How Many Souls Have You Kept From Christ?

How Many Souls Have You Kept From Christ?

Occasionally we hear Christians relating the number of souls they have brought to salvation by leading them to Christ. One of our old hymns asked the question, Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown? Ideally, every person who has been in Christ for any length of time should be able to report one or more friends or relatives he has led to the Master. To hear reports of souls saved is heart warming and encouraging. Unfortunately, not everyone has been effective in winning souls. In fifty years in the kingdom I have known a number of Christians who, rather than persuade sinners to embrace Christ, have kept them from salvation.

Some, by their method of teaching, have driven souls away from the Lord and his church. These misguided brethren may well have had a proper understanding of the way of salvation. They may have been well acquainted with the errors of denominationalism and able to refute them handily. But when they tried to teach the lost, their approach and method had the opposite effect. Some have an arrogant, “know it all” spirit. Some are sarcastic. Some seem to be self-righteous to those they would teach. Some are hateful and judgmental in dealing with those who are confused or misled about salvation. Some are rude and thoughtless in pointing out the errors of others. Some go about teaching others as if it is a contest that they must win. Some have not taken time to learn a good, workable approach to teaching. They are like the bull in the china shop, they destroy rather than build up. Rather than teach the sinner that God loves him, that Jesus died for him and wants him to be saved, they prefer to spar about points of doctrine, worship and practice. Rather than gently instructing him in the way of salvation, they spend their time attacking and ridiculing his previous teaching. Rather than presenting the glories of Christ’s church, they prefer to discredit the church of his fathers. They might win the argument but they lose the soul! Such brethren do not understand the importance of “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). They have not grasp the truth that a spiritual man will approach the erring “in a spirit of gentleness” (Gal.6:1). Rather than being messengers of Christ, bearing good news for the lost, they desire to be the judge of the lost (Jas. 4:11-12).

Some will be responsible for driving people away from Christ and his church because of their factious spirit. There are people who seem to have quarreling and fighting in their blood. Heathen fight with their fists, knives and clubs, but Christians, suffering from this ailment, strive about words (II Tim. 2:14) and seek to control the church where they worship (III John 9-10). They cause unnecessary conflict among brethren and set one against the other. Where they are able to freely operate, conflict and confusion prevail. Churches are divided and brethren are alienated. In every such case there will be some whose hearts are so wounded that they turn their backs on Christ’s church, choosing a peaceful denomination or life without Christianity. Void of the spirit of Christ and love for his church, such factionists often boast of their successes, not at all concerned for the ones who perished because of their divisiveness. No wonder Paul warns us, “A factious man after a first and second admonition refuse; knowing that such a one is perverted...” (Tit. 3:9-10).

Some Christians keep lost souls from Christ by the manner of their lives. We grant that no one is a perfect Christian (Phil. 3:12). We all sin and fall short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23). The best of us will occasionally will forget our commitment to Christ stumble and fall. We have in mind the disciple whose profession of faith is a pretense, whose conduct makes a mockery of the Christian way. Hypocrisy is never a virtue. Of religious hypocrites Christ asked, “how shall ye escape the judgment of hell?” (Matt. 23:33). James depicts the godly man as “without hypocrisy” (Jas. 3:17). One strategically placed hypocrite can do as much damage to the church as a false teacher or a factious man. Such a loathsome soul is like a barrier at the entrance of the church. Even the decadent heathen around us despise the hypocrite and cite him as their reason for rejecting Christ. Sinners can understand the humble saint who with penitent heart confesses his sin and strives to live the godly life. But the stench of hypocrisy will keep multitudes from the Savior (I John 1:9).

May God give us the grace to lead a multitude to the Master who alone can save them from sin.

Sincerely,

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