The Theology of Missions
A Short Paper submitted to Dr. Keith Eitel
In Partial fulfillment of the course requirements of ICST 500
Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
By
Sean E. Harris
Lynchburg, Virginia
February 7, 2010
Table of Contents
The Who
Global Outreach
Until His Second Coming
The Task of the Mission
Conclusion
The tremendous variety of different Christian churches on the planet has impacted nearly every aspect of theology including how churches do missions and how they express or articulate their theology of missions. How the church selects and supports missionaries, who they consider a missionary, what their missionaries preach and focus upon all vary significantly based on their understanding of the purpose of missions and missionaries, and, unfortunately, years of traditions and layers of ecclesiastical baggage. Perhaps the single most important question that must be answered in defining a theology of missions is, “What is the mission of the church?” Determining this is difficult because churches often have “contradictory and competing agendas making the picture less than clear.”[1] A mission statement normally answers the questions who, where, when, what/how and why (the intent). The purpose of this paper is to answer these questions in an articulation of the theology of missions from a biblical perspective.
The Who
The “who” of the mission is the body of Christ manifested in thousands upon thousands of local assemblies of disciples of Christ in varying sizes, cultures, languages and traditions. Two thousand years ago, in the city of Jerusalem, King Jesus spoke directly to His followers and gave them a clear mission statement—the “great commission” (see Mt 28:19-20, Mk 16:15, Lk 24:46-49, Jn 20:21, Acts 1:8). The idea of God giving humans responsibility to accomplish tasks began in the Garden of Eden with what has been called the cultural mandate.[2] The great commission is not a replacement for the cultural mandate. It is an additional mission statement for all who have been born-again. All are included in the “who” of the mission statement—no one is excluded (Jn 3). Thus, the first tenant of any theology of missions is that the entire church has a responsibility to be involved in missions. According to Stuart Weber, the mission provides “the central purpose for all believers.”[3] Therefore all believers should be challenged to participate in global missions either as one who is sent or one who holds the rope of one sent.[4] William Carey believed all could pray, plan and give.[5]
Global Outreach
The next question that must be addressed is the “where” of the mission. Is there a geographical or cultural limit to the mission statement? Jesus articulated a very global mission. He said, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” and “be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Mk 16:15, Acts 1:8 ESV). The church must be passionate about reaching unreached people groups most especially by providing them the Word of God in their own language. The “where” affects what must be done because, as Patrick Johnstone accurately writes, “it is almost impossible to conceive of a strong church within a people that has none of the Bible translated in their own language.”[6]
In “The Biblical Foundation for the Worldwide Mission Mandate,” Johannes Verkuyl makes the strongest case that from the beginning, the God of Abraham has always been concerned with all nations. He writes, “God chose Israel in preparation for the complete unwrapping and disclosure of His universal intentions.”[7] John Piper builds a strong case that the numerous references to “the earth” and “the nations” in Psalms 67, 96, and 97 require the “where” of the mission to be the entire planet.[8] The theological implication of texts that indicate God loves the world and Christ died for the sins of the world all indicate the global extent of the mission (Jn 3:16, 1 Jn 2:2). God loves and Christ died for those in the most remote regions of the world; therefore, the mission is not complete until all the people groups of the world have the Word of God in their language and true churches are established in every city, town and village in the world. Johnston states, “Our aim should be at minimum a church for every people.”[9]
Until His Second Coming
The when of the mission began in the Garden of Eden when God promised that the seed of Eve would defeat the offspring of the serpent (Satan) with a head injury (G 3:15). According to T. Desmond Alexander this promise,
Has been labeled the “Protoevangelium,” the first announcement of the gospel. This interpretation requires that the serpent be viewed as more than a mere snake, something which the narrative itself implies, given the serpent's ability to speak and the vile things he says. While the present chapter does not explicitly identify the serpent with Satan, such an identification is a legitimate inference and is clearly what the apostle John has in view in Rev. 12:9 and 20:2. The motif of the offspring of the woman is picked up in Gen. 4:25 with the birth of Seth; subsequently, the rest of Genesis traces a single line of Seth's descendants, observing that it will eventually produce a king through whom all the nations of the earth will be blessed.[10]
At this point, the gospel has not been preached to all the world; and all the nations have not been blessed by the King’s presence on the earth, so the mission continues until the King returns as promised (Jn 14:3). Missions must be as much a priority today as it was when Paul was preaching the gospel and planting churches (Ro 15:20).
