says, they immediately left their boats and followed Him. Likewise, all Jesus says to Philip (Jn. 1:43) and Levi (Lk. 5:27) is "follow Me" and they do.

It is especially interested to note, however, that just before Philip's call Jesus "purposed to go forth into Galilee" (Jn. 1:43). Had God the Father given His Son a compelling desire to go into Galilee just so Jesus would run into Philip and call him?

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him and said, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile," Nathanael was taken back. In bewilderment he asked, "How do you know me?"

Jesus' response was, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you" (Jn. 1:48). Does it necessarily follow that this incident, "displayed His omniscience"? Could it not be that Jesus was able to read people by simply looking upon their faces? Have you ever seen somebody for the first time and known instinctively that there was something special about him? In Nathanael's case his look gave away a guilelessness, perhaps not unlike that of a child. It may be we ought to be sensitive to such looks in peoples' faces. This is not to say we should give up evangelizing if such a look does not appear, but it could be helpful and encouraging if such a look exists.

The reverse may be just as valid. Apparently Jesus was able to read the faces of certain hardened individuals, especially when accompanied by words of rejection (Matt. 12:24; Jn. 6:41-45; Jn. 8:41-47; Jn. 10:26). To these He did not cast His pearls.

How Christ Evangelized Individuals

In this section we will consider the personal evangelistic encounters of the Lord. We will consider first the encounters verbally initiated by others, then encounters verbally initiated by Christ.

In the Evangelistic Encounters Initiated by Others

Those Who were Combative or Self-righteous

In Luke 10:25-37 a certain lawyer comes to Jesus to test Him (v. 25) and to justify himself (v. 29). Jesus must have perceived his intent and answers accordingly. In answer to the man's question, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus draws his attention to the Old Testament law. When the man answers correctly, Jesus tells him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live."

The Lord's answer here has caused a lot of trouble for those who contend that simple faith is all that is required. Jesus says nothing about faith, yet that is implied, as we have shown, for a proper obedience to the law always implies faith. This is how the Old Testament saints were saved. It is how the New Testament saints are saved. The only kind of faith that saves is the faith that results in good works, love for God and love for others in particular.

The man seeking to justify himself asked who his neighbor was. The story of the Good Samaritan follows unveiling the man's improper understanding of love for one's neighbor.

The lesson to learn is: try to perceive the intent of the inquirer. If he appears combative or self-righteous, then draw his attention to the true meaning of God's law of love. Try to show him his sinful state before casting your pearls of righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ. He will not be ready to hear such, if he is seeking to justify himself.

In Luke 18:18-30, A certain ruler came to Jesus and asked, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Again, the Lord draws the attention of the inquirer back to the Old Testament law, "You know the commandments, 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.'"

The Lord perceived the man's misunderstanding about goodness. The man had addressed Jesus as 'good teacher,' probably much like we would address someone today as 'good sir,' or 'good man.' Hendriksen comments, "The Master knew very well that if this inquirer was going to be saved, he must be confronted with the absolute standard of goodness, namely, the perfect law enacted by The Perfect One, God."

The real problem, however, was the man's self-righteousness for he considered he had kept the law from his youth (v. 21). The Lord appropriately points out he had not, for he loved his money more than God or his neighbor.

The full Gospel message is repent and believe the gospel. But, here no mention of faith is found, because, once again, the need, first, is to recognize oneself as a sinner who has broken God's law. Thus, the Savior speaks only that which is appropriate to the occasion. No more and no less.

Those Who Came Seeking What They Had to do to be Saved (except the self-righteous and combative - see above)

Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews who came to Jesus by night and said, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him" (3:2). It seems Nicodemus has observed a number of miracles performed by the Lord and is impressed enough about Jesus' relationship to God that he comes inquiring about what he must do to find eternal life. This is the view of Hendriksen who comments:

On the basis of Christ's answer we may safely assume that the question of Nicodemus was very similar to the one found in Mt 19;16. Like "the rich young ruler," so also this Pharisee, who came to Jesus one night and who by some is considered to have been a "rich old ruler," wanted to know what good thing he had to do in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.

