The Gospel That Saves

The Gospel That Saves

Before we get back to the Parables of Jesus, I’d like to talk about the Gospel and the effect it has on unbelievers. The Gospel will impact an unbeliever in one of two ways. It will save or it will offend. There is no in between. The book of Psalms tells us:

Psalms 14:2-3

“The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.”

The answer is found in the next verse. There is no one, not even one. Romans 3 shouts out this verse, yet we encounter people on a regular basis who are seeking God. How does that happen?

Here’s how that works. No one seeks God, but God seeks us. We are not looking for Him. Our eyes are laser-focused on our own world, totally oblivious to His ways and our needs. So, He initiates reconciliation by reaching out to us. It’s when that happens that we are suddenly aware that there is something bigger and more important than us. We begin to seek Him. Jesus put it this way:

John 6:44

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.”

What that reveals is that we don’t seek God until He allows it. In fact, we CAN’T seek Him. He is unfindable, unapproachable and undiscoverable. We can only know about God what He chooses to reveal to us about Himself.

JI Packer once wrote, “If you are to know God at all, you need to quickly realize that you cannot know Him. Rather, He, God, allows Himself to be known by you. Furthermore, you will learn that it was not you who sought God, but He who sought you.”

So, how do we find Him once this process begins? That’s where the Gospel comes in. The Gospel is the healing salve for hearts that have been opened to God. But something else happens when we preach the Gospel. The Gospel is a salve for some but it offends others.

More on that tomorrow.