The Task of the Mission
Of great importance is the clear identification and articulation of the “what” of the mission. Roy Zuck describes Israel’s missionary task well. He writes:
The theology of the Old Testament finds focus in great measure in the nation Israel, the covenant people of Yahweh, whom He elected, redeemed, and commissioned to serve Him among the nations of the earth. As a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex 19:46), it was Israel’s task to model the dominion of God over His creation and to mediate His saving grace to fallen and alienated humanity [emphasis mine].[11]
Zuck describes both the cultural mandate and something very similar to the great commission as Israel’s God-ordained task. In so much as “Israel failed in this task and thus was scattered among the nations” (Dt 4:27, Am 9:9), God sent His Son.[12] Jesus, the Son of Man, came to accomplish the task in accordance with the Father’s will (Jn 6:40). He, as the greatest missionary, describes His task in Luke 19:10; Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. John communicates that Jesus did the will of the Father to glorify the Father (Jn 13:31, 17:1). Jesus said, “I glorified you on earth having accomplished the work you gave me to do” (Jn 17:4 ESV). Missionaries glorify God through the conversion and discipleship of those who are not worshipping the one true God. Piper is correct—“missions exist because worship doesn’t.”[13]
King David understood that Israel was to declare the glory of God among the nations (1 Chr 16:24, Ps 96:3). Throughout Old Testament Israel, prophets were given the mission of calling people to destroy idols, repent and worship the One True God. Jonah is an example of an Old Testament missionary. Spencer writes, “[Jonah] as a prophet is sent outside the boundaries of Israel; he is a foreign missionary—the first foreign missionary after Elijah, who was sent among the Phœnicians. The field is Nineveh.[14]
From the Lord Jesus, Paul received his task as the leading missionary to the Gentiles for the church. Arthur Glasser references the instructions found in Galatians 1:16 and Acts 26:28 as the scriptures that communicate his missionary’s task of preaching.[15] Paul communicated that faith comes by hearing the Word of God; therefore, Paul was committed to preaching the gospel (Ro 10:17). He believed the gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Ro 1:16). Task number one of the missionary and the “primary what” of the church’s mission must be the preaching of the gospel. K.P. Yohannan, founder of the Gospel for Asia and author of more 200 books on missions, identifies the preaching of the gospel as the number one task of any missionary.[16] In the Zondervan Dictionary of Bible Themes, Manser Martin agrees with Yohannan indicating that the “principal task of those sent by God is to take the good news of the gospel to those who have not heard it, and so to be a means through which others come to faith.”[17]
In so much as Christ has mandated that those who follow Him through the second birth be discipled, the primary task has supporting tasks that contribute to the magnification of God’s glory on the earth. Yohannan outlines the second and third subsequent tasks of “baptize” and “teach and disciple” with a plethora of Bible verses including Matthew 28:19-20 which emphasize both of these tasks. [18] Local Christ-exalting, gospel-centered indigenous churches must be planted to disciple converts and provide a central location for the worship of the One True God and the other functions of the church as described in Acts 2.
A study of Paul’s methodology provides the model for the missionary. Paul preached, discipled, planted churches, mentored the leaders and turned the church over to an indigenous pastor(s) who carried the work forward.[19] Glasser writes: “[Paul] felt that only through the deliberate multiplication of vast numbers of new congregations would it be possible to evangelize his generation.”[20] Of note is the fact that Paul was not distracted by social work. To what degree each missionary team must involve itself in social gospel tasks cannot be clearly defined with a line in the sand, but it should be sufficient to state in a missiology thesis that these tasks must compliment the preaching of the gospel and discipleship. It was Christ who said “what should it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his soul” (Mark 8:36). When a missionary spends more time providing clean drinking water than preaching about the living water, he or she is missing the mark (Jn 7:38). Yet, the God of the Bible has a heart for the poor; therefore, God’s missionary cannot ignore the poor he is trying to reach and still claim to be God’s representative (Ex 23:10-12).[21]
It is simply not sufficient to state “preach the gospel” in a missiology thesis. For 2000 years of church history, there have been those who have preached a “different” or “another” gospel (2 Cor 11:4, Gal 1:6, ESV). The only gospel that is sufficient to open blind eyes is the one that accurately communicates the person and work of Christ and the necessity of repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). Missionaries of the 21st century must be reminded that God “commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30, ESV). Moreover, the gospel must emphasize salvation by faith through grace as a gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9). A hybrid of faith and works does not glorify God’s great love, grace and plan of redemption (Ro 5:8), and is therefore not in keeping with the overall theme of God glorifying Himself as the great missionary God. In The Fundamentals, Robert Speer wrote, “We cannot think of God, I say it reverently, without thinking of Him as a missionary God. Unless we are prepared to accept a God whose character carries with it the missionary obligation and idea, we must do without any real God at all.”[22] A gospel that does not emphasize “salvation is of the Lord” needs to be adjusted until the true gospel is preached (Jon 2:9 ESV).
