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After having gone to great lengths
to prove the scriptural basis of the doctrines of grace,
it is now necessary to answer one of the most prominent
accusations hurled at those holding to this teaching.
The opponents of the doctrines of grace will often
accuse us of not believing that gospel preaching is
necessary for souls to be converted to Christ and will
label us as hard-shells or hyper-Calvinists. Nothing
could be further from the truth. I Corinthians 9:16
states: "For though I preach the gospel, I have
nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea,
woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" It
is the firm conviction of the writer that gospel
preaching is necessary for souls to be saved. In fact,
as much as I despise the Arminian system of theology, I
have just as much hatred for hardshellism. The man who
says that souls can be saved apart from the gospel is
the worst sort of heretic. This man's thoughts fly in
the face of all Scripture and reason.
A true saint of God, who has been taught by the
Spirit to understand the doctrines of grace, will also
understand that God uses the means of the gospel to save
the elect. Some say that a belief in election will
naturally lead a person to believe that they don't need
to witness and that God will save whom He will save,
whether we witness or not. It is true that God will save
whom He will, but it is equally true that He uses the
preaching of the gospel as a means to save them. I
Corinthians 1:21 states: "For after that in the
wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them
that believe." A proper understanding of the
doctrine of election will cause a person to be a fervent
and zealous witness of the gospel's power to save. A
belief in election motivated the Apostle Paul to do
extensive mission work as
II Timothy 2:10 states: "Therefore I endure
all things for the elect's sake, that they may also
obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with
eternal glory."
The fact that God sovereignly elects and saves
sinners according to His own good pleasure does not in
any way dismiss the believer of his responsibility to
witness and preach the gospel to every creature. We are
to do all that is within our power to be faithful
witnesses of the power of the gospel. Our labors and
concerns should be unceasing in trying to persuade and
lead men and women to a saving knowledge of Jesus
Christ. Our hearts should be filled to overflowing with
compassion for those on the "broad road" that leads to
destruction-the same road we were once on.
The first and foremost motivating factor for
preaching the gospel and persuading men to trust Christ
is to glorify God through obedience to the command of
Christ. Jesus Christ clearly commanded His church to
preach the gospel to every creature in Mark 16:15 which
states: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature." A
genuine love for Jesus Christ is proven by obedience to
His commands as John 14:15 states: "If ye love
me, keep my commandments." The command to
preach the gospel is not optional for the true believer.
It is our duty, debt, and privilege to obey this command
of Jesus Christ. If our hearts were filled with a
burning desire to glorify God through obedience, we
would not find it hard to: "Sing unto the LORD,
bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to
day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders
among all people" (Psa. 96:2-3). The first
church took this command so seriously and literally that
they first filled the city of Jerusalem with their
doctrine (Acts 5:28) and later turned the whole world
upside down (Acts 17:6). I think it is safe to say that
there were no Hardshell or Primitive Baptists in the
first churches in light of these Scriptures.
The second motivating factor for gospel preaching is
the realization that it is the ordained means God uses
to save sinners. This is a fact that is repeatedly
emphasized in the Scriptures. Romans 10:17 states: "So
then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God." That the gospel is clearly the means God
uses to call the elect is evidenced by II Thessalonians
2:13-14 which states: "But we are bound to give
thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the
Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to
salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and
belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our
gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ." If God could save sinners apart from
gospel preaching then why did He lead Philip out of
Samaria into the desert so that he could preach Christ
to the Ethiopian Eunuch? Why did God command Peter to go
to the house of Cornelius in Caesarea if he could have
been saved apart from gospel preaching? The answer is
found in Peter's words to the house of Cornelius: "And
he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to
testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be
the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the
prophets witness, that through his name whosoever
believeth in him shall receive remission of sins"
(Acts 10:4243). Paul the apostle certainly was no
Hardshell in light of I Corinthians 4:15 which states: "For
though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet
have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have
begotten you through the gospel."
The third motivating factor for preaching the gospel
is found in I Corinthians 5:14 which states: "For the
love of Christ constraineth us..." The Greek word for
constrain is sunecho which carries with it the idea to
arrest, compel, press and preoccupy. Because of Christ's
great sacrificial love for us, we are to be pressed,
compelled, and preoccupied with telling others of His
power to save. Because we have tasted that the Lord is
gracious there should be an urgency in our lives to
break the bread of life with others so that they may
know and experience the love of Christ which is beyond
measure. If Christ has made a difference in our lives we
should be constrained to show and tell others of the
power of the gospel to change ruined sinners into
saints. Like the Psalmist of old we should declare
unashamedly: "He brought me up also out of an
horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon
a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new
song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall
see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. Blessed
is the man that maketh the LORD his trust..."
