Thursday, January 24, 2008

Who is sufficient for these things?

I just finished a conversation with one of my closest friends. Who just got saved. Who's resisted during decades of prayer and conversation. Who knew all but rejected it just the same. Now he testifies that God forgave him, changed him, saved him.

And on that basis, as I told him, I am amazed - you just cannot force the hand of God. It is instances like these that reinforce his sovereignty over the human heart, that he will call when he wills. And when he does, the hardest heart turns to flesh and sings his praise.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Romans 1:16,17

And this is why we preach, because faith comes from God. And we trust, because there is never one without hope. And we love Christ, because salvation is found nowhere else.
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1 Corinthians 1:17-25

I have been struck again with the lack of human wisdom to save a man - even if that wisdom is based on Truth. Man cannot convince anyone to be saved, even if there is great love in that relationship. We are foolish, powerless on our own - But we preach Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. And he saves to the uttermost, because his salvation is not about words, but actual cleansing and heart regeneration.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I've missed these earlier posts... I think I'm glad I read this one today. The amazingness seems to happen most often when you stop trying - *teary eyes* about your friend.