Conclusion
The great purpose of all missionary activities must be to increase the number of people who live lives which are glorifying to God as followers of Christ. The tasks of preaching the gospel, discipling and baptizing converts, and planting churches are the responsibility of everyone. These tasks require numerous supporting activities of which all believers can directly or indirectly be a part of in their Jerusalem and to the uttermost part of the world. Christ gave this mission to the embryonic church just after His resurrection, and it must continue until He returns. The end state is the existence of Christ-exalting, gospel-centered, biblically-sound, indigenous churches, who worship and disciple with the Word of God in their own language throughout every people group (all nations) in fulfillment to the covenant God established with Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. It was Christ who promised that the “gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Mt 24:14).
Bibliography
Alexander, T. Desmond “Genesis Notes,” ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, Crossway Bibles, 2008.
Corwin, Gary R. Gary B. McGee, and A. Scott Moreau, Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical and Practical Survey. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2009.
George, Timothy. Faithful Witness: The Life and Mission of William Carey. Birmingham: Christian History Institute, 1998.
Glasser, Arthur F. “The Apostle Paul and the Missionary Task,” in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement 4th Edition, ed. Ralph Winters and Steven C. Hawthorne 149-154. Pasadena: William Carey Library, 2009.
Johnstone, Patrick. “Covering the Globe,” in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement 4th Edition, ed. Ralph Winters and Steven C. Hawthorne 551. Pasadena: William Carey Library, 2009.
Manser, Martin H. Zondervan Dictionary of Bible Themes. The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999.
Myers, Allen C. The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1987.
Piper, John. “Let the Nations Be Glad,” in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement 4th Edition, ed. Ralph Winters and Steven C. Hawthorne 64. Pasadena: William Carey Library, 2009.
Speer, Robert. “Foreign Missions or World-wide Evangelism” in The Fundamentals: The Famous Sourcebook of Foundational Biblical Truths Vol 3. edited R.A. Torrey, Public Domain.
Spence-Jones, H. D. M. The Pulpit Commentary: Jonah. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2004.
Verkuyl, Johannes. “The Biblical Foundation for the Worldwide Missions Mandate,” in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement 4th Edition, ed. Ralph Winters and Steven C. Hawthorne 62. Pasadena: William Carey Library, 2009.
Weber, Stuart K. Matthew Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000.
Wiersbe, Warren W. Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the Old Testament. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1993.
Winter, Ralph D. and StevenHawthorne, Steven C., Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader, 4th edition, Pasadena: William Carey Library, 2009.
Yohanna, K.P. Come, Let’s Reach the World. Carrolton, TX: GFA Books, 2004.
Zuck, Roy B. A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, electronic ed. Chicago: Moody Press, 1991.
Endnotes
[1] Gary R. Corwin, Gary B. McGee, and A. Scott Moreau, Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical and Practical Survey (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2009) 71.
[2] Ibid., 26.
[3] Stuart K. Weber, Matthew Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000) 482.
[4] Timothy George, Faithful Witness: The Life and Mission of William Carey (Birmingham: Christian History Institute, 1998) 73-74.
[5] Ibid., 63-64.
[6] Patrick Johnstone, “Covering the Globe,” in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement 4th Edition, ed. Ralph Winters and Steven C. Hawthorne (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 2009) 551.
[7] Johannes Verkuyl, “The Biblical Foundation for the Worldwide Missions Mandate,” Perspectives, 42.
[8] John Piper, “Let the Nations Be Glad,” Perspectives, 64.
[9] Johnstone, Ibid.
[10] T. Desmond Alexander, “Genesis Notes,” ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, Crossway Bibles, 2008) 56.
[11] Roy B. Zuck, A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, electronic ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1991) 202–203.
[12] Allen C. Myers, The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1987) 750.
[13] Piper, Ibid., 69.
[14] H. D. M. Spence-Jones, The Pulpit Commentary: Jonah (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2004) 24.
[15] Arthur F. Glasser, “The Apostle Paul and the Missionary Task,” Ibid.,149.
[16] K.P. Yohannan, Come, Let’s Reach the World (Carrolton, TX: GFA Books, 2004) 101.
