The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret. Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said.”
John 18:19-21
Today: Read John 18
As Jesus was being brought before the religious leaders, they began to question Him about His teachings. Jesus’ response is straightforward, “I have spoken openly to the world.” Today, when it comes to questions about Jesus, the gospel, salvation, and eternal life, the church should be ready to openly proclaim the truth regarding these issues.
The truth of the gospel has been preserved in the pages of scripture and resides in each born again believer in Jesus Christ. That is why there is no substitute for prayer and study of scripture. Exercising these two privileges is irreplaceable if we are to grow up in our knowledge and relationship with our Savior. This spiritual growth and maturity allows for us to answer the questions that people have regarding the love of God, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and the salvation that He offers to all. There are two passages of scripture that I believe can assist us greatly in understanding the concept of openly proclaiming Jesus.
- Open declaration of the gospel is our mission
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”
Mark 16:15-16
The gospel is to be proclaimed to every person everywhere in the world. When we understand the importance of human response in the role of salvation, this declaration makes perfectly good sense. God desires for everyone to hear the truth, to believe, and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). It is the responsibility of every believer to exercise his/her gifts and talents with this end in mind. For those who will respond to the love of God, acknowledging their need for a Savior, and placing their trust in Christ, these are the ones who will be saved. Baptism is the first act for any believer in openly proclaiming his/her position in Jesus. Baptism demonstrates to the world that we are indeed His and that we now live according to His purpose for our lives. For those who reject this amazing opportunity, the result is that they remain in their sin and the condemnation that comes with it. And that brings us to our second passage.
- Rejection of the gospel is what brings about condemnation
If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.
John 12:47-48
When confronted with the question, “What brings about eternal condemnation?” we might be tempted to point to sin but that is not the biblical answer to that question. The saved, those who are heaven bound, are not any less sinners than those who do not go at all. This is a sticky point for some who are religious and attempting to be accepted by God based on their good works or moral performance. But the reality is that none of those things save. Consider the thrust and impact of the following statement:
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
James 2:10
This one verse alone should be sufficient in stamping out spiritual elitism but unfortunately it doesn’t. James reminds us that if we have broken any of God’s law that we have become guilty of breaking all of them. This runs counter to the idea that our moral performance (doing what is right and avoiding sin) has anything to do with receiving or keeping salvation. This verse tells us that we are all equally in need of a Savior. God shows no partiality but sees the whole of mankind with the same need.
I believe this is what Jesus meant when He declares that even if someone rejects the gospel, it is not Christ who judges Him rather the open declaration of the truth that holds him in contempt. Jesus came to save the world, not condemn it (John 3:17, John 12:47). The one sin of Adam brought guilt upon all of mankind just as the obedience of Christ on the cross brings the opportunity for justification for all of mankind (Romans 5:18). Again, understanding the role that human response plays in salvation is important. We see this division illustrated in the following statement:
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:18
The reason for anyone’s entrance into heaven is faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross while those who do not believe do not enter because of their unbelief. The level of sin in a person’s life has nothing to do with the spiritual transaction of receiving salvation.
When we think of the cross, we can see the justice of God and the love of God collide. I believe that these two attributes of God should always be held in balance. When one is amplified at the cost of diminishing the other, I believe this is when we begin to err.
As Christians, our job is to believe in Jesus and to love others (1 John 3:23). As we begin to focus on these two activities, we can then boldly and openly proclaim the good news of Jesus, proving ourselves to be authentic followers of Christ (1 John 4:7-8, Romans 10:15).
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