2 of 5

When Paul speaks of liberties he's willing to forfeit in order to "win the more," he's actually talking about the winning of a hearing. One commentator makes the point, "He was willing to subject himself to the scruples of the Jews in order to gain a hearing for the gospel and to win them to Christ. Yet he never compromised the essence of the gospel, at the heart of which was salvation by faith, not works and freedom from legalism."' Win and save refer to gaining acceptance and a hearing; nothing indicates that God held Paul responsible for the salvation of any Jew or Gentile.

Another might ask, what about Proverbs 11:30? "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." Isn't the emphasis on winning not sharing? This verse isn't about evangelism. The phrase "fruit of the righteous" refers to the good a righteous man does for others. His words, actions, instruction, and example uplift others. Thus, the good he does is a "tree of life." The phrase "he who wins souls is wise" means that a wise man wins people to him. This can be done for sinister reasons, such as using others for selfish gain, but here it's meant in a good sense. The wise man captivates people, having a good influence upon them.

Proverbs 11:30 teaches that righteousness produces fruit, wisdom produces influence. A righteous person produces fruit that has a positive effect upon others. He then uses his influence to win people to him. Although the verse is not talking about evangelism, there could be an application. People often are drawn to Christ because a believer's life attracts them. Consequently, we ought to be "living epistles" to non-Christians. The verse, though, isn't speaking of God's expectation for us to win the lost.

What did Jesus commission His disciples to do? Acts 1:8 says, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

A witness tells what he or she knows. The disciples were to tell what they knew, starting at Jerusalem, the local city—the very city where Christ was rejected and crucified. They were to go from there to the local area of Judea. With Samaria mentioned and Galilee implied, this meant the outer area of Palestine. They were then to go to "the end of the earth," which to the apostles likely would have been Rome, the capital of the empire and the place where people congregated from every quarter. A direct line drawn from Judea to Rome would have been more than fourteen hundred miles long. The book of Acts records the progress of the gospel, first in Jerusalem (chaps. 1-7), then in all Judea and Samaria (chaps. 8-12), and finally to the worldwide Gentile sphere (chaps. 13-28).

The emphasis of the commission is on the disciples' responsibility to bring Christ to non-Christians, not to bring non-Christians to Christ. Proclamation was the issue, not results. Beginning at home, they were to tell what they knew unto the ends of the earth.

next page... |  2 of 5