In this case, however, the Lord does not draw his attention to the law in order to convict the man of his sinfulness. Does this suggest Nicodemus was already aware of his sins and was not seeking to justify himself, but was looking for an answer to his sinful condition? The Lord's answer seems to imply that the problem at hand was not self-righteousness, but a misunderstanding regarding man's part in the salvation experience. Jesus answers that "unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

The point of the "being born again," or "being born from above" response is to stress the fact that just as one can do nothing to be born physically, so neither can he do anything to be born spiritually (v. 6) . It is solely a work of the Spirit who moves where and when it wishes, just as the wind does (v. 7).

Likewise, in John 6:28 Jesus is approached and asked, "What shall we do that we may work the works of God." The Lord responds, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (6:29). Clearly, even our belief is a work of God.

Application: if we perceive that someone is not seeking to justify himself (as in Lk. 10:25 and 18:18), but is seeking salvation by the things he does, then we ought to point out in our evangelism that salvation is obtained only by God's sovereign work and choice, and that belief itself is the result of God's work, not ours.

Those Who came to Him during a Crisis Time

A certain royal official had a son who was sick and at the point of death. This official had a measure of faith in the Great Physician, though certainly not faith unto salvation which he did subsequently come to demonstrate (Jn. 4:50, 53). Pink thinks this story is told to compare and contrast the faith of two men from Capernaum whose son or daughter were very sick. He adds:

But different far from this "nobleman" was the faith of the centurion that sought the Lord on behalf of his sick servant, and who said, "Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed" (Matt. 8:8). It seems to us this is the reason (or one reason, at least) why we are told here in John 4 that the nobleman came from Capernaum, so that we should link the two together and note the comparisons and contrast between them. Both resided at Capernaum: both were Gentiles: both were men of position: both came to Christ on behalf of a sick member of his household. But in Matt. 8 the centurion simply spread his need before Christ and refrained from dictating to Him; whereas the nobleman bids the Saviour "come down" to Capernaum. In Matt. 8 we find that the Lord offered to accompany the centurion - "Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him" . . . He does the very opposite here in John 4. In Matt. 8 the centurion declines the Lord's offer and says, "Speak the word only;" where as the nobleman meets Christ's rebuke by repeating his original request - "Sir, come down ere my child die" (v. 49).

Jesus' response, "Unless you see people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe," was a rebuke. What Jesus seems to be saying is this: you are demanding signs of Me before you have fully trusted Me with your concerns. This is the error of many who seek God's help under a crises time, but have not fully trusted Him as their Saviour and Lord.

The Lord's response, however, had its desired affect. The man "believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off" (v. 50). Later, when the man knew his son had been made well at the very hour Jesus had spoken, "he himself believed and his whole household" (v. 53).

It is often at crisis times that people turn to the Lord with less than true saving faith. But, it is also at these times that the evangelist is called to draw their attention first to a complete and unconditional trust in the Savior Lord.

Those Who Came Demanding a Sign

It was just after the discussion on the unpardonable sin (Matt. 12:22-37) that some of the scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."

The Lord responded, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet" (v. 39).

Two things stand out. First, it is a sign of an evil and adulterous generation that it seeks signs. The evangelist today must be aware that such clamoring for proof is just a reflection of the spiritual condition of the demander. Second, one sign and only one remains for all such evil generations: the death, and resurrection of Christ. We must be content with pointing people to the empty tomb, the testimonies of the many eyewitnesses, and the changed lives of the apostles.

Those who came demanding a clear revelation of Himself

We have already shown that numerous times nonbelievers asked Jesus to tell them plainly if He was the Christ, the Son of God (Matt. 26:63, Lk. 22:67-70, Jn. 10:24), or if he were a king (Jn. 18:33-38). Perhaps surprisingly, the Lord never appears to answer such inquiry directly. He appears content to let His deeds and teachings bear witness of Himself. We saw His responding in such fashion was consistent with His own teaching regarding not casting one's pearls before the swine.

Only to the Samaritan woman (Jn. 4) do we see Jesus verbally declaring that He was the Christ. She was receptive and became a follower of the Lord.

