The following is actually a booklet (gospel tract) that I created to help explain the impossibility of a person being saved apart from divine, sovereign grace.___________________________________________________________
Not only will one not understand, but it will also be foolishness to him or her in varying degrees.
WHY? Because understanding the things in the Bible can only occur if God gives to you the ability to
understand and discern them.
Therefore, on your own, with your own intellect it’s impossible to understand the Gospel.
The Bible says:
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.
1 Corinthians 1:18
Only the Holy Spirit can make God's Word understandable to the human mind. Because the unbeliever is spiritually dead (Eph 2:1; Col 2:13), no amount of eloquence on the part of the speaker is able to grant him life. Because he is spiritually blind, no amount of human logic or reason is able to open his eyes to the truth. And because he is spiritually enslaved to sin, no amount of persuasion is able to free him from his unbelief.
The Bible says:
Faith (to believe) comes from hearing the message
Romans 10:17
Faith to understand
and believe in Jesus Christ
is a gift from God.
The Bible Says:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God- Ephesians 2:8
The “gift of God” is both the faith to believe the impossible gospel, and the result- being saved.
Nature is used to explain how biblical truth is received:
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
1 Corinthians 3:6
The good news about Jesus Christ is referred to as seed. Man plants and waters the seed, but only God can make it grow.
Jesus spoke of this impossible gospel:
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” John 6:44
“...no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." John 6:65
Therefore, it is virtually impossible for a person to come to Jesus Christ, believing in Him, unless God the Father draws him and enables him.
My prayer for every person, is that God would grant them to believe, with their heart, the wonderful truth about Jesus Christ.
The first century church in the city of Philippi was granted this gift:
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ…to believe on Him. Philippians 1:29
So the question is, do you believe the following?
In God’s eyes, spiritually, all mankind are: dead in trespasses and sins. Ephesians 2:1
God’s righteousness requires justice. The (justice) payment for sin is the death penalty (Romans 3:23).
Jesus satisfied God’s justice.
The Bible Says:
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3:18
(Jesus) gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age.
Galatians 1:4
If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; Romans 10:9
Do you believe this?
Maybe you are actually believing this for the first time. Some of you have believed the gospel for quite some time. In either case, give thanks to the Lord for the miracle of believing the impossible gospel with your heart, resulting in forgiveness of sins, and eternal life.
A prayer doesn't save a person, but talking to God is a proper response from a person who has received Jesus Christ and eternal life. This might be a suggestion. "Oh, Lord, I don't understand it all, but I do believe in You. I don't know why You've chosen me, but thank You Lord for giving to me the gift of eternal life, the forgiveness of my sin. Thank You for paying the penalty for my sin on the cross. I ask You to make of my life what You desire. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus name, Amen.
But what if I don't believe the gospel?
Then you would would be just like the younger brothers of Jesus. They grew up with Him, played with Him, worked with Him, ate with Him, and maybe even, to some degree, fought with Him. But when Jesus began His 3 1/2 year period of telling people about the kingdom of God, and doing many miracles, they also did not believe in Him.
For not even His brothers were believing in Him. John 7:5
But after His death and resurrection to life, something occurred in the minds and hearts of His brothers. Jesus went from being just their older brother to being their Lord. A few days after Jesus went back to heaven we find a group of believers gathered together. Look who’s with them?
These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. Acts 1:14
My prayer for you who do not believe in Jesus is that God will yet one day open your heart to receive the greatest gift known to man...Jesus Christ and His forgiveness of sin, resulting in eternal life in heaven.
If this is the beginning of a new life for you, the following are some suggestions to help you begin and continue in the Christian life.
- Attend a church where Jesus Christ is preached and honored as God.
- Read your Bible every day. May I suggest beginning in the Gospel of John.
- Talk to God. Pray all the time. Thank Him often.
- Tell other people about Jesus Christ. Tell what has happened in your life and how you became a person who believed in Jesus.
- He's chosen, and called you to serve Him, and others. Demonstrate this by your life.
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