God's Sovereign Initiative in Salvation and Evangelism

 

Summary

In this session, we delve into the profound concept of the divine initiative, which is the first step of salvation initiated solely by God's power. Ephesians 2 paints a vivid picture of humanity's fallen state, describing us as "dead in trespasses and sins." This passage highlights the radical corruption of human nature, emphasizing that sin affects every aspect of our being—our minds, wills, and bodies. The term "total depravity" often leads to misunderstandings, as it suggests utter depravity, which is not the case. Instead, the term "radical corruption" more accurately captures the depth of our fallenness, indicating that sin penetrates to the very core of our existence.

Paul's message in Ephesians underscores the gravity of our condition, but it also introduces the pivotal word "but." This conjunction marks the transition from despair to hope, as it signifies God's intervention. "But God, who is rich in mercy," steps in to quicken us, making us alive even when we were dead in our transgressions. This divine initiative is not a result of human effort or righteousness but is solely the work of God.

The analogy of a dead man at the bottom of the sea illustrates this concept. God, in His sovereignty, dives in to rescue and breathe life into us, enabling us to respond in faith and repentance. This understanding raises questions about the purpose of evangelism, given God's sovereignty. The answer lies in recognizing that God has sovereignly decreed both the end and the means. Evangelism is not only a duty but also an unspeakable privilege, as it allows us to participate in God's redemptive work.

Paul's words in Romans 10 further emphasize the necessity of preaching the gospel. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. The beauty of evangelism lies in being the messenger of good news, bringing the message of salvation to those who have not heard. It is a privilege to be used by God as an instrument to bring others to Christ, fulfilling the Great Commission and participating in the most significant enterprise in the universe.

Key Takeaways:

- The concept of "radical corruption" highlights that sin affects every aspect of our being, not just superficially but at the very core of our existence. This understanding helps us grasp the depth of our need for God's intervention. [03:36]

- The pivotal word "but" in Ephesians 2 signifies the transition from despair to hope, as it marks God's intervention in our fallen state. It reminds us that salvation is solely the work of God, not a result of human effort. [07:29]

- The analogy of a dead man at the bottom of the sea illustrates the divine initiative, emphasizing that God alone quickens us from death to life. This understanding underscores the sovereignty of God in salvation. [10:41]

- Evangelism is both a duty and a privilege. While God is sovereign and does not need us to fulfill His plan, He chooses to use us as instruments in His redemptive work, allowing us to participate in the most significant enterprise in the universe. [16:41]

- Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. The necessity of preaching the gospel is emphasized in Romans 10, highlighting the beauty of being a messenger of good news and the privilege of bringing others to Christ. [23:30]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:27] - The Divine Initiative
[00:52] - Understanding Our Fallen State
[01:38] - Total Depravity vs. Radical Corruption
[03:36] - The Depth of Sin's Impact
[04:20] - The Seriousness of Our Condition
[06:39] - The Pivotal Word: "But"
[07:54] - God's Sovereign Grace
[09:09] - Misunderstandings in Conversion
[10:41] - The Analogy of the Dead Man
[12:21] - The Purpose of Evangelism
[13:38] - A Classroom Lesson on Evangelism
[15:51] - The Sovereignty of God in Evangelism
[17:05] - Evangelism as a Privilege
[19:15] - The Highest Calling
[21:21] - Faith and Assurance in Christ
[23:30] - The Necessity of Preaching
[25:31] - The Beauty of the Messenger's Feet
[28:52] - Conclusion and Call to Evangelize

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Ephesians 2:1-10
2. Romans 10:11-15

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Observation Questions:

1. According to Ephesians 2, how does Paul describe the state of humanity before God's intervention? [00:52]

2. What is the significance of the word "but" in Ephesians 2:4, and how does it change the narrative of our fallen state? [06:39]

3. In Romans 10, what does Paul say is necessary for faith to come about, and how does this relate to the role of a preacher? [23:30]

4. How does the analogy of a dead man at the bottom of the sea illustrate the concept of divine initiative in salvation? [10:41]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. What does the term "radical corruption" imply about the nature of sin and its impact on humanity, and how does this understanding affect our view of salvation? [03:36]

2. How does the concept of God's sovereignty in salvation influence the way believers should approach evangelism? [16:41]

3. In what ways does the analogy of the dead man challenge common perceptions of human ability in the process of conversion? [10:41]

4. How does Paul's teaching in Romans 10 about the necessity of preaching the gospel inform our understanding of the Great Commission? [23:30]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your understanding of "radical corruption." How does this perspective change the way you view your need for God's grace in your daily life? [03:36]

2. Considering the pivotal "but" in Ephesians 2:4, how can you remind yourself of God's intervention in moments of personal despair or struggle? [06:39]

3. How can you actively participate in evangelism, knowing that it is both a duty and a privilege, even if you feel inadequate or unprepared? [16:41]

4. Think of a time when you felt spiritually "dead." How did you experience God's quickening in your life, and how can you share that testimony with others? [10:41]

5. In what practical ways can you support the preaching of the gospel, whether through personal evangelism or supporting those who are called to preach? [23:30]

6. Identify one person in your life who has not heard the gospel. What steps can you take this week to share the message of salvation with them? [23:30]

7. How can you cultivate a deeper appreciation for the privilege of being used by God in His redemptive work, and how might this change your approach to daily interactions? [17:05]

Devotional

Day 1: The Depth of Sin's Impact
Sin affects every aspect of our being, penetrating to the very core of our existence. This concept of "radical corruption" helps us understand the depth of our need for God's intervention. It is not just a superficial flaw but a profound condition that impacts our minds, wills, and bodies. Recognizing this truth allows us to see the necessity of divine intervention in our lives. We are reminded that our fallen state is beyond human repair and requires the power of God to bring about true transformation. [03:36]

Ephesians 4:17-19 (ESV): "Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity."