Those who came expressing a desire to follow Him

What should we say to those who come desiring to become followers of the Lord? The Lord's response teaches us to warn them about the difficulties that lie ahead, for even "the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." We must not communicate a prosperity gospel, but one that is consistent with sacrifice and self-denial.

When another disciple said, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father," the Lord responded, "Follow Me; and allow the dead to bury their own dead" (Matt. 8:22).

The Lord's response to such a seemingly innocent request is simple: following Christ is first priority. All other things must be superceded.

In the Evangelistic Encounters Initiated by Christ

In contrast to the evangelistic encounters initiated by others where few, if any, give evidence they repented and turned to faith in Christ, the encounters initiated by the Lord all seem to result in repentance and faith. We will consider seven such cases.

How Jesus Gained a Hearing

To the woman at the well Jesus initiates the conversation by saying, "Give Me a drink" (Jn. 4:7). Is this not remarkable that the Son of God would put Himself in a position of need, where He asked a Samaritan woman for help? Does this not suggest a ploy we can use is to allow ourselves to be put into a position where we can ask others for assistance? In so doing, Christ breaks the established barrier between Jew and Samaritan, between male and female. He then gives her an opportunity to ask questions.

When she responds with a startled question regarding this breach of Jew-Samaritan separation, Jesus apparently ignores it and focuses her attention upon the real issue at hand: the gift of God. He responds, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." Jesus' use of logic is instructive. He does not command or direct her to believe in Him. He merely asserts that if she knew who He was, then she would have asked. This is a less offensive way of presenting the Gospel and graciously invites her to pursue the discussion.

In verse 12 she asks another question, asking whether He was greater than Jacob. This time Jesus does answer the question, though only indirectly. He draws her attention to the greater work He does, "Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst." She can draw the implication if she still wants the answer to her question, but it is based on the greater work Jesus does, not merely upon His words.

Jesus is shrewdly drawing her attention to her need to have her spiritual thirst quenched eternally. In verse 15 she asks Jesus to give her this water so she would never thirst again.

Before Jesus does, however, He says, "Go, call your husband, and come here." Jesus is pointing her to her need to confess and repent of her sins, particularly adultery. Confession and repentance of sin is an essential part of the gospel call.

Finally, the woman asks another somewhat distracting question when she asks about the place of worship (v. 20). But, Jesus does not rebuke her. Nor does he deflect this one, but answers, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father . . . God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (vv. 21-24).

Only when she responds, "I know that the Messiah is coming . . . when that One comes, he will declare all things to us," does Jesus reveal Himself as the I AM, "I who speak to you am He" (v. 26). The result is that she does become a follower of Christ (vv. 39-42).

Jesus' Asking of Pointed Questions

Jesus asked questions to stimulate thought regarding Himself and salvation. In Matthew 16:13-15, He asked His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" After responding that some say John the Baptist, some say Jeremiah, Elijah or one of the prophets, Jesus asked, "But who do you say that I am?"

It was Peter's profession, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" that brought the reply, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven . . . upon this rock I will build My church."

Give people the opportunity to verbalize their belief by asking them the question, "Who is the Son of Man?" If they answer accurately, it is because the Father has revealed it to them.

In John 5:6 when Jesus saw the man who had been lame for 38 years, He asked him, "Do you wish to get well?" How penetrating a question that is. Often people are content in their misery and are not truly desireous of being made whole. Many an alcoholic or drug addict have so continued. Likewise, a man may not want to be saved. He may love his sinful condition. Barclay adds:

The first essential towards receiving the power of Jesus is the intense desire for it. Jesus comes to us and says: 'Do you really want to be changed?' If in our inmost hearts we are well content to stay as we are there can be no change for us. The desire for the better things must be surging in our hearts.

The man's response indicates he does indeed want to be made well. Christ, then, commanded him, "Arise, take up your pallet and walk." The man obeyed and was made whole. Was this just a physical healing or did a spiritual healing occur?

Jesus later found him and told him to sin no more, "so that nothing worse may befall you" (v. 14). The imperative is a present tense implying the command is a prohibition against continued or habitual sin. Hendriksen paraphrases the meaning, "See here, you have been healed. No longer continue in sin, or something worse may happen to you."

