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Posting 9 THE MESSAGE OF MISSIONS
With letters eight inches tall the sign in front of a conservative Calvinist church read:
You are not a nobody.
You are a child of God.
So many questions can be asked about this sign! Was the sign intended only for the members of this church? Placed as it was, facing a rather busy street, it apparently was addressed to all who passed by. Is this a greeting that ought to be extended to everyone? Is the sentiment expressed by this sign "The Message of Missions"? One wonders what, if any, biblical/theological consideration went into posting this sign.
For centuries, the church has worked with the assumption that "All persons will be finally lost except those who the Bible declares will be saved." This leads us to think that the sentiment expressed by the sign ought to be limited to those who have given some indication that the saving grace of God is already at work in them.
Jesus said, "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs" (Matt. 7:6). The apostles were told to "shake the dust off your feet" in protest against those who would not receive them or listen to their words (Matt. 10:14; Acts 13:51). Some individuals, it appears, are unworthy of being told, "You are a child of God."
Furthermore, the need of forgiveness must be felt before anyone can appreciate being told, "You are a child of God," implying that their sins are forgiven. Repentance is an essential part of the good news that is to be proclaimed (Mark 1:14, 15). These facts seem to require that in outreach ministry we must first tell sinners how great their sin is; second, how they can be delivered from their sin; and third, show them how their entire life ought to be an expression of gratitude to God for that deliverance.
BAD NEWS TOGETHER WITH A GOOD SUGGESTION
Tus, the Gospel has become "bad news" accompanied with a good suggestion. The bad news is "You are a corrupt sinner under the judgment of God's wrath." The good suggestion is "Believe and you will be saved from your sin."
This view of the message of missions assumes that sinners are not aware of their need for forgiveness. Such is not the case. God has already spoken to all sinners about his wrath. "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them" (Rom. 1:18, 19). "The requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing them . . ." (Rom. 2:15).
Because God's wrath against sin has been made plain to all men, "Many are asking, 'Who can show us any good?'" (Ps. 4:6). Henry David Thoreau was quite right when he said, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." Why desperation? They are deeply troubled because they know they have provoked the just anger of an awesome being. The extremes to which many have gone in sacrificing their possessions, their bodies, and even their own children in order to appease the "gods," whom they consider to be against them, testify to the seriousness with which they view their plight
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WHITE-WASHED TOMBS
In civilized society the "wrath of God" against the wickedness of men is so effectively suppressed that we have the impression that the unbelievers we meet do not feel the need of forgiveness. It hardly seems that God has made his wrath "plain to them."
Despite their external boasting of goodness, sinners know better. At a deep level sinners are afraid, non-trusting, insecure, and self-defensive. We tend to evaluate these "white-washed tombs" by their external appearance. "You are like white-washed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness" (Matt. 23:27, 28).
Some "suppress the truth," and teach their children to do so, by putting on a "good front." They speak of the good they do and that they "try their best." They want to convince others that they are pretty good because deep within they know they are pretty bad. A few try to convince themselves that there is no God out there to whom they are accountable. Others turn to external stimuli of all kinds or to alcohol and other drugs to drown out their conscience. Still others suppress the truth by living in open rebellion against nearly everything their conscience tells them is good.
The apostle Paul appeared to have no qualms of conscience before his conversion. We think he needed to be told: "Saul, you are a blatant sinner on the way to Hell; you had better make your life right with God." [The bad news coupled with a good suggestion approach.] But the message that came to him was "Saul, Saul (an address of affection), why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads" (Acts 26:14). Deep within, Saul was striving against what is good and it was "hard" for him to do so. Later, as one of God's elect, he was approached by an evangelist as "Brother Saul" (Acts 9:17) and heard a message of acceptance. This was an expression of God's kindness that led the “chief of sinners” to repentance.
What the masses of mankind need to know is that the same holiness that accuses them has provided a full and free forgiveness for their sins. Only then will they dare to admit to themselves, to God, and to others that they are sinners worthy of judgment. John Calvin says, "We mean to show that a man cannot apply himself seriously to repentance without knowing himself to belong to God. But no one is truly persuaded he belongs to God unless he has first recognized God's grace" (Calvin's Institutes, III, iii, 2).
