Is The Great Commission Pointless? Wovenist Answers.

The final issue I want to cover deals with this idea that if people are predestined, then sharing faith is pointless.  I want to give you a couple reasons why sharing the Gospel is the greatest thing you can ever do, but first I want to examine the flip side.  The idea of Universal Atonement.  There are those who say that the blood of Jesus has covered everyone, that everyone is basically covered and forgiven and they just need to accept it.  There are a couple of problems here.  First, if everyone is covered by the blood, everyone is forgiven of sins.  That means they are either saved or not saved based on what choice they make when presented with the gospel.  This means that accepting the gospel completes the work that Christ began on the cross, that the work was not finished by Christ.  It's a problematic situation.

So, the question is then asked, if Jesus died for the elect and the predestined, then when don't need to share the gospel, right?  Well, we have to remember that time is not an issue, that for our purposes, time can go backwards.  From God's eternal perspective, God predestined at the foundation of the world, Christ died and the person accepts Christ by faith in the same moment.  They are all one event, there is no separation.

Let's add a layer, the layer of our duty as believers.  First, we are commanded to pray for all people and all people groups.  We are to pray for the salvation of others, knowing that our prayers change things.  If we pray for people, God can move in their hearts.  We are also commanded to share our faith with them.  God uses our words and our sharing of the Gospel to move and the Holy Spirit is present in the sharing of God's Word.  So, we pray and we share, the person is predestined, Christ died for them and they accept through faith and they grow in faith and bear fruit at one moment.  We may view these things as different events that happen in different time periods, but they all overlap and fit into the one event that we call the Miracle of Salvation.  It's one even, different time periods, different places but all the same to a God who exists in all places and all times simultaneously.

When we share our faith, we are becoming partners with Christ, working with the Holy Spirit and giving honor and glory to God the Father.  We are growing in relationship with God, we are growing in relationship with others, growing the Church and building community.  Our faith is being strengthened and God is reaching out to someone.  Lives are being changed and God's power is displayed over sin, over time and space.  Sharing the Gospel with someone, praying for someone and speaking truth is something that we do that can have impact through all time periods.  Ultimately, someone who is saved will exit time with us and dwell with God for eternity.  It's a powerful thing, it's never wasted and is never fruitless.  It's the most important action we can take.

If you would like to know more about how to share your faith, please email me at jdanbarnes@yahoo.com and I would love to share some resources with you.