Sovereign Regeneration and the Gospel
QUESTION
I understand and agree with your statements regarding regeneration and faith. I need your advice, however, in how to preach the gospel to those I meet. From the time I was saved by God's Grace, I have not stopped speaking to people about the gospel, but now am not certain quite how to present it. I would appreciate your input. (Anonymous)
ANSWER
Thanks for taking a moment to leave a thoughtful comment. My thoughts follow...
I understand and agree with your statements regarding regeneration and faith. I need your advice, however, in how to preach the gospel to those I meet.
I think it is helpful to remember that the gospel proclaims what Christ has done for his people. It is really about His fulfillment of the covenant such that we can declare liberty to the captives (Isaiah 61:4, Luke 4:18). It pronounces this finished work (John 19:30). That's the gospel-proper. That said, there are some logical ramifications that attend this truth which include the declaration that all who believe this proclamation are among his sheep and the admonition to follow God in obedient discipleship as one's reasonable service (Romans 12:1) in thanksgiving to God for what he's wrought by grace on your behalf while you were without strength and ungodly (Romans 5:6). This approach allows you to convey all of the correct and salient gospel information as part of the proclamation (I Corinthians 15:3-4, II Corinthians 5:21, etc) while not mischaracterizing the gospel as a contingent offer of eternal salvation which requires man's ratification by faith in order to find its saving efficacy. For more thoughts on sharing the gospel check out What is the Gospel?.
From the time I was saved by God's Grace, I have not stopped speaking to people about the gospel, but now am not certain quite how to present it. I would appreciate your input.
I think that zeal is admirable. I know that I have at times misrepresented the gospel in some ways because of how I had been taught. But as I looked more closely at what the bible teaches, I found that some of those modes of "gospel presentations" end up distorting the nature and character of the message in a way that is really not helpful to starting out a new convert in the truth. In my experience, most evangelical gospel presentations present and "unfinished work" that requires man's ratification in order to be in effect. The gospel is not in the "redeeming business." Hearing and believing the gospel does not "redeem" you. Christ "obtained eternal redemption for us." (Hebrews 9:12). That is a past, completed action of Christ at Calvary. His people were redeemed by His own blood apart from any participatory involvement on their part whatsoever. That is what is proclaimed in the gospel. Those who believe this testimony are not "being redeemed" they "ARE redeemed" and their belief of the gospel proclamation is an evidence that they are beneficiaries of Christ's covenantal intercession.
Thanks for stirring up the spiritual mind on a Saturday morning. God bless.
FOLLOW UP QUESTION
Thank you for your insights. Still needing help, if you would be so kind.
As I look to the New Testament to see how our Lord and so many of his disciples preached, I try to model them. The unmistakable message was "repent and believe....." Do I not do the same?
How also do we reconcile passages like Acts 17:30 - "God commands all people everywhere to repent", and Mark 16:15 " He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” and Romans 1:16 - "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes" and Romans 10:13-17 - "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But not all the Israelites accepted the god news. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." and other similar passages which encourage us to preach "repent and believe."
Still trying to understand a correct way of preaching the gospel to unbelievers. Bless you for any help.
ANSWER
Thank you for your insights. Still needing help, if you would be so kind.”
Sure. Glad to help if I can.
As I look to the New Testament to see how our Lord and so many of his disciples preached, I try to model them. The unmistakable message was "repent and believe." Do I not do the same?
The gospel is the truth. Truth should be believe by ALL men. Moreover, God is worthy of all our praise and worship, irrespective of whether or not he is “offering” eternal salvation to us. He is our sovereign creator and the giver of all things to us. On that basis alone men should obey God and they should believe these truths about Him. So I would not shy away from the notion of commanding men to believe, because the gospel is the truth, and commanding them to repent, because they should repent. That said, the gospel message is NOT a contingent offer of eternal salvation extended to all men based on their repentance and faith. Indeed, if they have not been regenerated, they don’t have the faith to believe (Galatians 5:22) neither do they have the faith to repent. Because regeneration precedes faith (John 5:24, I John 5:1) and since God does not regenerate all men, neither did he purpose to elect, redeem, regenerate, and eternally save all men, it follows that the gospel is not OFFERING eternal life to ALL men. Rather it is proclaiming the finished work of Christ on behalf of his people (John 10:11), and affirming that those who repent and believe are among that chosen lot. This may seem to be a very subtle distinction, but it has significant ramifications on the nature of the gospel and the purpose of gospel ministry.