[17] Martin H. Manser, Zondervan Dictionary of Bible Themes. The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999) n.p..
[18] K.P. Yohannan, 101.
[19] Glasser, Ibid.,150.
[20] Ibid., 151.
[21] Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1993) Lev. 25.
[22] Robert Speer, “Foreign Missions or World-wide Evangelism” in The Fundamentals: The Famous Sourcebook of Foundational Biblical Truths Vol 3. ed. R.A. Torrey (Public Domain) 230.
Banging on the Door of Heaven
Luke 18:1–8 (KJV)
1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Question
What have you stopped praying about? Is it something you should stop praying about? Did God give you a no answer or like the Apostle Paul the answer of live with the thorn in your flesh.
Or are you seeking justice and like the widow in the above parable you need to be persistent. When it comes to things of the kingdom we should not stop praying.
When it comes to the salvation of lost friends and family I need to be reminded about God’s expectation that I persist in prayer.
I need to be reminded that humans ought to always pray and NOT lose heart. I need to hear the words of the Lord when he says, “shall not God avenge his own elect!”
I am part of that elect and I need to be reminded that God is hearing each and every prayer I bring before his throne and I so wish to be a prayer warrior that moves the very heart of God.
Question: What kingdom oriented things are you praying about? On a daily basis I pray that God would send us more visitors each and every Sunday. Will you join me in this request?
I want to cry day and night about the salvation of lost family members, asking that God would do a sovereign work in their life. I don’t want God’s hands to be tied or limited when it comes to saving my lost relatives. I don’t want their freewill to win over God’s sovereign convicting, life-changing, faith-giving influence.
In eternity, what will it be like to discover stories about God’s plan that His heart be moved to save souls through the prayers of the elect who cry day and night?
It is time to get back on our knees and start pounding on the door of heaven, crying day and night that God would hear and answer our prayers.
1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Question
What have you stopped praying about? Is it something you should stop praying about? Did God give you a no answer or like the Apostle Paul the answer of live with the thorn in your flesh.
Or are you seeking justice and like the widow in the above parable you need to be persistent. When it comes to things of the kingdom we should not stop praying.
When it comes to the salvation of lost friends and family I need to be reminded about God’s expectation that I persist in prayer.
I need to be reminded that humans ought to always pray and NOT lose heart. I need to hear the words of the Lord when he says, “shall not God avenge his own elect!”
I am part of that elect and I need to be reminded that God is hearing each and every prayer I bring before his throne and I so wish to be a prayer warrior that moves the very heart of God.
Question: What kingdom oriented things are you praying about? On a daily basis I pray that God would send us more visitors each and every Sunday. Will you join me in this request?
I want to cry day and night about the salvation of lost family members, asking that God would do a sovereign work in their life. I don’t want God’s hands to be tied or limited when it comes to saving my lost relatives. I don’t want their freewill to win over God’s sovereign convicting, life-changing, faith-giving influence.
In eternity, what will it be like to discover stories about God’s plan that His heart be moved to save souls through the prayers of the elect who cry day and night?
It is time to get back on our knees and start pounding on the door of heaven, crying day and night that God would hear and answer our prayers.
For His Name's Sake
Question: Why did God lead you to the path which results in righteousness?
According to Psalm 23:3 the Good Shepherd leads to in the path of righteousness. This path that has made you righteous, is making you righteous and will ultimately result in complete righteousness is a path that you discovered because He led you to it, is leading you along it, and will finally lead to through it to eternity.
Why then does He lead people in the path of righteousness? What is the ultimate reason? The Psalmist tells us—He does it for His Name’s Sake.
For the sake of His Name—not my name, my name is not what is important in this universe—it is His Name which is important. God glorifies Himself in the saving of men, women and children. He is redeeming a people which will all in the end thrilled in the exaltation of the Son of God and the Father will be well pleased in that exaltation and this is why God has chosen to led you in the path of righteousness.
The psalmist, King David, reminds me once again that it is not about me.
Why did God make me? Why did God save me? Why is God saving me? What is my purpose in life?
God made you for His Name’s Sake. My purpose in life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever in whatever I do (1 Corinthians 10:31).
According to Psalm 23:3 the Good Shepherd leads to in the path of righteousness. This path that has made you righteous, is making you righteous and will ultimately result in complete righteousness is a path that you discovered because He led you to it, is leading you along it, and will finally lead to through it to eternity.
Why then does He lead people in the path of righteousness? What is the ultimate reason? The Psalmist tells us—He does it for His Name’s Sake.
