1. Why did Jesus send out the 72?
(Luke 10)
2. How will the tribe in Zimbabwe, who has never heard about Jesus Christ (not to mention the 1.1 billion people who stil have not heard about Jesus Christ) be judged according to (Romans 1:18-20)?
3. So with (Romans 1:18-20) in mind, what is the relevance of the "Great Commission" (Matthew 28:19,20) since men are without excuse?
1) Luke 10:1 says "Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come."
ReplyDeleteIt seems reasonable that these folks and the 12 before them were comissioned to continue the work John the Baptist had begun, which is preparing the way for Jesus. (See Luke 9:7-9))
2) In the context of Romans, Paul is building upon the argument that we are all sinners and that without Jesus we will all perish. Romans chapter 10 then makes it plain that we need to hear the message of Jesus and believe it or our eternal estate is hopeless.
Rom 10:14-15 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"
3) We've got to preach the gospel, "calling all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). It doesn't get any more urgent than that. What of the people who never hear? They will not held accountable for their sins, which will not include rejecting the gospel. The churches will be held accountable for it's luke-warmness in missions. People who hear the gospel and do not share it (perhpas because of dis-belief) will be held accountable. Folks who ignore the urgency of the great comission will be held accountable. Judgement day will be a harsh waking up for the fearful and unbelieving (Rev 21:8) Jesus put it this way: "But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:33).
The 12 Apostles were Evangelists. Paul was a missionary. Stephen and Phillip of the 7 deacons (at least) were Evangelists and missionaries. The early church was designed for missions. Is yours? (That challenge is to no one in particular.)
In Christ with His love,
Ben
P.S. Christ loves the world, but He also loves His church enough to let our failures cost Him something.
Oops at the beginning of answer (3) it should say, "those who've never heard the gospel will be held accountable for their sins, which will not include (the great sin of) rejecting the gospel."
ReplyDeleteBen..."the great sin" do you have a scripture for that? Just wondering!
ReplyDeleteJoe
Joh 16:8-9 "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
ReplyDeleteI like the way Jamieson, Fausset and Brown put it in their commentary: "Of sin, because they believe not on me — As all sin has its root in unbelief, so the most aggravated form of unbelief is the rejection of Christ. The Spirit, however, in fastening this truth upon the conscience, does not extinguish, but, on the contrary, does consummate and intensify, the sense of all other sins."
John 3:19 says judgmet is that light (Jesus) has come into the world but that men loved darkness.
Act 7:51 "You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did." They are resisting God's chosen leader (Jesus), just like their ancestors rejected Moses and the Patriarchs rejected Joseph.
Heb 3:12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
Hope that is helpful.
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