Reflection: In what ways do you see the impact of sin in your own life, and how can you invite God to transform those areas today?


Day 2: The Transition from Despair to Hope
The pivotal word "but" in Ephesians 2 signifies a transition from despair to hope, marking God's intervention in our fallen state. This conjunction highlights the moment when God's rich mercy steps in to quicken us, making us alive even when we were dead in our transgressions. It is a powerful reminder that salvation is not a result of human effort but solely the work of God. This divine initiative brings hope and assurance that no matter how dire our situation, God's grace is sufficient to redeem and restore us. [07:29]

2 Corinthians 1:9-10 (ESV): "Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt hopeless. How did God's intervention bring hope and change to that situation?


Day 3: God's Sovereign Rescue
The analogy of a dead man at the bottom of the sea illustrates the divine initiative, emphasizing that God alone quickens us from death to life. This understanding underscores the sovereignty of God in salvation, as He dives in to rescue and breathe life into us. It is a powerful image of God's love and grace, showing that our salvation is entirely dependent on His action. This truth challenges us to trust in God's sovereignty and to rest in the assurance that He is in control of our salvation. [10:41]

Colossians 2:13-14 (ESV): "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."

Reflection: How does understanding God's sovereign role in your salvation change the way you view your relationship with Him today?


Day 4: The Privilege of Evangelism
Evangelism is both a duty and a privilege. While God is sovereign and does not need us to fulfill His plan, He chooses to use us as instruments in His redemptive work. This allows us to participate in the most significant enterprise in the universe. It is an unspeakable privilege to be used by God to bring the message of salvation to others. This understanding should inspire us to embrace our role in evangelism with joy and gratitude, knowing that we are part of God's grand design. [16:41]

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (ESV): "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us."

Reflection: Who is someone in your life that you can share the message of salvation with this week, and how can you prepare to do so?


Day 5: The Necessity of Preaching
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. The necessity of preaching the gospel is emphasized in Romans 10, highlighting the beauty of being a messenger of good news. It is a privilege to bring others to Christ and fulfill the Great Commission. This calling is not just for pastors or missionaries but for every believer. We are all called to be messengers of hope, sharing the transformative power of the gospel with those who have not heard. [23:30]

Isaiah 52:7 (ESV): "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'"

Reflection: What steps can you take today to become a more effective messenger of the gospel in your community?

Quotes


What we find in this passage are descriptive terms of the radical character of man's fallenness. We've talked about moral inability. We have avoided the use of the language of Calvinism, which describes man's situation as that of "total depravity," a term that has become very, very controversial in Christian circles and is part of the famous acrostic that Calvinists use to delineate the so-called five points of Calvinism - TULIP. [00:01:26]

The term "total depravity" was coined to mean that sin affects the whole person, that the total essence of our humanity is fallen. That is, our minds are fallen, our wills our fallen, our bodies are fallen - the whole person is caught up in this fallenness. I prefer to speak of "radical corruption." The problem is that turns "TULIP" into "RULIP," and ruins the acrostic. [00:03:11]

The gospel's only good news when we understand the bad news. The gospel's only gospel when we first understand the law and our situation under the law. Here we are, dead in sin and trespasses, walking according to the flesh, the lusts of the flesh, and so on, walking like those who are under the spirit of disobedience, children of wrath - BUT God. [00:07:10]

It says, "But God, who is rich in mercy has made us alive, quickened us, even when we were dead in our transgressions." Now when I hear evangelical Christians talk about what happens in conversion, I hear two analogies frequently, illustrations designed to communicate to our minds what really happens. Maybe you've heard them. [00:08:07]

A better analogy would be that the man has gone under for the third time, and he's at the bottom of the sea, and God dives in the water, and He takes that dead man, that corpse from the bottom of the sea and brings him out onto the dry land and He leans over, and He gives him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and He breathes His life into that man, and that man is restored from the dead. [00:10:35]

And of course, after God quickens us, then we choose, then we believe, then we embrace Christ, we repent. We do all of those things because we're alive now to the things of God. But the first step, the initiative, the being made alive from the dead, is the work of God and the work of God alone. [00:11:21]

The chief reason why we do evangelism, in light of the sovereignty of God is because God is sovereign, and God has not only sovereignly decreed the end, that is, the goal of the redemption of people, but He also has sovereignly decreed the means toward that end. He has chosen the foolishness of preaching as the means by which He will bring people to salvation. [00:15:43]

He has chosen to do it with me and by me and through me, and with you and by you and through you. So we see here that evangelism is first of all a duty. But second of all, and we need to understand this: evangelism is an unspeakable privilege. What a privilege to be - I mean, I was once reading a book on fundraising. [00:16:51]

All I do in my life - I don't play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, I'm not a member of the President's Cabinet - all I do is work everyday for the King of Kings. That's all I do. Now what could be more insignificant than that? All I get to do in my work, and I get paid to do this, is to work in the most significant enterprise that God has ever created. [00:19:24]

Notice what Paul says in chapter 10 of Romans. It says in verse 11, "For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.'" Man, what a statement. When we come to faith, and we place our faith, we place our trust, we place our confidence in Christ as our Savior - everyone knows what it means to have placed their trust or confidence in something or someone that let them down. [00:21:02]

But whoever places their faith or confidence in Christ will never be disappointed! "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord over all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him." Verse 13, "For, "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.'" [00:21:49]

I know that it was God who brought me to Christ, but He used a man who told me the gospel, and I will never forget that man. And no matter what that man ever does, I will always love him because humanly, he cared enough to be the instrument that God was pleased to use to bring me to Jesus Christ. [00:28:17]

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Transcript
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