Two principles emerge from this story. First, it is important to try to perceive if the one about to be evangelized is receptive, that is, desireous of being saved. If he gives evidence of being poor in spirit, then the gospel is for him. Second, it is imperative that the one who is evangelized be instructed no longer to continue in sin.

When the Individual Appeared Broken and Contrite

Jesus had healed the man born blind (Jn. 9). Later, when Jesus had heard that the Jews had put the man out of the synagogue He found the man and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" This was a rather straight forward question, but it was timely. The man had been excommunicated by the Jewish officials. Even though he had received his physical sight, he was alone and aware of his spiritual poverty.

His answer showed his desire to be saved, "And who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" (v. 36).

To this man the Lord reveals Himself, saying, "You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you."

The result of such evangelism is the man believed and worshiped Him (v. 38). The Lord asked questions effectively in evangelism.

How Jesus Pronounced the Sinner to be Saved

Jesus took the initiative with Zaccheus. When he saw him in the sycamore tree he said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house" (Lk. 19:5). Now Zaccheus was a rich, tax-collector and apparently had accumulated some of his wealth by defrauding others.

Jesus was roundly criticized for eating with this sinner (v. 7), but when Zaccheus declared he would give half of his possessions to the poor and would pay back four times any he had defrauded, Jesus proclaimed, "Today salvation has come to this house." Again, Jesus saw the evidence of faith and made His declaration.

When Jesus saw the paralytic being brought to him and their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take courage, My son, your sins are forgiven' (Matt. 9:2). Jesus said this only after He had seen their faith which evidently included the faith of the paralytic. How did He see their faith? Probably in the fact that they brought the man to Jesus expecting and believing that Jesus could heal him. The only way faith can be seen is by works of righteousness. Here these men showed their love both for the man and the for the Lord. Likewise, the man's faith is probably to be understood. We have no biblical precedent for the forgiveness of the sins of an individual because of the faith of others.

Do we have such authority to declare to someone that his sins are forgiven? We do, but only as the evidence of faith is manifested. We cannot, for example, say with any degree of certainty that a man's sins are forgiven simply on the basis of his profession of faith. Jesus did not do it, and neither should we.

How Jesus Worked to Create Faith in Himself

Thomas had not been present when the Lord appeared to the 10 disciples a week previously. He had said he would not believe, "unless I shall see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side" (Jn. 20:25).

A week later Jesus appears and says to Thomas, "Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing."

Thomas' response, "My Lord and my God!"

In our evangelism we ought always to point to the resurrected Lord, the One who was truly resurrected and who appeared before His disciples and over 500 eyewitnesses at one time.

It does appear that every evangelistic encounter where the conversation is initiated by the Lord the result is repentance and faith. What, if any, is the significance? Is it possible that the Lord was able to perceive that the heart was poor in spirit, humble and receptive? It was to such that He more fully revealed Himself. To others, even to those who initiated the conversation, He did not reveal Himself efficaciously.

His Methods in General

His Association with Sinners

Although He was sharply criticized for doing so, Jesus routinely ate with sinners. His rationale was, "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Lk. 5:31-32).

But, this response of the Lord also reveals His strategy, to call those who are sinners, that is, those who know they are sinners. These, not the righteous or those who think themselves to be righteous, are the ones Christ came to call to repentance.

His Praying

The ministry of Jesus was saturated with prayer. Indeed, by His own words the Lord acknowledged that prayer was the key to His spiritual power. In Mark 9:14-29 when the disciples were unable to cast an evil spirit out of a young boy Jesus responded, "O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put with you? Bring him to Me!" After the Lord cast out the evil spirit, the disciples asked, "Why could we not cast it out?" Jesus replied, "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer."

Before Jesus began His public ministry He was taken up by the Spirit into the wilderness where He was tempted by the devil. He fasted and prayed for forty days and nights. Afterward, He was tempted by the devil, but did not succumb. His response to each of the three temptations was the Word of God. This also show that the Lord's prayers were saturated with the will of the Father, particularly as revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures.

