Page 3 of 3What's the problem when we apply "blood on your hands" to evangelism?
As you can see, Ezekiel 3:18-19 does not apply to evangelism. The New Testament believer is not a "watchman" over the world. Today's watchmen are the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
In John 16, Christ declared of the Holy Spirit,
It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (John 16:7-11)
Concerning the Scriptures, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."
The death we speak of to the lost is not merely physical death; it is spiritual death, eternal separation from God. Hebrews 9:27 warns of the eternal death that is beyond physical death for the non-Christian: "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment." Any warnings about this judgment are derived from the Word, not specific revelations.
Our failure to evangelize may mean loss of reward when we see the Savior, but it won't mean God will charge us with murder.
Why is it not "our fault" if someone goes to hell?
God is in complete control, not partial control. He is sovereign, and that sovereignty extends to salvation. Paul testified, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" (Rom. 8:29-30).
The point here is that the blood of non-Christians is not on our hands because God is in control. It is He, not us, who foreknows, predestines, calls, justifies, and glorifies.
Romans 3:11 tells us, "There is none who seeks after God." Non-Christians cannot come to God unless He brings them. If they come to Christ, He has to draw them. When Jesus confronted the ignorance of His own people, who rejected Him, He recognized their inability to remove that blindness. He testified, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44).
God is sovereign over everything including salvation. We should strive not to fail in our responsibility to evangelize, but if we do fail, it's not our fault if nonbelievers go to hell. Although He desires to use us, each person's destiny is in God's hands.
Using Ezekiel 3:18-19 in evangelism is not a proper handling of Scripture. God was speaking to Ezekiel about his responsibility as a watchman to the nation of Israel; He was not speaking about your responsibility as a witness. Yes, some passages may be understood in context and then applied to evangelism, but the Ezekiel passage is not one of them. God's sovereignty over the salvation of each individual leaves the results in His hands, not ours.
—Adapted from 21 Things God Never Said by R. Larry Moyer © 2004. Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved."