For the sake of His Name—not my name, my name is not what is important in this universe—it is His Name which is important. God glorifies Himself in the saving of men, women and children. He is redeeming a people which will all in the end thrilled in the exaltation of the Son of God and the Father will be well pleased in that exaltation and this is why God has chosen to led you in the path of righteousness.
The psalmist, King David, reminds me once again that it is not about me.
Why did God make me? Why did God save me? Why is God saving me? What is my purpose in life?
God made you for His Name’s Sake. My purpose in life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever in whatever I do (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Forsaken by the Father
The prophetic utterance described in Psalm 22 of “My God My God why have you forsaken” me is beyond my comprehension.
Perhaps the closest thing to one ever experiences that remotely relates to this experience that our Savior went through when the wrath of God poured hot on the sins of the world on the Lord Himself would be losing a good friend.
Now I have lost some good friends, friends that I thought would be with me till Jesus came again but for issues related to the fall of man and the sin that encompassed the world are no longer my friends.
But I can’t relate to the perfect intimate fellowship that the Son of God had experienced with God the Father and God the Spirit for all eternity past. I can’t relate to eternity past. I can’t comprehend the love the Father has for the Son. Perhaps those who have been married for 50, 55, and 60 sixty years to the same spouse can understand just little more than me what it must have been like for the Son to longer experience the presence of the Father in His life.
To utter “why have you forsaken me” helps us understand just a little bit more what our Savior did for us on a cross 2000 years ago.
So then we must ask very simply, is any sacrifice too much for our Lord? Is any burden too much for the One who gave all for us?
Can I really give too much?
Is it possible to serve too much, love too much or do too much for the one who was forsaken for me?
Perhaps the closest thing to one ever experiences that remotely relates to this experience that our Savior went through when the wrath of God poured hot on the sins of the world on the Lord Himself would be losing a good friend.
Now I have lost some good friends, friends that I thought would be with me till Jesus came again but for issues related to the fall of man and the sin that encompassed the world are no longer my friends.
But I can’t relate to the perfect intimate fellowship that the Son of God had experienced with God the Father and God the Spirit for all eternity past. I can’t relate to eternity past. I can’t comprehend the love the Father has for the Son. Perhaps those who have been married for 50, 55, and 60 sixty years to the same spouse can understand just little more than me what it must have been like for the Son to longer experience the presence of the Father in His life.
To utter “why have you forsaken me” helps us understand just a little bit more what our Savior did for us on a cross 2000 years ago.
So then we must ask very simply, is any sacrifice too much for our Lord? Is any burden too much for the One who gave all for us?
Can I really give too much?
Is it possible to serve too much, love too much or do too much for the one who was forsaken for me?
God Keep Me from Sinning
Genesis 20:1 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife.” 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? 5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now then, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”
Question
How sovereign is God? This is a very hard question. Theologians have wrestled with understanding God’s power and man’s free choice to do and NOT do things for thousands of years.
I want you to notice two verses in this text in verse four Abimelech had not had any sexual contact with Sarah—he states that he was innocent. In and of his own choosing he has yet to approach Sarah about a physical relationship. Why—look at verse 6.
Why—because God had kept Abimelech from sinning against Himself in and through Sarah. God, in a dream, says to Him, “I know you haven’t sinned against her it was I who kept you from sinning.” The sovereign God kept him from sinning—now someone wants to ask—could he have sinned against her? No. The text says God kept him from sinning. God had decided that Sarah was to remain pure in her marriage to Abraham. Therefore, He intervened in a unique and powerful way to protect Sarah from Abimelech’s polluting contact.
This is what I want God to do in my life. I want him to rule so powerfully in my life that He keeps me from sinning. I don’t want to sin. And I don’t value freedom so much that I want Him to leave me a choice to sin. I don’t want the choice to reject God. I don’t want the choice to walk about from my faith. I don’t anything to separate me from the love of God.
On the contrary, I want God to take away choices to sin. I need Him to silently, invisibly, powerfully, sovereignly rule in my life in such a way that He is removing opportunities, temptations, thoughts, and or choices to sin.
Isn’t this how the Lord taught the disciples to pray?
“Lord, rule in my life in such a powerful way that you guide me away from temptations and deliver me from sinful influences” (ref. Matt 6.13).
I want to spend more time praying like this--how about you?
Question
How sovereign is God? This is a very hard question. Theologians have wrestled with understanding God’s power and man’s free choice to do and NOT do things for thousands of years.