The night before the Lord began His evangelism of the 12 disciples and called them to follow Him He prayed. In fact, the text says "He spent the whole night in prayer to God" (Lk. 6:12). The next verse says that when day came, "He called His disciples to Him." What did He pray for? We don't know for sure, but it probably had something to do with those whom He should call to follow Him. It is interesting to note, that everyone He called did follow immediately. At least the text never suggests that He called some who did not follow Him. Is it possible that we have such capabilities through prayer?

This is not to suggest, of course, that if we pray all night, or even for many years, for the salvation of certain individuals that they will necessarily follow Christ. There is no evidence that Christ ever prayed for the salvation of individuals by name. Rather, His prayer in John 17 demonstrates He knew the Father had given certain ones to Him. It was His task to give to them eternal life. In fact, He explicitly states He was praying for them, and that He did not pray "on behalf of the world, but of those whom Thou hast given Me" (v. 9). Of course, He also prayed for us, "for those also who believe in Me through their word" (v. 20).

After the Lord pronounces judgment upon Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum for their refusal to repent in the face of miracles (Matt. 11:20-24), He praises God in prayer. This may be somewhat startling to some. He prays, "I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal then to babes. Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight" (Matt. 11:25-26). Does this not suggest that even when the gospel is rejected we ought to praise God likewise?

While the Lord never appears to pray for the salvation of specific individuals, He did instruct His disciples to pray that God would raise up laborers for the work of evangelism (Matt. 9:37-38). Perhaps this is one of the things Christ Himself prayed in the wilderness and/or on the night before He called the disciples to follow Him. Certainly it ought to be prayed regularly by His followers today. Notice that this directive by the Lord was prompted by His longing compassion for the lost, as He saw the multitudes and "felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd" (Matt. 9:36).

If the Lord's prayer on the cross ("Father, forgive them") is genuine, then we do have a prayer of our Lord that God would forgive because of ignorance. Yet, it would be too much to infer from this that Jesus was praying explicitly for the forgiveness of certain individuals. Would this not put at variance the will of the Father and the will of Christ? We have no basis for that. Certainly the Lord's prayer in the garden the night before ("yet not My will, but Thine be done") demonstrates the submission of the Son's will to the Father's in all things. As we have shown, if this prayer on the cross is genuine, then it was probably fulfilled when certain ones in attendance there were later converted.

His Compassion for the Lost

The Lord practiced what He taught. He had taught His disciples that they should love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them (Matt. 5:44). When He saw the multitudes, "He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd" (Matt. 9:36). It was this compassion that resulted in the Lord instructing His disciples to pray the Lord of the harvest would send forth laborers unto the field.

Likewise, his compassion for Jerusalem was reflected in Luke 13:34, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!"

His Speaking Out Against Sin

What is the role of the evangelist with respect to the confronting of sin? Jesus consistently confronted sin, rebuked it and pronounced judgment upon those who refused to repent.

In the Sermon on the Mount he warned against the Pharisaic misinterpretation of the law and said, "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20). Much of the sermon is given to the Lord's explanation of the proper interpretation of it. His common refrain is, "You have heard that it was said . . . but I say to you . . . " (vv. 21-22, 27-28, 38-39, 43-44).

He is especially severe against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them . . . And when you pray you are not to be as the hypocrites . . . And whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do" (Matt. 6:1-16).

In the two separate cases where a lawyer (Lk. 10:25) and a ruler (Lk. 18:18) come to Jesus and ask what they must do to inherit eternal life, the Lord's response indicates what is required is an unconditional obedience to the law of God. In so doing, He accentuates their sin and self-righteous hypocrisy.

He strongly warned about the dangers of leaving personal sin unchecked, "And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire" (Mk. 9:43), "From now on sin no more" (Jn. 8:11), "do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may befall you" (Jn. 5:14).

He pronounced judgment upon the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum for their refusal to repent when miracles were performed there (Matt. 11:20-24). He pronounced the eight woes upon the scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 23:1-36) because though they taught the statutes of the law, they "do not do them" (Matt. 23:3).

His Knowledge and Use of the Word of God

To what extent did the Son of Man rely upon Scripture in His evangelistic endeavors? To answer this question we will consider samples of His evangelism with Israel as a nation, then with individuals.

