"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"
Romans 10:14 (NIV)
Many people walk into a model suite, enjoy it, experience the newness of it, etc, and then walk out again and never own a piece of the building. A person desiring to own and to live in the finished structure, would have to sign a purchase agreement and make a deposit, and then wait for the contractor to demolish the site and construct the building and then move in at some future date. In the same way, many people hear about the Lord Jesus, come to church, enjoy fellowship, etc, and yet never own a part of the kingdom of God. In contrast, entrance to the kingdom of God comes about not through a contract that obligates both sides but by grace through faith (Eph 2:8).
We hear (or in the case of those alive during our Lord and apostles’ ministries, hear and see) the good news of the kingdom. We believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ- the Son of God, and we repent of our sin and surrender our lives to Him. We make no deposit nor do we guarantee anything, on the contrary it is God who makes the deposit for He deposits His Spirit into us (Eph 1:14) and it is the Presence of the Holy Spirit in us that guarantees our entrance into the completed (realized is the theological term) kingdom. Paul followed the Lord’s example of ministry by going to the synagogue and preaching the gospel in every town he entered. The apostles all followed the Lord’s example and command for they knew the truth of this verse. No one can enter the kingdom of heaven unless they call on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. No one can call unless they have heard the gospel, and no one can hear unless someone speaks.
Our Lord ministered and spoke for three plus years and yet there were only 120 believers when He left earth for heaven (Acts 1:15). We will be judged on whether or not we preach the gospel, not on whether or not people come into the kingdom. Bringing them in is our Lord’s mysterious work, preaching is our known simple work.
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