Sunday, October 5, 2014

The Sound of the Gospel


 
God's purpose is never defeated. It is realized when the preaching that is heard bears fruit in repentance and faith, but it is realized as well when the sound of the gospel goes forth into all the earth, and the words of the preachers unto the ends of the world, and when some, even many, do NOT obey the gospel. Whether the gospel shall be obeyed or not, does not, in the last instance, depend upon the will of man. By nature and of himself, no man can hear and obey the Word of God. When the sound of the gospel goes forth into the earth, there is a twofold operation of God upon them that hear this sound. On the one hand, there is an operation of Almighty upon the heart and mind of sinful man whereby he becomes hardened and blinded; on the other hand, there is the operation of God's irresistible grace, so that His Word is heard unto salvation, and faith is the fruit...

In our day it is in vogue to present the gospel as an offer of God, as a kind invitation. Such a presentation of the gospel pleases the flesh of sinful man. It flatters him. He likes to hear that God comes to him with an offer that he may accept or reject. It pleases him to hear that it is up to him, that it depends on the choice of his own mind and will whether he will accept or decline that kind invitation...

.. the gospel is more than an offer, more than a kind invitation; it is a DEMAND; this stands to reason, for it is the gospel of God. God always demands, just because He is God. In the way of obedience to what He demands, He blesses us with life and glory. When any man, therefore, hears the sound of the gospel, this demand of God is conveyed to his consciousness: the demand to repent, to mourn over sin in sorrow after God, to turn away from unrighteousness and corruption and rebellion against the Most High, to seek righteousness, to turn back to God.



Righteous By Faith Alone, 492, 493

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