When Jesus returned to His hometown He evangelized there by reading from the prophet Isaiah and saying, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Lk. 4:21). In the sermon on the mount Jesus evangelizes by explaining the proper interpretation of the law ("You have heart that it was said . . . but I say to you") after saying, "unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20).

In every one-on-one encounter discussed above the Lord refers to the Old Testament Scriptures either directly or indirectly. In both Luke 10 and Luke 18 where two separate men ask Jesus what they must do to inherit eternal life, He refers them to the Old Testament law, especially the 10 commandments and the first and great commandment. He asks them, 'What is written in the law?" When Nicodemus comes to Jesus He answers, "unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (Jn. 3:6). This comes right out of Ezekiel 36:25-27. In the same context (v. 14) He refers back to Numbers 21:9. In Matthew 12:38 when Jesus is approached with, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.' He responds with the sign of Jonah as the only sign that they would see.

Indeed, if one is looking for an evangelistic encounter where Christ does not either quote or refer back to the Old Testament Scriptures he simply will not find it. The evangelism of the Lord was loaded with Scripture. The Word of God was sharper than any two-edged sword in the hands of the Lord. It can and ought to be in ours.

  1. R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel (Minneapolis: Wartburg, 1943), 180.
  2. William Kelly, Lectures in the Gospel of Matthew (New York: Loizeaux, 1943), 106.
  3. John F. Walvoord, Matthew: Thy Kingdom Come (Chicago: Moody Press, 1974), 44.
  4. William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1973), 262.
  5. Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, sixth printing, 1971 ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1945), 73.
  6. William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978), 832.
  7. William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953), 132.
  8. Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John (Grand Rapids: Zondevan Publishing House, 1945), 233-234.
  9. William Barclay, The Gospel of John, 2nd ed., The Daily Study Bible Series, vol. 1 (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1956), 175.
  10. William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953), 195.
  11. Some early manuscripts, such as A, C, and D, include "fasting." Aleph and B, however, do not.
  12. Though the text does not say He prayed during this time, it most certainly did accompany the fasting, as the purpose of fasting in Scripture is always to give oneself more fully to prayer.
  13. It is significant that such early and diverse manuscripts as p75, B, and D, omit the verse.

CHAPTER 6:
CONCLUSION

We started with a definition of evangelism. It is the preaching or the proclamation of the gospel that men should repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ. We, then, studied the evangelism of Christ, including His beliefs, strategy and methodology. In conclusion we will summarize our findings, then draw applications.

The Evangelism of Christ

The Beliefs of Christ Regarding Evangelism

First, Jesus believed that faith and obedience were essential to salvation. Some passages mention only faith as a condition for salvation, others mention only obedience, while some mention both. Obedience implies faith and vice versa, faith implies obedience. Therefore, both are conditions. Both are also requirements because Scripture asserts the negatives of each.

Second, Jesus believed that only some could be saved. We examined Scripture supporting this position, then passages which appear to contradict it by possibly suggesting that all could be saved. The theological difference between the two views reduces to the tension between unconditional election and free will. If we opt to believe both (and resort to an antinomy as an explanation), then we are left with an illogical position for which there is no biblical precedent. This tends toward skepticism and chaos, and must be rejected.

The Strategy of Christ in Evangelism

Jesus first and foremost sought to do the will of His Father. It was His Father's will that Christ should give eternal life to those given to Him by the Father. His mission was to call them, to teach them the words the Father had given to Him, to see that they came to repent and believe in Him, and to see that not one of them would perish. Furthermore, He would give His life for them. He would call the masses to repent and believe in Him (the general call). But, only the elect would receive a specific and efficacious call. These were the ones who could and would hear and follow Him. These were the ones who had ears to hear. In fact, Jesus taught in parables so only the elect would be saved. He did not seek to evangelize those who scorned the gospel. Rather, He sought to evangelize those who gave evidence of being poor in spirit. Jesus prayed for the salvation of the elect. There is no evidence He ever prayed for the salvation of the nonelect.

Jesus evangelized the Jews first, then the Gentiles. He also chose twelve men to disciple to do the work of evangelism.