We occasionally hear that there is little interest in theological questions among Christians today. Yet J. Gresham Machen considered the question of whether sinners ought to be told that God is for them or against them so vitally important that he said:
"Here is found the most fundamental difference between
Liberalism and Christianity—Liberalism is altogether in
the imperative mood [“Do something and thereby
experience salvation.”], while Christianity begins with a
triumphant indicative [“God was reconciling the world to
himself in Christ.”]; Liberalism appeals to man's will,
while Christianity announces, first, a gracious act of God.
Where the most eloquent exhortation fails, the simple
story of an event succeeds; the lives of men are
transformed by a piece of news" (Christianity and
Liberalism, pp. 47–48).
To admit they are grievous sinners worthy of God's judgment is suicidal for unbelievers, unless they are first assured that God has removed their sin from them. The instinct for self-preservation does not permit such spiritual immolation. The gospel is the good news for sinners that God has redeemed them.
THE FIRST WORD SHOULD BE ‘GOOD NEWS’
Therefore, we should not make God's wrath and judgment against sin the first words in our approach to unbelievers. Jesus was anointed to "preach good news," proclaim freedom, "recovery of sight," "release to the oppressed," and "to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18). Paul says that Christ "came and preached peace to you who were far away [Gentiles, non-Covenant people] and peace to those who were near [Israelites, Covenant people]," because both were reconciled "to God through the cross" (Eph. 2:11–22). "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?" (Rom. 2:4).
To live and die in the joy of knowing they belong to their faithful Savior, sinners need to know how great their sin and misery is, how they were delivered from their sin and misery, and how to express their gratitude to God for their deliverance. This does not mean that the first thing we must convey to those to whom we bring the good news is how great their sin is (Posting “Grace Proclaimed Before Confession Is Heard”).
Those who would bring "good news of great joy that will be for all the people" must identify themselves with those to whom they bring the message. They have biblical warrant for saying with Paul, "In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting us with the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our [your and my] sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we [you and I] might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:19–21). Nowhere can the sinner see the hideousness of his or her own sin and the majestic glory of the grace and goodness of God more clearly than in the sacrifice that was made for them on the cross of Christ. Therefore it is God’s will that this testimony of his goodness should be proclaimed to everyone.
When sinners give evidence of remaining indifferent to this good news, or harden themselves against it, God remains gracious as he, through his ambassadors, warns them to flee his wrath, which is sure to come upon all who persist in unbelief and sin. This, however, does not mean that we ought to withhold the "word of peace" until there is a demonstrated worthiness to receive it.
WHAT IF
Resonating deeply within our minds is an objection to assuming that all the persons we meet are among those for whom Christ died. This objection asks, “What if the person we address is not, as a matter of fact, a person for whom Christ died?” There are two biblically based responses that we must give to this seemingly formidable objection:
1. There were members of the early church that were not true believers. There were false brethren, false teachers, and even false apostles (see John 6:66; Gal. 2:4; 1 Tim. 6:21; 1 John 2:9). Nevertheless, Paul did not hesitate to address the church at Galatia by declaring the blessing of grace and peace from “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself for our sins.”
The response may be that Paul addressed those in the church whose members “professed” to be believers. The onus for a misspoken word that is spoken to them is their responsibility. The point is that Paul addressed them as though they were among God’s elect, when in fact some of them were not.
2. If we need to have some objective, verifiable proof that a particular person or group of persons is in fact one of God’s elect before we can say to them “God loves you” (in the redemptive sense) or “Christ died to take away your sins,” then we cannot ever say these things to anyone. Who among us is such a searcher of hearts that they can determine beyond all possibility of error that the person standing before them is one of God’s elect? We are called upon to make our election sure, but we can never make such a determination concerning anyone else.
The most we ever have for declaring the good news to anyone is a biblically warranted assumption (see Posting 7 “One Bible For All People”).
Those who pray that they may elicit a response of faith and joyful obedience from those to whom they proclaim the good news must do so with the assumption that those who hear are elect in Christ. Apart from such a union with Christ there is no "good news" for them, and there can be no spiritual harvest. The gospel is not, "If sinners will do something then God will forgive their sins." That is salvation by way of the law. The gospel is, "God has forgiven their sins, therefore sinners must do something." That is salvation by grace. Such a message can be proclaimed only on the basis of the biblically warranted assumption of Evangelical Inclusivism that “All persons are elect in Christ except those who the Bible declares will be finally lost.”
