BOOK OF THE MONTH: Why Should Anyone Hear The Gospel Twice? Topic: Who Is Responsible For Lost Souls?
After God has sent His Son to die on the cross for all to repent and be saved, who is now responsible for lost souls?What part does the church of God play when hundreds of thousands die daily and have no access to the good news of salvation? This question is critical and must be addressed.
From creation, God made Cain to understand that human blood speaks and that whenever there is a murder, the blood cries out to heaven.
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" And He said, " What have you done? The voice of your brothers blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother' s blood from your hand. (Genesis 4:9-11 NKJV)
"But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother, I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man. (Genesis 9:4-6)
This responsibility of man for the life of his neighbor is the undercurrent in Ezekiel's commission as a moral watchman for the house of Israel. The prophet became responsible spiritually before God for the souls of those under his charge.
"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. (Ezekiel 3:17-19 NKJV)
" So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked,' O wicked man, you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. (Ezekiel 33:7-9)
When an unbeliever dies and goes to hell, who is to blame? Prov. 24:11-12 throws light upon this subject,
Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, "Surely we did not know this," Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds ? (Proverbs 24:11-12 NKJV)
In Deut. 21, the law made provision for a murder whose murderer could not be traced. The elders of the city nearest to the person slain were to perform the purification rites to absolve themselves.
"If anyone is found slain, lying in the field in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him, then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance from the slain man to the surrounding cities. And it shall be that the elders of the city nearest to the slain man will take a heifer which has not been worked and which has not pulled with a yoke. The elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with flowing water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and they shall break the heifer's neck there in the valley. Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister to Him and to bless in the name of the LORD; by their word every controversy and every assault shall be settled. And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck teas broken in the valley. Then they shall answer and say, 'Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it. 'Provide atonement, O LORD, for Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and do not lay innocent blood to the charge of Your people Israel.' And atonement shall be provided on their behalf for the blood. So you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you when you do what is right in the sight of the LORD. (Deut. 21:1-9 NKJV)
The principle here helps us to see that when souls for whom God sacrificed His son die and are lost, heaven holds some people responsible. The closest neighbors and those who know about the lost and it was in their ability to do something about the situation are the first to be queried.
God's church is God's watchman today. We are the 'cities of refuge' that our High Priest Jesus Christ has set up to help save the innocent. This was the understanding of the early church. Paul considered himself free from the blood of all men because he had preached the whole counsel of God to all within his ambit. Those who rejected the gospel, their blood was upon their own head.
But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, "Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." (Acts 18:6)
"And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. Therefore I testify to you this day that lam innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. (Acts 20:25-27 NKJV)
The born again Christian must hold himself responsible before God for the salvation of those within his sphere of influence and commit himself or herself to doing everything within his/her power to get the gospel to them.
Similarly, every local church must hold herself responsible for the city in which she is. Denominations ought to see themselves directly responsible to God for the souls in the regions and countries. The church of God worldwide must answer to heaven concerning the souls of unreached people groups.
For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" (Romans 10:13-15 NKJV)
The worldwide proclamation of the gospel is the duty of the whole church. None can stand idly aside and say, "It is none of my business." No one needs to 'hire' you. Your marching orders began the day you were born again. It is the master's business. You can understand Paul's charge to Timothy before he died,
I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:1-2,5 NKJV)
Then there is the issue of the ripened harvest. Our Lord declared during his ministry that the harvest was ready and plentiful yet the laborers were few. His solution was that we should pray to the Lord of the harvest to sent forth laborers into his harvest.
God does not expect any child of His to sit unconcerned about the souls of men. Even if you cannot go to the mission field or recruit and send people, you can pray!! You can mobilize others to pray or encourage those who want to go.
Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few."Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into Harvest." (Matthew 9:37-38 NKJV)
The God's church in every generation has to hold itself accountable before God for the spread of the gospel in its generation.
Why should anyone hear the gospel twice when others have not heard it once?