The Evangelistic Methods of the Lord

Preaching was the method employed for mass evangelism. Christ preached that men everywhere should repent of their sins and believe in the gospel. In the evangelistic Sermon on the Mount the Lord stressed obedience to God, especially as revealed in the moral law, as a prerequiste for entering into life. In the sermon regarding John the Baptist, the Lord rebuked the people for their rejection of the gospel, passed judgment upon some and extended an invitation to the poor in spirit to come to Him. In His rebuke of the Pharisees for their hardness of heart and rejection of Him, Christ pronounced a permanent judgment upon them. In His teaching in parables Christ intentionally stopped giving a general call and focused specifically upon the elect.

Christ evangelized His disciples by calling them specifically and irresistibly.

In personal evangelism where the encounters were initiated by others relatively few were converted and followed Christ. To those who were combative or self-righteous, the Lord stressed obedience to the moral law, particularly love for God and others. To others who came seeking what they had to do to be saved, Jesus told them they could do nothing; it was all a work of God. To those who came during a crisis time, He rebuked for a lack of faith. He rebuked those who came demanding a sign. He refused to give a clear revelation of Himself to those who demanded it. To those who came expressing a desire to follow Him, Christ told them to count the cost, for it was high.

In the encounters initiated by Christ, on the other hand, most, if not all, were converted and followed Him. Jesus gained a hearing by humbly placing Himself in a position of need. He asked pointed questions at appropriate times. When the individual appeared broken and contrite (poor in spirit), the Lord stressed belief in Him. He pronounced the sinner to be saved on the basis of manifested faith. Jesus worked to create faith in Himself as the resurrected Lord and Savior.

Christ's Methods in General

Christ associated with sinners so He could minister to those in need. His evangelism was saturated with prayer. He prayed for the elect. He prayed for Himself that He might do the Father's will. He prayed for laborers to be raised up. He prayed at times all night. He prayed and fasted. He felt compassion for the lost. He spoke out against sin, especially hypocrisy, pride and greed. His evangelism was saturated with the Old Testament Scriptures.

Application

Is the evangelism of Christ normative for today? Jesus was unique. He was the only begotten Son of God. He was the God-Man. He is our Lord and Savior. Yet, continually throughout His ministry the Lord instructed His disciples to follow His example. He taught them how to evangelize (Matt. 10; Matt 28; Acts 1), and He modeled it for them. Their beliefs, strategy, and methods of evangelism as seen in the Book of Acts are the same as those exemplified by Christ. Most of them even suffered martyrdom, as did their Lord.

Do we feel inadequate to the task as we compare ourselves to them, or to Christ? The Lord promised that those who believed in Him would do the works that He did. In fact, He said they would do even greater works, because He was going to the Father and would send the Holy Spirit to empower, to teach, to comfort, to encourage, to assist, to indwell and to be permanently with every believer (John 14:12-31).

How do we begin performing such evangelism?

First, we need to believe the same things Christ believed regarding evangelism. He believed that faith and obedience were essential to salvation. That must not be watered down. An easy believism gospel, where faith with no necessary repentance and obedience is taught, is not the biblical gospel. On the other hand, works with no faith does not cut it either. Works without faith is dead, just as faith without works is dead. It is the faith that works that saves. Likewise, we need to believe that only some can be saved. This will have an affect upon our evangelistic strategy and efforts. We should extend a general call for all to repent and believe the gospel, but understand that only those chosen by the Father can hear, repent and believe. Therefore, we should not unnecessarily persist in the evangelism of those who stubbornly and scornfully reject the gospel. There is a place for rebuke and condemnation of such. We must be sensitive to those we are evangelizing. If we perceive such a hardness and rejection, then we ought not to "cast our pearls before the swine," but shake "the dust off our feet" and move on. We must not necessarily continue in evangelism thinking all men are capable of repenting and believing the gospel.

