I had just watched a short video presentation on the internet urging Christians to reach out and share the gospel to people whom one may not particularly like. The intention was good but there’s one comment by the video presenter that really caught my attention. Referring to salvation, he said that, “Their eternity depends on us.”
The Great Completion?
Wow! Really? Did I hear him right? I really think that it is a serious mistake to think that people’s “eternity” (referring to salvation) is dependent on a Christian’s evangelistic or missionary effort. I’ve heard this kind of talk before and this seems to be a prevailing teaching among many in Christian churches and missions organizations today. I am also aware that some teach that Christ will not come back until Christians will have completed the great commission through their evangelistic and missionary efforts — “the great completion,” some call it.
Common Gospel Belief
Many Christians are passionately driven to go and share the gospel because they believe that the unbeliever’s salvation is dependent on their evangelistic or missionary efforts. Their zeal and dedication to share the gospel and to reach out to the unbelievers are admirable and that is good. But something is amiss if we think that the salvation of unbelievers is dependent on us.
Jesus is the Savior not Us
It is my belief that our salvation does not depend on any of our human effort. It does not depend on the believer’s efforts to “save” the unbeliever. I believe that salvation is only through Jesus Christ our Lord as the Bible asserts. It is by God’s grace that we have been saved. God did it through Christ. Without our help. It is God’s gift to us.
One large missions organization had actually made billboard posters declaring that millions of people are dying everyday and are right now lost in hell because Christians have not been doing their duty to go and share the gospel to those who have not heard it yet.
Most missions and evangelistic efforts are based on fear of hell, guilt and anxiety. It is no gospel at all.
Is the unbeliever’s “eternity” really dependent on a Christian’s evangelistic and missionary efforts? I’d like to believe that God is in-charge of that. I believe that the salvation of mankind depends on Christ alone and not on any of our human action.
Surely God has many ways of saving people we know nothing about even at the point of death. Surely, God could not be hindered by death. He is Lord and Savior of all and he has conquered death! For God, death is not a hindrance to salvation. He is in-charge and there is no need to worry about other people’s salvation.
To say that “their eternity depends on us” sounds to me like people won’t be saved without us—without our human effort. It is sending a message that if Christians don’t do missions or evangelism, if Christians don’t share the gospel, it’s the Christian’s fault that millions of people are “not saved” and are already roasting in hell. It brings Christians on a guilt-trip if they don’t act. It is a fear-guilt-and-anxiety-driven method of evangelism based on an erroneous understanding of the truth of the good news of Jesus Christ.
Gospel Participation
I believe that God can save people even without us. In fact, he has already done so without us! He has already reconciled us back to himself (2 Cor. 5:18-19). Even while we were still sinners Christ has already died for us more two thousand years ago (Romans 5:8)!
As Christians, we are invited to participate in what God is doing right now through Christ by the Holy Spirit in our individual lives and in the lives of others who do not yet know Christ. Let us be more considerate, understanding and love-driven as we share the gospel to others and not become offensive and confrontational as we probe people with our “diagnostic questions” just to force them to “accept” Jesus Christ.
Let us go and make disciples driven not by guilt, fear and anxiety. Let us not think that the unbeliever’s salvation depends on us. Rather, let us go and make disciples knowing that Christ is in-charge and knowing that our salvation is secure in him. Let us live and share the gospel driven by love for people who are still unaware of God’s great love for all of humanity. Let’s participate by living and sharing the gospel knowing that people’s salvation is dependent on Jesus Christ not on us!
Our missions and evangelism should be motivated by faith, hope and love based on who God really is in Jesus Christ and who we are in him. It should not be motivated by a psychology of guilt, fear and anxiety.
People’s “eternity” depends on Jesus Christ, not on our missionary or evangelistic skills! Let’s participate gladly in what God through Christ by the Holy Spirit is doing in and through us! Let us continue living and sharing the good news of God’s love to all!
Updated: 03/30/2020