This article continues on from “The Pastor's Letter”

1. Preaching the Character of God.

“And when he was gone forth into the way there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God.” (Mark chapter 10 verses 17 and 18)

What would your reflex be to such a circumstance? Here is an outstanding fellow begging to know how he can get to heaven! This is the evangelist's dream! Wouldn't you open your Bible and ask him essential questions? “Do you believe that you are a sinner” Do you believe that Christ died for sinners? Will you accept Jesus as your personal Saviour? Pray this prayer after me …” He would answer in the affirmative to each question with very little instruction. Just show him the usual verses. This rich man was ripe for our evangelism. Our enquiry rooms would have elicited his “decision” in a few moments, and given him assurance of eternal life besides. He would be added to the statistic sheet and his conversion reported across the world.

Aren't you a little disappointed to see Jesus handling this tender soul so roughly? How could our Lord use such obviously poor tactics with a sinner? He began with a rebuke, went on to talk about the Ten Commandments (of all things!), demanded immense sacrifice as a condition of having eternal life, and allowed the “fish” to get away! Didn't He know how to lead a soul to Himself? If you are surprised, surely you are the one who doesn't understand evangelism. Look again.

Jesus' rebuke. Jesus addressed his first response, not to the ruler's question, but to the incidental greeting given to Him. The young man called Jesus “Good Master.” But our Lord refused to accept the compliment. The inquirer was only aware that Jesus was a great teacher. He was ignorant that he was speaking to the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The Saviour took this opportunity to say in effect, “The goodness of any creature (and such only you take me to be) is not worthy to be named or taken notice of. It is God alone who is originally and essentially good.”

Jesus was rebuking the man for having a readiness to flatter men but little reverence towards God. At the outset of the discussion He wished to honour God and stir a respect for His holy character. So He seized upon the seeker's salutation as an occasion for intruction. Jesus began His message of evangelism by solemnly fixing attention on God's infinite holiness or goodness.

Jesus' motive. Our Lord was motivated in His conversation by love and compassion for the covetous youth. Verse 21 states explicitly that Jesus had a conscious love for the man as He talked with him. However, concern for the nobleman's soul was not the supreme motive that moved Christ to witness to this sinner. Running even deeper within His breast was a love of God. Though induced by a desire to save men, Christ was primarily motivated by a longing to glorify His Father. You cannot carefully read the Gospels and fail to see that our Lord's chief aim in every act was to do the will of His Father and to make His glory known to men.

Jesus' message. Such motivation and determination will display itself in the evangelist's message. The questioner in this passage had centred attention upon his own need (of finding a way to inherit eternal life). Jesus, however, turned the primary focus of the interview upon God and His glory.

Much of modern preaching is anaemic, with the life-blood of God's nature absent from the message. Evangelists centre their message upon man. Man has sinned and missed a great blessing. If man wants to retreive his great loss he must act thus and so. But the gospel of Christ is very different. It begins with God and His glory. It tells men that they have offended a Holy God, who will by no means pass by sin. It reminds sinners that the only hope of salvation is to be found in the grace and power of this same God. Christ's gospel sends men to beg pardon of the Holy One.

This does not mean that preaching about the character of God is isolated from seeking the salvation of a sinner. Preaching on the attributes is essential to the conversion of a man. Without a knowledge of God, a sinner does not know whom he has offended, who threatens him with destruction, or who is able to save him. Apart from some clear apprehensions of God, there can be no personal approach to God, and “personal Saviour” becomes a hollow phrase.

Jesus lifted the egocentric eyes of the wealthy ruler to One whose holiness caused Isaiah to cry, “Woe is me, for I am undone.” Is that a secondary part of the gospel? If you think so, you don't understand the first things of the faith. The rich youth had come running because he understood that he might not inherit eternal life. But he didn't understand why. Whom had he offended? There was no remorse for having offended a Holy God. He was prepared to talk of religion; but he was ignorant of God. He was anxious to ask for the joys of salvation; but he could not confess as David, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned; and done this evil in thy sight.” He was not acquainted with the Lord.

Although the inquirer was a Jew, and probably devout, Jesus did not assume that he knew who God was. He needed catechizing on the attributes of God. Evangelists today are making the dreadful mis-culculation that sinners know who God is. The sad truth is that our age knows less then the Jews of our Lord's day. Nevertheless, evangelicals plunge right in with “five things God wants you to know.” They all centre upon the man's eternal fortunes and utterly ignore the question, “Who is God?”

Men today will readily use the name of God as would the rich man. But it is disasterous to assume that men are speaking of the same person as we are. When we say “God” we mean “Creator.” When our contemporaries say “God” they are often speaking of the one who has little to do with the world we see. When we say “God” we mean “One who is Sovereign in creation, providence, and in the redemption of His creature, man.” When sinners say “God” they usually refer to one who has committed himself to honouring the sovereign will of man at any cost to himself. Above all, when we say “God” we speak of One who has unflinching holiness, “Who will by no means clear the guilty.” Sinners frequently think of God as flexible so that He will by no means punish wonderful man.

“How shall they believe on him of whom they have not heard?” is a pertinent question for today's evangelist. Sinners must know him upon whom they are to call to be saved. Eliminating the doctrine of God from evangelism is no innocent shift in emphasis but is cutting the heart out of our message.