Food for Friday
And they that heard it said, ‘Who then can be saved? Luke 18:26
I remember an expression an old preacher used during Gospel meetings when I was a teenager: God can save to the uttermost and to the guttermost! We have heard of monarchs and people in high places being saved. We have heard of the wealthy, the noble, and the powerful trusting Christ. But for most of us, we weren’t in any of those groups when we were saved. Some of us were just youngsters, some were from poor circumstances, some from broken homes and troubled backgrounds. We know of drug addicts and drunkards being gloriously saved and salvaged from their lives of sin. We have seen young and old enter the Door. The preaching of the Gospel has gone to all parts of the world, to all nations, races, and clans, and souls have been saved with no restrictions in terms of who they were or what the condition of their soul. So the question that the disciples asked makes no sense, does it?
The disciples had just heard Jesus describe how hard it would be for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. A camel had a better chance of getting through the eye of a needle. Actually, we have the same chance of saving ourselves. Salvation is of the Lord, none of it is our doing. Were the disciples actually asking who can save themselves? Maybe. But you and I are proof that God’s salvation is unlimited and unrestricted. You did not deserve to be saved; neither did I. In His mercy, God worked in our souls and brought us to Himself.
If God can save us, He is not limited to those who we think should hear the Gospel. Everybody needs to be saved, not just our relatives or those who we can convince to attend a Gospel meeting. We need to broaden our scope in terms of spreading the Gospel. Gospel texts, tracts, Gospels of John, and New Testaments should be distributed without regard to who will be receiving them. Support for the Gospel preachers should not be limited to those preaching in areas we have a personal interest in. In many ways, we need to open our eyes to those who God can save.
Who then can be saved? This is not a question that excludes anyone anywhere, but one that includes everyone everywhere. Let us seek to reach them all. -Jim MacIntosh