Second, we need to have a Christ-like strategy for evangelism. Is our desire first and foremost to do the will of the Father? It was the Lord's, and it must be ours. Have we been proved worthy of being entrusted with the gospel? The preparation process involves a practicing of subjection to earthly parents and/or to authorities in general, growth in wisdom and grace, establishment of a good reputation before God and man. We can expect to be tested in order that we may be found approved. When we begin our evangelistic work we should extend the gospel call to all. On the one-one-one level, however, we must be sensitive to the Spirit and seek to discern the spirit of the individual. Is he hardened, even scornful? Then, let him be. Is he combative and/or self-righteous? Tell him to repent and obey the law of God. If his spirit is "poor," that is, broken and contrite, then pursue with the encouragement to believe in Jesus. Should we speak in parables as the Lord did so that only the elect would hear and be saved? Probably the message here is that we should simply proclaim the gospel and understand that to those who are perishing it is foolishness, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God unto salvation. Some have ears to hear, and some do not. We should pray for the salvation of the elect, but not for the salvation of the nonelect. We can pray for the salvation of individuals by name, but only if we subject it to the will of the Father. Should we go to the Jews first, then the Gentiles? This is difficult to determine for sure. Christ lived during a transition time. We are now in the time of the Gentiles (Rom. 11:25). But, our evangelism should not exclude the Jews, as the gospel invitation is extended to all. Finally, a solid evangelistic strategy seems to be for a leader, such as a pastor, to disciple a group of men to do the work of evangelism.

Third, our evangelistic methods should include a public preaching and proclamation of the gospel. In general the gospel message should be "repent and believe." Sometimes, however, it would be appropriate to stress obedience to the moral law (Matt. 5-7). Sometimes, it would be appropriate to rebuke because of sin, including a rejection of the gospel, or even to pronounce judgment upon those who have rejected it. A way to apply the message to the elect is to say something like, "he that has ears to hear, let him hear."

What can we learn from the evangelistic encounters Christ experienced? Do not be mislead into thinking that people are really seeking God, for "there is none who seeks for God" (Rom. 3:11). Do not hope and pray for opportunities to witness where the nonbeliever hungrily comes to you. If the encounters with Christ initiated by others rarely resulted in their salvation, then do not expect it to be different today. On the other hand, if the encounters initiated by Christ almost always resulted in salvation, then we have the imperative to take the initiative. How can we do this? We must be given to prayer. We must associate with sinners and look for those who are poor in spirit. We must have a compassion for the lost. We must speak out against sin, and we must be saturated with the Word of God.

May God give us grace to do so.

WORKS CITED

  1. Aldrich, Joseph C. Life-Style Evangelism. Portland, Oregon: Multnomah Press, 1981.
  2. Barclay, William. The Gospel of John. vol. 1, 2nd ed., Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1956.
  3. Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. vol. 2, Translated by Henry Beveridge. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972.
  4. Clark, Gordon H. Predestination. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1987.
  5. ________. "The Bible as Truth." Bibliotheca Sacra 114 (April 1957): 163.
  6. Cole, R. A. The Gospel According to St. Mark. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970.
  7. Dodd, C. H. The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel. Cambridge: University Press, 1953.
  8. Elwell, Walter A., ed., Handbook of Evangelical Theologians. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1993. Hendriksen, William. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1973.
  9. ________. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel of Luke. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978.
  10. ________. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953.
  11. ________. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1974.
  12. Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry's Commentary of the Whole Bible. McLean: MacDonald Publishing House, 1706.
  13. Kelly, William. Lectures in the Gospel of Matthew. New York: Loizeaux, 1943.
  14. Lenski, R. C. H. The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel. Minneapolis: Wartburg, 1943.
  15. Luther, Martin. The Bondage of the Will. Translated by Henry Cole. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976.
  16. MacArthur, John. The Gospel According to Jesus. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.
  17. Mitchell, Curtis. "Evangelistic Praying." Grace Theological Journal (1984): 127.
  18. Packer, J. I. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1961.
  19. Pink, Arthur W. Exposition of the Gospel of John. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1968; sixth printing, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971.
  20. ________. The Sovereignty of God. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984.
  21. Samuel, Vinay and Chris Sugden. Evangelism and the Poor. Exeter: Paternoster, 1982.
  22. Scott, E. F. The Fourth Gospel. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1906.
  23. Sider, Ronald J. Lifestyle in the Eighties. Philadephia: Westminster, 1982.
  24. ________. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1978.
  25. Walvoord, John F. Matthew: They Kingdom Come. Chicago: Moody Press, 1943.

 



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