How also do we reconcile passages like Acts 17:30 - God commands all people everywhere to repent?
All men should repent. God is Lord and they are sinners under His dominion in His world. But this observation does not prove that men repent in order to receive eternal life. Indeed, apart from already having eternal life, they would lack the faith required to believe the truth and repent. That’s why it has been well said that - “Men do not repent in order to get saved, but because they already ARE saved” – else they would have never been able to receive the spiritual truth of the gospel message in the first place (I Corinthians 2:14).
and Mark 16:15 - He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
We preach the gospel indiscriminately, to any who are willing to listen. However, this is no proof that the gospel is a contingent offer of eternal salvation to all of humanity. It is not. The gospel is the proclamation of the finished work of Christ on behalf of His covenant people.
and Romans 1:16 ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.
Let’s look at that passage without overlooking the verse that follows:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)
The gospel is said to be “the power of God unto salvation” in that it explicitly recounts the power of God whereby his covenant people were eternally saved by the perfect work of the Lord Jesus Christ. But notice that the gospel “reveals” the righteousness of Christ and it does this in a very particular way: from faith TO FAITH. Verse 17 explicitly states that one must have FAITH on the receiving side in order to accept and believe the gospel message. That means a man must be born again in order to see such a revelation of the kingdom of God as the gospel message (John 3:3). Such people believe gospel truth, not in order to become eternally saved, but because they ARE eternally saved.
and Romans 10:13-17 - “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message? Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."
I won’t belabor this point, but Paul’s argument in Romans 10 does NOT end in verse 17. It concludes later in Romans 11:4. This short video on Romans 10:9 is helpful in better understanding Paul’s argument.
and other similar passages which encourage us to preach "repent and believe"
We should preach repent and believe, but this does not prove that eternal life is being OFFERED to all of humanity. Rather it affirms that those who repent and believe HAVE eternal life already, else they would have remained unable to see the kingdom of God as represented in the gospel message (John 3:3).
Still trying to understand a correct way of preaching the gospel to unbelievers.
I think your approach of closely modeling the language of the NT gospel preachers in the book of Acts is good. This does not contradict Old Baptist doctrine, but rather affirms it.
FOLLOW UP QUESTION
Bless you for your careful and in-depth reply regarding the preaching of the gospel. I absolutely agree with the biblical view that men are utterly "dead in transgression and sin" (Ephesians 2), blinded by Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4), having no ears to hear" (Mark 4:12), and "captives of the Devil" (2 Timothy 2:26). Dead, blind, deaf captives can do NOTHING but continue to sin unless quickened by the supernatural miracle of the new birth.
I shall continue to humbly yet boldly proclaim the gospel to a lost and dying world. I look forward to viewing many of your videos.
ANSWER
Bless you for your careful and in-depth reply regarding the preaching of the gospel.
Thank you for your kind words.
I absolutely agree with the biblical view that men are utterly "dead in transgression and sin" (Ephesians 2), blinded by Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4), having no ears to hear" (Mark 4:12), and "captives of the Devil" (2 Timothy 2:26). Dead, blind, deaf captives can do NOTHING but continue to sin unless quickened by the supernatural miracle of the new birth.
That is an absolutely critical observation that is lost on a great many in Christendom today. What’s more, it is the Lord himself who does this quickening (John 5:25), as his hand is not shortened that it cannot save (Isaiah 59:1). “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” (John 5:25)
I shall continue to humbly yet boldly proclaim the gospel to a lost and dying world. I look forward to viewing many of your videos.
I wish that more Christians shared your zeal for sharing gospel truth and your commitment to making sure that their representation of The King’s Edict is accurate and truthful.
May God bless our studies, understanding, and ability to represent gospel truth in a dark world.
- Elder Daniel Samons