Archives For Evangelism

Is It Essential to Use the Word "Savior" in Gentile Evangelism?

February 28, 2011

An examination of the occurrences of the word Savior in Scripture reveals some striking facts. The following study seeks ultimately to allow Scripture to direct us concerning the question, “Is it essential to use the word Savior in Gentile evangelism?” 

The word Savior does not occur in the OT until Second Samuel 22:3. This means that the first nine books of the OT do not have the word even once. It occurs twelve times in five books among the remaining 29 books. Of the 39 books of the OT, the word thus does not occur in 33 of them. (The word does occur in two other books as a plural in references to people [Neh. 9:27; Oba. 21]). 

Four books have one occurrence each (2 Kings 13:5; Psalm 106:21; Jer. 14:8; Hos. 13:4). Isaiah has 8 occurrences (19:20; 43:3, 11; 45:15, 21; 49:26; 60:16; 63:8). Of these references, the first one refers ultimately to the Messiah’s future work in the end times, but the rest do not (at least directly and unambiguously) seem to set forth the Messiah as the Savior. The OT, therefore, uses the word Savior only once to emphasize who the Messiah would be. 

In the NT, the word does not occur in Matthew or Mark. God thus inspired two Gospels that present the life of Christ without using the word at all. The word Savior occurs twice in Luke (God [Luke 1:47] and Jesus [2:11]) and once in John (Jesus, 4:42). In Luke, it occurs in the angelic announcement at the birth of Christ, which certainly was an announcement of good news for all people. In John, the word occurs in a statement by some Samaritans who heard Christ and believed in Him. The Gospels, therefore, lack any explicit record of its use in evangelism by any human. They also do not record a single instance of Jesus’ referring to Himself as the Savior. 

The word Savior occurs twice in Acts (5:31; 13:23), but not in either of the two epochal accounts of apostolic evangelism, Pentecost and Gentecost. Instead, in two lesser accounts, the word occurs in explicit statements concerning what God has done for Israel. Acts 5 records the testimony of Peter and the apostles to the Jewish Council, and thus appears not to have much direct bearing on our understanding of Gentile evangelism. Though there were Gentiles present when Paul preached his message in Antioch (13:42), his subsequent statement (13:46) shows that he did not regard this occasion at least in some sense as Gentile evangelism. Acts, therefore, does not record a single instance of the use of the word Savior in a context of exclusively Gentile evangelism. 

The word Savior also does not occur in the four major theological epistles concerning salvation (Romans; 1 Corinthians; Galatians; Hebrews; this identification of these books as the four major theological epistles concerning salvation is from a recent statement in a sermon by Dr. Mark Minnick). Its absence in the greatest theological treatise in the world about salvation, the book of Romans, is incredible. Furthermore, Paul’s statements in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 declare central truths about the gospel, but they do not use the word Savior to do so. (If use of the word were truly central to apostolic evangelism, 1 Corinthians 15:3 would seemingly have been a prime place for Paul to do so.)

In the other Epistles, it occurs 19 times. The word refers to the Father 7 times (three times each in First Timothy [1:1; 2:3; 4:10] and Titus [1:3; 2:10; 3:4] and once in Jude 25). 

The word Savior refers to Jesus 12 times in these Epistles (once each in four books [Eph. 5:23; Phil. 3:20; 2 Tim. 1:10; 1 John 4:14]; three times in Titus [1:4; 2:13; 3:6]; and five times in Second Peter [1:1, 11; 2:20; 3:2, 18]). Two of the twelve references to Jesus in the Epistles have significant relevance concerning apostolic evangelism (2 Tim. 1:10; 1 John 4:14), but lack of further information leaves unclear their exact relevance for evangelism today. 

The word Savior does not occur in Revelation. The inspired capstone of divine revelation thus does not use the word at all to refer to Jesus. 

Based on this analysis of the divinely inspired content of Scripture, how much emphasis and what kind of emphasis should we give to this word in our doctrine and practice? In particular, is it essential to use the word Savior in Gentile evangelism?

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Profiting Fully from Pentecost and "Gentecost"

February 24, 2011

Luke provides us with lengthy accounts of two premier evangelistic events (Acts 2 and 10). He gives additional information about them in both Acts 11 and 15.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter first exercised the keys of the kingdom of heaven that Christ gave him (Matt. 16:18-19). On that occasion, the church began in Jerusalem with a multitude of devout Jews repenting toward God (Acts 2:38-41) and believing in Jesus Christ (11:17).

In Caesarea, Peter again exercised those keys of the kingdom. Many Gentiles repented toward God (11:18) and believed in Jesus Christ on that occasion (15:7; cf. 11:17; 15:11). In keeping with Peter’s explicitly linking these two key evangelistic events (11:15-17; cf. 15:8-9; 11), I have coined the term “Gentecost” as a fitting and convenient way to refer to the latter event (shortened from “Gentile Pentecost”; cf. comments on Acts 11:13-16 by J. B. Polhill, Acts, in NAC, 267).

Although many have directed considerable attention to Pentecost, it seems that they have given Gentecost far less attention by comparison.[1] Without a thorough treatment of both accounts, however, we do not profit fully from either.

We begin a thorough treatment of the accounts by determining the overall length of the information given about each event. Acts 2 provides 41 verses overall about Pentecost and 28 verses concerning Peter’s message and verbal ministry (2:14-41). Adding the four verses referring to that event in two subsequent passages (11:15, 17; 15:8-9) we learn that there are 45 total verses about Pentecost in three passages in Acts.

