Why should we preach the gospel?

As I sat in the solitude of my room on a quiet Sunday afternoon, my study for the day was to gather a small list of verses on the depravity of man. Bible open, notebook at hand, I proceed to Romans 3 for some obvious examples. . From Romans, I went to John, and several other books, gathering many verses that actually showed the status of an unredeemed man throughout the writings of the New Testament. As you can see the list is rather long...
Last night, I took all the verses I gathered and ordered them. as you see them below.
While I was praying on how to present this. The Lord laid it upon my heart to use it for an answer to the question I have been dealing with, as a follower of Reformed theology.

Q. "If all the elect are guaranteed salvation, why should we evangelize?"

The obvious answer is simple, Because we are commanded to. -Matthew 28:19-20
Yet this answer, true as it is, seems to me to be a "cop out answer" to a critical question...

We were not given the ability to discern who is elect and who is not. We are commanded to preach the Word to all nations. It is the Holy Spirit's job to call and save. It is God who will gather His elect... It is our responsibility to preach His Word.
Every verse listed below reveals the condition of an unsaved man before God..This is how God views those who are unredeemed.


I. From the Mouth of Jesus Christ

John 3:16 is probably the most quoted, and the most memorized verse in the Bible. Yet
surrounding this wonderful truth, Jesus, in his conversation with Nicodemus, revealed many
things concerning the status of the lost.

• 1. They can not see the kingdom of God- John 3:3
• 2. They can not enter the Kingdom of God-John 3:5
• 3. They are already condemned- John 3:18
• 4. They love darkness rather than light- John 3:19
• 5. Their deeds are evil- John 3:19
• 6. They hate the light- John 3:20
• 7. They won't come to the light- John 3:20
• 8. The Wrath of God Abides upon them- John 3:36
• 9. They can't come to Christ- John 6:44

Wow... Jesus had a lot to say about the unredeemed... but it doesn't end there. If that is not enough to show the need for proclaiming the gospel, Let us go to The works of the apostle Paul.

II. The Writings of Paul

Let's jump to the book of Romans. A book that is replete with verses that testify to the
status of the unredeemed:

• 10. They treasure up wrath upon themselves- Romans 2:5
• 11. They are not righteous- Romans 3:10
• 12. They do not understand- Romans 3:11
• 13. They do not seek after God- Romans 3:11
• 14. They have gone their own way- Romans3:12
• 15. They have become worthless- Romans 3:12
• 16. They do nothing good- Romans 3:13
• 17. They have no reverence for God- Romans 3:18
• 18. They fall short of God's Glory- Romans 3:23

Let us continue

• 19. They are ungodly Romans 5:6
• 20. They are enemies of God- Romans 5:10
• 21. They are servants of sin- Romans 6:17
• 22. They are at enmity with God- Romans 8:7
• 23. They can not please God- Romans 8:8
• 24. They are vessels of wrath , fit for destruction- Romans 9:22

Oh... there's more

• 25. They can not receive the things of the Spirit of God- 1 Corinthians 2:14
• 26. The things of the Spirit of God are foolish to them- 1 Corinthians 2:14
• 27. They cant know the things of the Spirit of God- 1 Corinthians 2:14
• 28. They walk according to the course of this world- Ephesians 2:2
• 29. They are dead in trespasses and sin- Ephesians 2:1
• 30. They walk according to the prince of the power of the air- Ephesians 2:2
• 31. They are children of disobedience- Ephesians 2:2
• 32. They are Children of Wrath - Ephesians 2:3
• 33. They are Dead in sins- Ephesians 2:5
• 34. They are without Christ- Ephesians 2:12
• 35. They aliens and strangers to the covenant-Ephesians 2:12
• 36. They have no hope- Ephesians 2:12
• 37. They are without God in the world- Ephesians 2:12
• 38. They are dead in sins- Colossians 2:13
• 39. God will take vengeance on them in flaming fire- II Thessalonians 2:8
• 40. They will be punished with everlasting destruction- II Thessalonians 2:9
• 41. They can't please God- Hebrews 11:6
• 42. The are children of the devil- I John 3:1o

This is by no means an exhaustive list. But every single thing on this list applies to your lost friends... or family members...Wife, child, brother, sister, mother or father...
You would do everything you could to help them if they were seriously ill... Why won't you help them seeing that they are spiritually dead? How much do you really love those who are lost?

People are in dire need of hearing God's Word...We must love them enough to tell them the truth. Even if, in doing so, we become their enemy. It is our commission to proclaim the Love of God to all people through the sacrifice of his Son.

Q. "If all the elect are guaranteed salvation, why should we evangelize?"

A. Because if you don't tell them, you don't love them... Period.

Tackling the Tough Issues-Homosexuality Pt.2

As promised , this is the second part of a study I posted last on my site. I was going to include it in the previous blog, but it was too long where it stood and I could not guarantee that this one would be short either..
Last post, I attempted to do a topical study on what the Bible actually says about homosexuality, keeping the passages somewhat within their historical and cultural context. at least for myself, I have Determined the following,

1. The Bible is Clear in the disapproval of homosexuality
Let me pull over and park here There is a group within the emergent church movement that wants to tell you that the Bible is unclear concerning the issue of homosexuality. Here is a Quote from Brian McLaren, from the Christianity Today website blog:

"Frankly, many of us don't know what we should think about homosexuality. We've heard all sides but no position has yet won our confidence so that we can say "it seems good to the Holy Spirit and us." That alienates us from both the liberals and conservatives who seem to know exactly what we should think. Even if we are convinced that all homosexual behavior is always sinful, we still want to treat gay and lesbian people with more dignity, gentleness, and respect than our colleagues do. If we think that there may actually be a legitimate context for some homosexual relationships, we know that the biblical arguments are nuanced and multilayered, and the pastoral ramifications are staggeringly complex. We aren't sure if or where lines are to be drawn, nor do we know how to enforce with fairness whatever lines are drawn." -- http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2006/01/brian_mclaren_o.htm

Although I firmly believe that Gays and lesbians need to be treated with dignity and respect, I believe that you should also deal with them truthfully. They do not deserved to be lied to about what the Bible says concerning homosexuality. They deserve to know the truth, even if it is not what they want to hear, even it it brings their hatred on you for delivering the answer. We aren't sure where the lines are to be drawn? That is a cop out . If you had a friend who wanted to use Drain-o as a sugar substitute in his coffee, you would be a fool and a cad to tell him that you're not sure if the label says it's poison. How much more so the issue of homosexuality, which has ETERNAL ramifications for those involved...If you are asked, Tell them the truth, with patience love and respect., and if you honestly don't know yourself, you have no business representing the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the other side of the coin are those who know the truth, and wield it like a ball bat.
openly condemning gay and lesbians,with all the grace of wrecking ball. Sure there are some
who are militant in their lifestyle, but perhaps there are others who are genuinely seeking the truth, and hurting, and your blanket condemnation drives them further away from the Gospel of Grace. Issues like this should be bathed in much prayer. These are souls for whom Christ died.
Would you drive them further away from the truth with your thoughtless words?

The gay and lesbian lifestyle is not just going to vanish like some sort of fad. It is our responsibility to treat them as any other person, with Christian love, and respect. To give them the Gospel of Grace, In hope that God will provide an increase of souls for His Kingdom... But, at the same time, there is a Biblical standard, a line we must not cross. We must also uphold the standard set forth in God's Word concerning homosexuality, and not allow tolerance to become a issue within the ministry of the church.
Only by a proper understanding of Bible and the leading of the Holy Spirit, through much prayer
can this be accomplished