(Psa. 40:2-4).
The fourth motivating factor for gospel preaching is
found in II Corinthians 5:11 which states: "Knowing
therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men..."
God has been gracious to open our eyes to the truth of
His holiness, justice, and wrath. We know that God's
wrath is going to be revealed from Heaven against all
ungodliness. We know that Hell is a place of burning
fire and irreparable ruin for those who die in unbelief.
The knowledge that men will suffer an eternity in a
burning lake of fire, should motivate us to point them
to the only way of escape and refuge--faith in the
finished work of Jesus Christ. Some Calvinists may
object and say that we should not operate upon emotion
in reference to the unregenerate. But such an objection
is overridden by the example of Paul who said: "Knowing
therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men",
and elsewhere: "To the weak became I as weak: I
am made all things to all men, that I might by all means
save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I
might be partaker thereof with you" (I Cor.
9:22-23). Jesus Christ was moved with compassion when He
saw the plight of lost souls during His earthly
ministry. Have our hearts grown so cold and calculated
that we no longer follow the example of our blessed Lord
in compassion for the lost? May God deliver us from the
apathy and coldness in our attitude toward sinners. May
He give us grace to follow the directions of the
Psalmist who said: "They that sow in tears shall
reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing
precious seed, shall doubtless come again with
rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him" (Psa.
127:5-6).
The early churches preached the simple message of
Christ crucified and risen again as the power of God
unto salvation. Their method was equally simple; they
preached the Word of God zealously, depending upon God
to save sinners. They boldly pointed men to Christ alone
as the way of salvation. Peter declared: "Neither is
there salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved" (Acts 4:12). When the church at Jerusalem was
persecuted by Saul they didn't give up or quit. Rather,
the Scriptures state: "Therefore they that were
scattered abroad went every where preaching the Word.
Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and
preached Christ unto them" (Acts 8:4-5). When
Philip was called away from Samaria by the angel of the
Lord to minister to the Ethiopian eunuch, it is
recorded: "Then Philip opened his mouth, and
began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus"
(Acts 8:35). After Saul had been converted on the road
to Damascus and went into Arabia (Gal. 1:17) "he
preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of
God" (Acts 9:20). Later, Paul on his first
missionary journey preached Christ at Antioch: "Be
it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that
through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of
sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all
things, from which ye could not be justified by the law
of Moses" (Acts 13:38-39). When Paul came to
the city of Thessalonica, he went into the synagogue: "Opening
and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and
risen again from the dead: and that this Jesus, whom I
preach unto you is Christ" (Acts 17:3). It has
always pleased God to use the simple means of gospel
preaching to call and convert the elect. The Spirit of
God is pleased to use the Word in the mysterious work of
regeneration and conversion. It is according to the
sovereign will of God that the simple preaching of the
Word be used in the work of conversion as stated in
James 1:18: "Of his own will begat he us with
the word of truth, that we should be a kind of
firstfruits of his creatures."
The power of a changed and sanctified life is also a
means of persuading men to believe the gospel. Acts 4:13
states: "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter
and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and
ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of
them, that they had been with Jesus." This is
the kind of testimony that every born-again believer
should strive for, to show men and warn that they have
been with Jesus.
From the human side of salvation, a lost world will
never believe our message if our way of life does not
evidence the joy of the Lord and obedience to Christ. We
cannot live like the world and expect them to believe
our message. One only has to look at the recent damage
done to the testimony of Christianity through the fall
of prominent false teachers who professed the name of
Christ, yet denied Him by their way of life. Our
testimony is probably the single most important thing in
the eyes of lost men. They don't know and often don't
care what the Bible says because they never read it. But
they read the testimony of professing Christians every
day! That is why there are so many exhortations to holy,
separated living in the Bible. II Timothy 2:9 states: "Nevertheless
the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal,
The Lord knoweth them that are his. And let every one
that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."
When worldly Lot tried to persuade his sons-in-law to
flee from the wrath that was about to be poured out on
Sodom they thought he was just joking because his
testimony had been ruined. Their reaction is recorded in
Genesis 19:14: ". . .But he seemed as one that
mocked unto his sons in law." Let us never
underestimate the power of a changed life and a
sanctified testimony to affirm the gospel we preach!
