WE PERSUADE MEN
Thank you, and a pleasant good morning to each one in our
listening audience. How grateful I am for your presence. It is our
prayer that each listener will benefit from these studies together.
If you have a question as to anything you hear, please ask it. We are
more than happy to give you book, chapter and verse for all that we
say and do. Now to our subject.
Reading from 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, beginning with verse 10:
"For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ;
that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to
what he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the
fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest unto God;
and I hope that we are make manifest also in your conscience."
Reading through verse 11.
In these verses we hear the inspired apostle Paul as he points
out the uncertainty of this life and reality of a life beyond the
grave. In verse 10, the apostle gives us the sobering thought that we
must all appear before the judgment-seat of Deity; to stand in
judgment for the deeds which we have done while in this the sojourn
of the flesh. You will notice in this verse that the apostle teaches
our judgment will be concerning the things DONE in the body, whether
good or bad. There can be no doubt, to the one who rightly divides
the word of God, that there is something that must be done by those
who would please the Lord. In Matthew 7:21-23, the Master says, "Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in
heaven." What was that? "He that DOETH the will of my Father." There
is something to DO in serving Jehovah God. Whatever is included in
the Will of the Father, man must do if the Father is pleased. And
this involves more than faith. Surely faith is the first
requirement, because, "without faith it is impossible to please God"
(Hebrews 11:6). But, when one teaches eternal salvation upon the
doctrine of faith alone, that person has not rightly divided God's
Word. James says in chapter 2, verse 24, "Ye see that by works a man
is justified, and not by faith only." Isn't it strange how men would
teach that there is no responsibility upon the part of man to DO
ANYTHING, yet James states that man is justified by works, and not by
faith only. Surely, it is understood that the works involved here are
NOT WORKS OF MAN'S inventions; rather, these works are the works of
righteousness; obedience to the works of God. The case James uses as
an example serves to point this out. Abraham was justified by faith,
so says Paul in Romans 4:3; yet, James says Abraham was justified by
works. Do Paul and James contradict each other? Did the Holy Spirit
make a mistake in one of these passages? Oh, No!! Paul was right when
he states Abraham was justified by faith and James was right when he
states Abraham was justified by works. The truth of the two passages
is this: Abraham had enough faith in God to DO what God commanded him
to do; that is, the works of God. Abraham's faith was perfected by
his obedience. Surely, Abraham believed God; but it was not a barren
faith, but a living faith, an active faith, an obedient faith, a
faith that listened to what God commanded and them moved to comply
with Divine will. So is man's salvation today. Man is saved by faith.
Jesus says, "Except ye believe that I am He, ye shall die in your
sins" (John 8:24). I could read to you multitudes of passages that
teach the necessity of faith. But the faith that saves is the faith
that obeys; the faith that moves to do what is commanded by God. When
one talks about his great faith; but will not do what God commands,
rest assured his faith is not great enough to save him.
Let me hasten to point out, when we talk about doing something,
or works, we are not discussing what man might devise, or innovate,
not man's wisdom or how he wishes to serve God. We ARE discussing the
commands that originate in and from heaven, the commands that bear
the mark of Divine revelation; the commands given through the
inspired writers of the Last Will and Covenant of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. When we learn of a stipulated command given by
Christ and/or his apostles rest assured man cannot please God until
he does what is commanded. That is faith in action. Obedience because
of faith in God's Word.
Going back to our beginning passage of 2 Corinthians 5, we now
notice verse 11: "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we
persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are
made manifest in your consciences." You will note that Paul said,
because of the judgment (vs 10), knowing the terror of the Lord (vs
11); realizing what will happen when man stands before the presence
of Deity; to give an accounting of all things done in the body; Paul
says, WE PERSUADE MEN. Notice closely in the remaining time we have
left what Paul has said:
First, he says, WE. In other words, men are not persuaded in
this dispensation by angels, dreams, feelings, not even by the direct
power of the Holy Spirit. Paul says "WE," persuade men. We, the
faithful of God. Primarily in this verse, the inspired apostles. God
now uses mankind to persuade others to obey. Examples are found of
this fact in the book of Acts. In Acts 9, Christ used Ananias, a
preacher to tell Paul what to do. In Acts 10, Cornelius was told to
send for Peter, who would tell him WORDS, whereby thou shalt be saved
(restated in Acts 11:14). In Acts 8, Philip was sent to tell the
Ethiopian eunuch what to do. In the great commission of our Lord,
Christ said, "Go and preach." Men are to be persuaded by other men.
If man had to wait for God to persuade him, then why so much
preaching of the part of those who so believe? Why would some spend
their time and money preaching the gospel, all the while saying you
must wait for God to compel you? No! Paul says, "We persuade men."