I want you to notice two verses in this text in verse four Abimelech had not had any sexual contact with Sarah—he states that he was innocent. In and of his own choosing he has yet to approach Sarah about a physical relationship. Why—look at verse 6.
Why—because God had kept Abimelech from sinning against Himself in and through Sarah. God, in a dream, says to Him, “I know you haven’t sinned against her it was I who kept you from sinning.” The sovereign God kept him from sinning—now someone wants to ask—could he have sinned against her? No. The text says God kept him from sinning. God had decided that Sarah was to remain pure in her marriage to Abraham. Therefore, He intervened in a unique and powerful way to protect Sarah from Abimelech’s polluting contact.
This is what I want God to do in my life. I want him to rule so powerfully in my life that He keeps me from sinning. I don’t want to sin. And I don’t value freedom so much that I want Him to leave me a choice to sin. I don’t want the choice to reject God. I don’t want the choice to walk about from my faith. I don’t anything to separate me from the love of God.
On the contrary, I want God to take away choices to sin. I need Him to silently, invisibly, powerfully, sovereignly rule in my life in such a way that He is removing opportunities, temptations, thoughts, and or choices to sin.
Isn’t this how the Lord taught the disciples to pray?
“Lord, rule in my life in such a powerful way that you guide me away from temptations and deliver me from sinful influences” (ref. Matt 6.13).
I want to spend more time praying like this--how about you?
God Keep Me from Sinning
Genesis 20:1 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife.” 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? 5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now then, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”
Question
How sovereign is God? This is a very hard question. Theologians have wrestled with understanding God’s power and man’s free choice to do and NOT do things for thousands of years.
I want you to notice two verses in this text in verse four Abimelech had not had any sexual contact with Sarah—he states that he was innocent. In and of his own choosing he has yet to approach Sarah about a physical relationship. Why—look at verse 6.
Why—because God had kept Abimelech from sinning against Himself in and through Sarah. God, in a dream, says to Him, “I know you haven’t sinned against her it was I who kept you from sinning.” The sovereign God kept him from sinning—now someone wants to ask—could he have sinned against her? No. The text says God kept him from sinning. God had decided that Sarah was to remain pure in her marriage to Abraham. Therefore, He intervened in a unique and powerful way to protect Sarah from Abimelech’s polluting contact.
This is what I want God to do in my life. I want him to rule so powerfully in my life that He keeps me from sinning. I don’t want to sin. And I don’t value freedom so much that I want Him to leave me a choice to sin. I don’t want the choice to reject God. I don’t want the choice to walk about from my faith. I don’t anything to separate me from the love of God.
On the contrary, I want God to take away choices to sin. I need Him to silently, invisibly, powerfully, sovereignly rule in my life in such a way that He is removing opportunities, temptations, thoughts, and or choices to sin.
Isn’t this how the Lord taught the disciples to pray?
“Lord, rule in my life in such a powerful way that you guide me away from temptations and deliver me from sinful influences” (ref. Matt 6.13).
How about you?
Question
How sovereign is God? This is a very hard question. Theologians have wrestled with understanding God’s power and man’s free choice to do and NOT do things for thousands of years.
I want you to notice two verses in this text in verse four Abimelech had not had any sexual contact with Sarah—he states that he was innocent. In and of his own choosing he has yet to approach Sarah about a physical relationship. Why—look at verse 6.
Why—because God had kept Abimelech from sinning against Himself in and through Sarah. God, in a dream, says to Him, “I know you haven’t sinned against her it was I who kept you from sinning.” The sovereign God kept him from sinning—now someone wants to ask—could he have sinned against her? No. The text says God kept him from sinning. God had decided that Sarah was to remain pure in her marriage to Abraham. Therefore, He intervened in a unique and powerful way to protect Sarah from Abimelech’s polluting contact.
This is what I want God to do in my life. I want him to rule so powerfully in my life that He keeps me from sinning. I don’t want to sin. And I don’t value freedom so much that I want Him to leave me a choice to sin. I don’t want the choice to reject God. I don’t want the choice to walk about from my faith. I don’t anything to separate me from the love of God.
On the contrary, I want God to take away choices to sin. I need Him to silently, invisibly, powerfully, sovereignly rule in my life in such a way that He is removing opportunities, temptations, thoughts, and or choices to sin.
Isn’t this how the Lord taught the disciples to pray?
“Lord, rule in my life in such a powerful way that you guide me away from temptations and deliver me from sinful influences” (ref. Matt 6.13).
How about you?
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