Lesson for February 25, 2024
The Excellence of Ambassadorship
II Corinthians 5:20, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
As ambassadors for Christ, we have the ministry of reconciliation, meaning we represent Christ on earth. We have been given the responsibility and the privilege of sharing the good news of the Gospel with others. Sharing the Gospel of Christ should be natural and easy without pressure from any source.
The need for us to share the Gospel with others should be obvious to any believer advancing in their spiritual life. There are people without Christ who need to hear a clear message of salvation, and we can be the person God uses to introduce them to the Gospel. It is true that God is not limited by our lack of faithfulness to share the Gospel. However, in order for us to be obedient, we need to witness for Christ. It is always a great joy to see a person trust Christ as Savior as a result of our witness. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
The most important reason we are to share the Gospel is that God has instructed us to do so. As His representatives, we have been entrusted with the Gospel message, much like Israel was under the Law. We can all agree that we do not want to fail, as Israel did, in our responsibility to the unsaved. I Corinthians 9:16, “For if I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to boast about, for I am under compulsion; for woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel.”
The final reason for witnessing is that it is our privilege as believers. God could have chosen angels to carry the message of salvation, but He didn’t. God gave us that privilege. Since God loved us so much to send Christ to die for us, it only makes sense that we would want to share this information with others. Before sharing the Gospel with another person, it is important that we maintain a good testimony before them. Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”
As Christians, the world judges us by how we live. Therefore, if we desire to obey God’s command to witness (and we should), we must be credible when we speak of Christ. We never want to be a “stumblingblock” to an unbeliever because we are exercising our liberty under grace. I Peter 3:15-16, “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who disparage your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.”
When we share the Gospel with another, we should make sure we present it clearly. The use of words or phrases that do not clearly communicate the Gospel message should always be avoided. For example, a common term that is used regarding salvation is repentance. The Greek word for repentance is “metanoia” and means to change one’s mind. Repentance does not mean to feel sorrow for sin, to regret your sin, or to turn from sin, as it has erroneously come to mean in our English language. However, a person does change their mind at salvation. For example, a person stops thinking that their goodness, church attendance, giving money, etc. will get them to Heaven and instead they accept God’s plan of salvation by believing in Christ’s payment for their sin. Feeling sorrow or regret has nothing to do with salvation, and unbelievers have no power to “turn from their sins” anyway. Salvation is a matter of faith.
Here are some common erroneous phrases that should never be used when presenting the Gospel: 1)“Invite Jesus into your heart.” Nowhere in the Bible does it say to invite Jesus into your heart or anywhere else for that matter. The Bible says that the heart is deceitfully wicked. (Jeremiah 17:9) 2)“Invite Jesus into your life.” Inviting Christ into your life does not give you eternal life. We are all born spiritually dead. Inviting Christ into your life would be like inviting Him into a tomb where the dead reside! (Matthew 23:27) 3) “Repent of your sins.” By this, people mean that a person must be willing to turn from their sinful ways, feel sorry for sinning, or feel regret for their sins. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that a person must turn from anything to be saved. (Acts 16:31) 4) “Ask God to forgive you of your sins.” Though this may sound good to some, it has nothing to do with salvation. Upon faith in Christ, you receive the forgiveness of your sins, you don’t have to ask for it. (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14) 5) “Turn your life over to Christ.” An unbeliever has no power to turn his life over to Christ until after salvation. (Ephesians 2:10)
John 15:1-5,8, Jesus said, “I am the True Vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit He cuts away. And He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit. You are cleansed and pruned already because of the Word which I have given to you (My teachings). Abide in Me and I will abide in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit. However, apart from Me you can do nothing. Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so, shall you be my disciples.”
There is a popular teaching in Christianity today that says a person must make Jesus Christ “lord” in order to be saved. This false gospel says that a person must make Christ master or ruler of their life after believing in Him or they are not really saved. However, unbelievers have no power to make Christ the master of their lives. It is only after salvation, under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, that a person has the power to make Christ the lord (master) of their life.
There is another popular teaching that says a person is saved by faith plus human works. The book of James is normally used for the proof of their teaching. However, James was not teaching salvation, he was teaching the Christian Way of Life. James 2:17 says, “faith also, if it has no works is dead, being by itself.”
The context of James 2 is speaking of demonstrating your faith before the world by doing divine good works. James 2:18 clearly explains that James was referring to the temporal death of a believer’s Christian life. The word death in Greek actually means vain or useless and has absolutely nothing to do with salvation.
There are also certain churches and denominations which teach that water baptism is necessary for salvation. Let’s simply consider the thief on the Cross next to Jesus; he wasn’t water baptized and yet Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” We really don’t need to go any further, but we will. (Luke 23:43)
There are at least seven different types of baptism in the Bible. Water baptism is only one type. The word baptism means to be identified with by being submerged or covered, sometimes in water, sometimes in fire, and sometimes in blood. Water baptism was a means of identification with Christ as a picture of His death, burial, and resurrection. It never had anything to do with salvation. If water baptism is necessary for salvation, then it would nullify the effectiveness of the grace of God by adding human works to what Christ accomplished on the Cross. This, of course, is unthinkable and blasphemous. (I Peter 1:21)
God’s plan of salvation was designed in eternity past. Jesus Christ always knew the plan and joyfully executed it. This plan called for Jesus Christ to take on human flesh, become a man, live a sinless life, and go to the Cross as our substitute. While still on the Cross, having been judged by God the Father for the sins of the world, He said, “It is finished.” Because Christ did all the salvation work, salvation is a matter of God’s grace, which means that we cannot work for it and we do not deserve it. Salvation is appropriated by faith alone in Christ alone.
There was nothing easy about what Christ did for us, but the fact is that God did make the plan of salvation easy, so that anyone can be saved by a simple act of faith. There are over 150 verses in the New Testament alone which tell us that eternal life (salvation) is by faith and faith alone. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”