Gospel Preachers and God's Salvation

But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. - Acts 26:16-23

    The apostle Paul declared to Agrippa that the Lord Jesus Christ had appeared to him and made him a minister of the gospel so that he might be an instrument in the hands of God for the salvation of chosen sinners (26:16-18). We recognize, of course, that salvation is not caused or accomplished by, or dependent upon, preachers. Salvation is God's work. 'Salvation is of the Lord' (Jonah 2:9). It is the gift of God (Rom. 6:23). It is the work of his grace (Eph. 2:8-9). But 'It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe' (1 Cor. 1:21). Gospel preachers are instruments in the hands of God by which he saves his people. Salvation is not accomplished by preachers, but neither is it accomplished without the instrumentality of gospel preachers (Rom. 10:13-17; James 1:18; 1Peter 1:23-25). God, who ordained the salvation of an elect multitude, ordained the salvation of that elect multitude through the instrumentality of gospel preaching (2 Thess. 2:13-14). Though the Ethiopian eunuch was chosen by God and redeemed by the blood of Christ, he could not understand the Scriptures and obtain God's salvation by faith in Christ until he came into contact with a God sent preacher who 'preached unto him Jesus' (Acts 8:26-39).

    Preachers must never be exalted to a priestly role. We have no priest but Christ. There is no merit or efficacy in any preacher to illuminate, convert, forgive, or sanctify anyone. No preacher can give sinners life and faith in Christ. That is the work of God the Holy Spirit. Yet God's method of grace and his chosen instruments of good must not be despised. God's ordained means of grace is the preaching of the gospel of Christ. No sinner will ever obtain divine illumination, conversion to God, the forgiveness of sins, sanctification and faith in Christ apart from the preaching of the gospel. Therefore those men who faithfully preach the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ are to be loved and highly esteemed for their work's sake (1 Thess. 5:12-13; Isa. 52:7). Salvation comes to sinners by faith in Christ, and faith in Christ comes by the preaching of the gospel. In the verses under consideration, the Holy Spirit records seven things God does for sinners when he saves them by his almighty grace through the preaching of the gospel.

    1. He opens the eyes of the blind

    All are spiritually blind by nature, totally ignorant of the things of God. But when God saves sinners, he sends a man to preach the gospel to them in the power of the Holy Spirit, 'to open their eyes'. The preacher cannot do the work. Only the Holy Spirit can open spiritually blind eyes (John 3:3; 1Cor.2:9-14; 2Cor.4:6;Eph.1:17-18). The preacher is merely the instrument of illumination. He holds forth the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in Christ. When God opens a sinner's eyes the latter sees himself as a sinner, justly condemned (Ps. 51:4; Job 42:5-6; Isa. 6:1-5; Rom. 3:19; 7:9), and utterly incapable of justifying himself (Job 9:20,30-33). God shows men their need of a substitute. Then he shows them the glory of Christ as the sinner's substitute (Rom. 3:24-26).

    2. He turns the wicked 'from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God'

    Conversion is the proof of election, redemption, regeneration and the effectual call. It is the work of God. True, believers tum to God with willing hearts, but only because they have been turned by God (Ps. 80:3,7,17; 85:4; Lam. 5:21). Conversion is a heart work. It is more than a reformation of life. It is a turning of the heart to God. 'Conversion', wrote Joseph Alleine, 'is a deep work, a heart work. It goes throughout the man, throughout the mind, throughout the members, throughout the entire life.' And conversion is a lifelong work. It is the commencement of a lifelong devotion to God. Believers are described by Peter as those who are continually 'coming' to Christ until, at last, they come to him in heaven (1 Peter 2:4).

    3. He grants them 'the forgiveness of sins'

    This is what convicted sinners want and need above all else. It is the first thing they desire from God. The first prayer of every saved sinner is the prayer of the tax collector: 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner.' The sweetest words ever heard on earth are the words of Christ, spoken to repenting sinners: 'Thy sins be forgiven thee!' Guilt is terrible; forgiveness is glorious! God's forgiveness of the believer's sins is a faithful forgiveness promised in the covenant (1 John 1:9; Jer. 31:34); a just forgiveness, purchased, secured and demanded by the blood of Christ (Eph. 1:6); a full forgiveness, including all sin, past, present and future (Isa. 43:25; 44:22); and an everlasting, irrevocable forgiveness (Rom. 4:8; Jer. 50:20). Once bestowed, it can never be denied or taken away. This forgiveness cannot be purchased with money, or earned by the merits of good works. It is the free grace gift of God, received by the hand of faith. Trusting Christ, sinners obtain 'forgiveness of sins'.

    4. He gives them an eternal inheritance in Christ

    In salvation, God bestows upon forgiven sinners an eternal inheritance of grace and glory in Christ, an 'inheritance among them which are sanctified'. This inheritance is something we enjoy now, for Christ is our portion now, and in him we now possess all the blessings of grace (Eph. 1:3). But Paul's reference is obviously to the believer's eternal, heavenly inheritance. All who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are 'heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ' (Rom. 8:17). It is an inheritance of grace. It belongs to every child of God equally and completely. There are no degrees of reward in heaven! How can anyone who believes in salvation by grace alone imagine that some part of heaven's glorious inheritance is earned or lost by works, or the lack of them? Heavenly glory is simply the climax and completion of saving grace.

    5. He completely sanctifies them by his grace

    The Lord Jesus declared to Paul that, just as we are saved and forgiven by faith, we are 'sanctified by faith that is in' him. Most people imagine that sanctification (holiness) is a matter of progressive effort and work. It is not! Sanctification is altogether the gift and work of grace, received by faith in Christ. We were separated unto God in holy election (Jude 1), declared to be holy by the blood of Christ in justification (Heb. 10:10-14) and given a holy nature by God the Holy Spirit in regeneration (2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 3:9). We grow in grace, love, faith, etc. Every living thing grows. But we do not grow in holiness, righteousness and sanctification. Our standing before God never varies. We are perfect and complete in Christ (Col. 2:10).

    6. He gives them faith in Christ

    The Lord Jesus declares that all these blessings of grace are 'by faith that is in' him. This faith is the gift of God, the operation of his grace (Eph. 1:19; 2:8; Col. 2:12;Phil. 1:29). Faith is not the cause of grace, but the gift of grace and the evidence of grace (Heb. 11:1). And this faith is created in sinners by the power of God the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the gospel (Rom. 10:17).

    7. He makes them his willing servants

    When God saves a rebel, he makes him a willingly obedient servant, as he did Saul of Tarsus (26:19). Grace conquers the heart, subdues the will and makes those who naturally hate God (Rom. 8:7) willing servants of God. Believers bow to Christ and gladly take his yoke upon them (Matt. 11:28-30). Where there is no surrender to the rule of Christ as Lord there is no faith in Christ as Saviour (Luke 14:25-33).