SOMETHING MORE THAN ‘A FRIENDLY CHURCH’
Every congregation and every mission outreach program has had visitors who attend for a while, show interest in joining in fellowship, and then disappear. Later it is reported that while attending they felt like outsiders. All kinds of initiatives are then suggested and implemented to make certain that everyone feels welcome in "our church." The ads read, "A Friendly Church."
But the problem is much, much, deeper than lack of friendliness or feeling unwelcome. People can feel welcome at the friendly local tavern "where everybody knows your name." Due to the "eyeglasses" the church has worn for centuries (Posting 1), we tend to look upon everyone as an outsider until they give evidence of some kinship with us. Although perhaps not so intended, many of the sermons we hear, the songs we sing, the prayers we offer, and the conversations we engage in convey this exclusive attitude in small and subtle ways that strike the inquirer as barriers to full acceptance. Some who have come to church for many months say they still feel like outsiders.
Consider J.H. Bavinck’s report of a conversation between a nonbelieving Chinese language teacher and a missionary. As they concluded reading Luke 23 the teacher asked, “’Why had Jesus to suffer all this?’ The missionary replied, ‘He gave His life for you and for me.’ The Chinese teacher asked, ‘For me also?’ The missionary said, ‘Yes, also for you, if you believe in him’” (The Impact of Christianity, p. 163).
One wonders why the missionary’s answer to the second question was not simply, “Yes, also for you.” He had already told the teacher that Christ had given his life for him. Surely the extended answer was valid. But any number of extended answers would have been equally valid:
“Yes, also for you, if you deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him” (Matt. 16:24).
“Yes, also for you, if you keep Jesus’ word” (John 8:51).
“Yes, also for you, if you consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God” (Rom. 6:11) .
“Yes, also for you, if you walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:4).
“Yes, also for you, if you will present your body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom. 12:1).
“Yes, also for you, if you work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12).
All these extended responses convey the required outgrowth or fruit of God’s saving grace working in our hearts. None of them, including faith, is a condition, a basis, or activating device that makes us qualified to become a worthy recipient of Christ’s sacrifice. Due to the “eyeglasses” the Christian community has worn for centuries (see Posting 1), the missionary’s response seems ever so correct. Yet that answer conveys the notion that “faith” is a condition for salvation that strikes the inquirer as a barrier to real acceptance.
To view everyone as children of God for whom Christ died engenders an attitude of oneness that is far more profound than simply being a friendly church or a friendly person. We must have a positive attitude in outreach ministries. The particular words we use are not nearly as important as the attitude we have in our approach to unbelievers. "Whatever other commandments there may be, are summed up in this one rule: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'" (Rom. 13:9). Without this, we are “only a resounding gong or a clanging symbol” (1 Cor. 13:1).
RECONCILED! ─ PAST TENSE
Because all of God’s elect “have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all,” the passive command “Be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20) cannot mean that we must instruct sinners to do something in order to complete the work of reconciliation. The apostles did not conditionally offer “the message of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19).
The apostle Paul earnestly begged the masses, “on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.” He did so by assuming that “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us [the speaker and the hearer], “so that in him we [the speaker and the hearer] might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:20, 21). To be reconciled to God, sinners who hear the message of reconciliation must simply trust or believe the good news that they have been reconciled to God. We may not convey to them the thought that they must do something so that they may be reconciled to God.
By trusting or believing that they have been reconciled to God, sinners do not add to or complete the work of reconciliation. That was perfectly accomplished by Jesus Christ. However, for sinners to finally refuse to believe the message of reconciliation will one day be testimony against them. This is a paradox that the Bible leaves us with.
With divine authority, we announce the good news that God loves the sinner to whom we bring the good news and has reconciled them to himself in Jesus Christ (Col. 1:19–22). We promise that whoever trusts God in Christ will experience the joy of salvation (Rom. 10:9–10). We exhort all who will listen to live the redeemed life (Titus 2:11–15). Finally, if need be, we warn all those who remain indifferent toward or reject this good news that if they so continue there is no hope for them (Heb. 4:6, 7).
Therefore the premise of Evangelical Inclusivism provides the only effective basis for proclaiming the good news of what God has done for the one to whom we bring message of redemption. The sentiment expressed by the sign referred to earlier is indeed "The Message of Missions" proclaiming the good news. One would wish, however, that the signboard was big enough and the human heart and mind not so crimped by sin, so that those driving by at 45 miles an hour could assimilate the extended message:
You are not a nobody.
You are a child of God.
Therefore you must live
like one. Repent, believe
the Gospel, and live in
joyful obedience to him.
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