When you recognize the Biblical means for persuading
men to believe the gospel as the preached Word, backed
up by a changed life, the psychology and emotional
trickery used by many in our day will seem as
foolishness. In all of our preaching and godly living we
must never forget that it takes the power of God to
quicken dead sinners. Emotional appeals, long
invitations, psychology, and worldly gimmicks can never
be used as substitutes for the power of God. Listen
carefully to the inspired record of the Apostle Paul in
his epistle to the Corinthians: "For I
determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus
Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in
weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my
speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of
man' s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of
the power: That your faith should not stand in the
wisdom of men, but in the power of God" (I Cor.
2:2-5). "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God
gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth
any thing, neither he that watereth: but God that giveth
the in crease. Now he that planteth and he that watereth
are one: and every man shall receive his own reward
according to his own labour" (I Cor. 3:6-8).
There are costs involved in gospel preaching. A
sacrifice of self denial is associated with gospel
preaching. It is necessary to put a bridle on our lusts
and passions if we are to be effective witnesses of the
gospel of Christ. Mark 8:34-35 states: "Whosoever will
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my
sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it."
There are afflictions and persecutions associated
with gospel preaching as II Timothy 1:8 implies: "Be not
therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of
me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel according to the power of God." All one
has to do is read the book of Acts to see that genuine
gospel preaching brings persecution and affliction. The
apostles were threatened (Acts 4:13-20) and later beaten
for gospel preaching (Acts 5:40-42). Stephen was stoned
by an angry mob of Jews for preaching the gospel in Acts
7. The entire church at Jerusalem was persecuted and
scattered because of their testimony for Christ in Acts
8. James lost his head for preaching the gospel in Acts
12. Paul and Barnabas were expelled from Antioch by the
Jews for preaching the gospel (Acts 13:49-52). Paul and
Silas were beaten and imprisoned at Philippi for gospel
preaching (Acts 16:20-24).
When we take the command to preach the gospel to
every creature seriously and literally as a necessity
and our bound duty, there will be a cost of time, money,
effort, reputation and status. The question we must ask
ourselves is:
Am I willing to pay the price and suffer reproach for
preaching the gospel? If the answer is yes, we will be
numbered among the holy band in Hebrews 11:36-40 of whom
it is said: "And others had trial of cruel mockings
and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted,
were slain with the sword: they wandered about in
sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted,
tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they
wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and
caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a
good report through faith, received not the promise: God
having provided some better thing for us, that they
without us should not be made perfect."
Just as there is a cost associated with gospel
preaching there is also a greater cost for not preaching
the gospel to every creature. If we fail to preach the
gospel it will mean the loss of blessings in this life
and the satisfaction of knowing that we are doing what
Christ has commanded. For a church, a failure to preach
the gospel will bring upon them the loss of the Lord's
presence and power. It will also mean the loss of
rewards for the believer at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Paul plainly told the church at Corinth: "Woe unto me if
I preach not the gospel..." (I Cor. 9:16).
It is the height of folly to presume that God does
not see and hold us accountable for not witnessing.
Proverbs 24:11-12 states: "If thou forbear to
deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that
are ready to be slain; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew
it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider
it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it?
and shall not he render to every man according to his
works?" God charged the prophet Ezekiel with
the solemn responsibility of warning the wicked as a
faithful watchman. If he failed to give them warning
their blood would be required at his hand (Ezek.
3:17-19). Could this also be applied to Christians who
are responsible to witness? Perhaps this is one reason
why the early disciples had it said of them: "and
behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine..."
(Acts 5:28). "And daily in the temple and in
every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus
Christ" (Acts 5:42). If we would faithfully
witness, the Lord will reward us with a crown of
rejoicing as Paul said: "For what is our hope,
or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the
presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye
are our glory and joy" (I Thess. 2:19).
We are living in a day when there seems to be a
growing imbalance in Sovereign Grace Baptist churches.
We must not only hold firmly to the truth of the
doctrines of grace, but we must also see the necessity
of publishing the gospel of grace to every creature. We
must return to a solid balance of strong doctrinal
preaching as well as a zeal and fervency in witnessing.
Historically, Baptists have maintained this scriptural
balance as they carried out the great commission. May
God grant us the same grace in our day.
How thankful I am that eleven years ago, a man who
was concerned about my soul, began to witness to me at
work. In spite of my ungodliness and rebellion, he
faithfully preached the gospel and lived a consistent
Christian life before me. He was used of God to direct
me to Christ and the free forgiveness of sins. May God
stir us to witness for Christ and persuade men to repent
and believe the gospel.
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