Second, Paul said we PERSUADE men. He states that mankind must
be persuaded to do God's will. To persuade means to plead, earnestly
urge, beseech. We cannot frighten, scare, trick, or coerce man to
obey God. How many times modern day preachers use death bed tales,
grave yard stories to frighten young people---yea children---into
making a decision (whatever that is) for Christ. But such is not in
harmony with the word of God. We might ask, with what did Paul use to
persuade men? The answer: The Gospel, or the good news must be
preached; it must believed, and it must be obeyed in order for
salvation to be enjoyed by man. The gospel demands FAITH, as already
shown. It demands REPENTANCE. Acts 17:30, states, "The times of
ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that
they should all everywhere repent." It demands a CONFESSION of Christ
Jesus as the Son of God. Listen to Romans 10:10, "for with the heart
man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation. The gospel demands BAPTISM in water unto or for
the remission of sins. Hear our Lord in Mark 16:15, 16, "Go ye into
all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth
shall be condemned." Peter states in Acts 2:38, "Repent ye, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the
remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit." Paul was told, "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy
sins, calling on his name." When one is persuaded and obeys, that one
becomes a Christian, and not before. This is doing the will of the
Father. And remember Jesus said, "Not every one that saith unto me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth
the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21).
Third, Paul said We Persuade MEN. Note Paul did not say we must
beg God to save; he did not say we persuade Christ or the Holy
Spirit; but we persuade men. This one passage destroys the old
mourners bench type of salvation, where men and women shouted loud
and long for God to come down and save them. This removes the
emotional frenzy that so many desire to use in their service to God.
My friends in this radio audience, God has already shown His
willingness to save you. Jesus Christ left heaven, took upon himself
the form of flesh, eventually dying the cruel death of crucifixion on
the cross to show the Father's love for you. In Luke 19:10, the
inspired words of God states, "For the Son of man came to seek and to
save that which was lost." Christ came to give Himself a ransom for
the sins which mankind commits. And that included you and it includes
me. Hear the apostle Peter in his second letter, chapter 3, verse 9,
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count
slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Does this
sound like man must wait for God to come down and shock him? That man
must wait for some direct jolt from heaven before he can be saved?
Oh, No! God has already made provision for your salvation and mine.
It remains for us to accept what the Lord has done for us. He has
shed His blood, offered Himself as our sacrifice. But we must have
confidence (that's FAITH) in Him and then obey the will of the
Father. Yes, Paul states, We persuade men. This is the purpose of
this radio broadcast, that we might persuade you in our listening
audience to examine the Word of God, to study the scriptures, and
that you might be persuaded to obey the Word of Heaven, the will of
the Father, that you may have the hope of eternal life when this life
in the flesh is over.
In the language of the beloved apostle Paul, "Knowing the terror
of the Lord, We persuade men." But the question: Persuade men to do
what?? The answer: To obey the Gospel; that which is the power of God
unto salvation. Hear Paul once again, "For I am not ashamed of the
Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation." But, how does on
obey the gospel? One must first hear, for "Faith cometh by hearing
and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Hearing the word of
God, one is lead to believe in Christ Jesus as the Son of God; to
turn from sins committed; confess Christ Jesus as God's Son, and be
buried in the grave of water in baptism for the remission of past
sins. Then that one, having been born into God's family, must live a
righteous life.
Sometimes we hear people say, it makes no difference what kind
of a life one lives, the way a Christians lives has nothing
whatsoever to do with the salvation of the soul. Don't you be
deceived, my friend. Hear Paul's language to Titus, "For the grace of
God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us, to
the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live
soberly and righteously and godly in this present world, looking for
the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our
Savior Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us
from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own
possession, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:11-14). Yes, a thousand
time, YES, there is a life to be lived if one is to enjoy the eternal
reward of the soul. And when mankind attempts to tell you that the
life lived has nothing to do with salvation, you mark it down that
person is not rightly dividing the word of God.
What is our condition? Are you a faithful child of God, laboring
and working in the vineyard of the Master with other faithful
servants of God? If not, we persuade you, we plead with you, accept
your responsibility, obey God while time and opportunity is yours.
If, in any way, we might assist you in your obedience to our
Lord, please feel free to contact us. If you would like to study
God's Word in the privacy of your home, we would be more than happy
to hear from you. If you would like a copy of this lesson or a
cassette of it, please let us know. White Park church of Christ,
Route 1, Box 502, Anahuac, TX 77514.
Until next week at this same time, we bid you a very pleasant
good morning. Why not call someone and tell them about the program.
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