When the Christian is an obstacle to salvation

When we observe how the Holy Spirit works in our hearts, we realize that He convinces unbelievers of sin (John 16: 8). Christians, for their part, often work, without realizing it, against this work of salvation.

As soon as the unbeliever begins to realize that he is acting badly, the Christian reassures him and even offers him promises of the Word of God. But there is no promise for the unbeliever except the promise of salvation in Jesus Christ. Once Jesus is received, all promises are His, but before that day he must convert and completely abandon all his sins.

While studying the teachings of Charles Finney, I realized an error that I had made, and which had myself left me many times perplexed. I realized that very often we gave false hope to sinners. We reassured them, we appeased them, instead of letting the Holy Spirit do its work of illuminating the darkness. It is not enough to say yes to follow Jesus, or to sign a document, or to say a prayer, then to tell people that they are now saved. Oh no, it would be the worst thing to do, and this has become the number one evangelistic method in many places.

When a person is saved, she knows it ! She knows who she was before, and she knows who she is since. She knows what life was like before, and she knows what her life is now. She does not need to be told to reassure her : "You are now saved." No. After a true hello and the distinctive signs of the new birth, it is possible that she needs encouragement in this regard, but not before. During these next days, I would like to encourage you to ask the Lord to make you more and more intelligent for the salvation of souls.

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the wise man wins souls" (Proverbs 11:30). What a promise ! If I am wise, I will seize souls !

Jeremy Sourdril