Acts 10 provides 48 verses overall about Gentecost and 12 verses concerning Peter’s message and verbal ministry (10:34-43; 47-48). Subsequent references in three passages provide at least 22 more verses about that event (11:1-18; Peter at the Jerusalem Council [15:7-9; possibly 15:11 as well]; James at the Jerusalem Council [15:14; cf. 15:15-17 and 15:18]). Luke thus provides at least 70 total verses about Gentecost in four passages in Acts.

At the very least, this comparison suggests that we should give equal attention to both the Pentecost and the Gentecost accounts. Because the latter accounts are of considerably greater combined length than the former, our concluding in fact that they warrant greater attention is reasonable.

In addition, because the vast majority of our evangelism today is Gentile evangelism, we would do well to give the Gentecost accounts both much more analysis that is thorough and widespread focused attention in our teaching and preaching. (Future articles will present many more reasons for giving these accounts special attention.) Only then will we put ourselves in a position to profit fully from Pentecost and Gentecost.

[1] In spite of my having heard several thousand messages in the more than twenty years that I have been a believer, I have not heard someone preach or teach a Sunday school class even once on Gentecost. Of course, people have preached and taught on that passage over those years, but somehow it has worked out that I have never heard any preaching or teaching that has focused on this premier account of Gentile evangelism.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Learning from the Great Commissioner

February 22, 2011

The concluding verses of the Gospel of Matthew reveal vital information concerning the Great Commissioner. Concerning Him, the final twenty verses of Matthew’s Gospel display a striking contrast that becomes clear through close attention to the flow of thought. 

As is true of the other Gospels, the conclusion of Matthew includes testimony concerning the appearances of Jesus to His disciples. In these accounts, Matthew 28 features two instances of people worshiping Jesus. First, we read that Jesus met and greeted two women. The women responded by coming to Him and worshiping Him (28:9). These Jewish women did so because they believed that Jesus was God. Because Matthew and the Holy Spirit chose to inform us of this event, we must keep it in mind as we further examine the flow of thought. 

After five verses (28:11-15) not directly concerning the appearances, we read of a second appearance. Jesus met His disciples in the place that He had appointed them (28:16). Seeing Jesus, the disciples worshipped Him, but some doubted (28:17). Once again, Matthew presents us with testimony about those who believed that Jesus was God. 

Matthew’s placing two such accounts in rapid succession suggests strong emphasis on the deity of Jesus. Intriguingly, the next verse, however, contrasts strikingly with that emphasis. Moreover, it does so through recording the statement with which Jesus as the Great Commissioner chose to preface His commissioning of the disciples. Jesus came and said to them, “All power [Gk. authority] is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (28:18). He could easily have said, “I have all authority in heaven and earth,” but He did not. Had He done so, the strong emphasis on His deity would have been continued, instructing all His disciples throughout the ages that He wants their attention directed chiefly to the authority that He had then and continues to have today as God. 

Because Jesus chose not to preface His commissioning in this manner, we must conclude that He wants to emphasize to us that His God-given authority is the primary source of His authority as the Great Commissioner. Whatever else we do with the rest of the information given about the Commission, both here and elsewhere, we miss out on a key part of our discipling others concerning world evangelism and discipleship if we do not give attention to and emphasize His intermediate authority.

Moreover, this feature of Matthew 28 should serve to instruct us to attend carefully to many other seminal statements concerning Jesus’ role as the Agent of God (John 5:22; 26-27; Acts 1:7-8; 2:36; 3:26; 5:31; 10:42; 13:23; 17:30-31; Rom. 15:8-9; Gal. 4:4; 1 Thess. 4:14; Titus 3:6; Heb. 5:5-6; 1 Pet. 1:21; Rev. 2:27; 3:12). When we do so, we discover that the ending of Matthew 28 is not an exceptional instance that only serves to confirm the “rule” that emphasizing the deity of Christ is what we should primarily focus on in our evangelism and discipleship. Thorough attention to the entire New Testament shows that the New Testament writers greatly emphasized the agency of Jesus. We need to learn from Matthew 28 and many other passages that the Great Commissioner Himself wants us to do likewise. 

Although we are to emphasize the deity of Jesus in our evangelism and discipleship, we must not stop there. We must also emphasize His agency. 

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Evangelize Jesus and the Resurrection!

February 15, 2011

Concerning apostolic evangelism, few chapters in Scripture provide as much important information as Acts 17 does. With great skillfulness, Luke presents the Apostle Paul’s evangelistic ministry in multiple settings. The chapter records Paul’s evangelizing in three cities (Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens) on at least five separate occasions. We learn of his gospel ministry to Jews and Gentiles, men and women, rich and poor people, devout people and philosophers, and people in synagogues, in the marketplace, and at the Areopagus. 

Thorough attention to all that Acts 17 records shows emphasis on Pauline proclamation of “Jesus and the Resurrection” at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the chapter (17: 3, 18, 32). Despite this consistent element of his preaching, some scholars and not a few preachers have asserted, in effect, that Paul more or less “failed” in his gospel ministry at the Areopagus. Lack of explicit record to his testifying concerning faith in the name of Jesus, the Cross, and Jesus as Savior lead many to regard this passage as a record of his departing from his normal evangelistic strategy.

Through three messages that I preached in October 2010, I have addressed such assessments to show that that they are unwarranted. Acts 17:18-34 is not in any sense a monument to Pauline failure in evangelism. Rather, the entire chapter plainly declares that Pauline evangelism at its essence was to evangelize Jesus and the Resurrection. 

Acts 17 – Another King 

Acts 17 – Make Known the True God 

Various passages – Evangelize Jesus and the Resurrection

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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