In the last two BLOGs we looked at the teaching of the Trinity in order to show that the Gospel is fully Trinitarian and must be applied by grace in order to be fully of grace. I quoted George Smeaton regarding the Trinity and will do so again: “And as to the divine works, the Father is the source FROM WHICH every operation emanates (ex ou), the Son is the medium THROUGH WHICH (di ou) it is performed, and the Holy Ghost is the EXECUTIVE BY WHICH (en wi) it is carried into effect.” This sets out for us the economical Trinity which is the distribution of the work of the Trinity. The ontological Trinity (what it is in and of itself) and the economical Trinity (distribution of work) must never be allowed to divide the Persons of the Trinity. We must also never allow the teachings of the Persons of the Godhead to be so divided that we forget the essential oneness of God. The Gospel of grace, then, must always show the oneness of God and yet the work of each Person. The Gospel proclaims a salvation planned by the Father and earned by the Son. But where is the Holy Spirit in this? Indeed the Son was baptized with the Spirit who gave His fleshly body the strength to carry out the will of the Father, but how is this Gospel of grace applied? If not by the Spirit, then where is the Trinity in the Gospel? The Holy Spirit applies the salvation that was planned by the Father and earned by the Son. It is there we see the Trinity in the Gospel.
In this BLOG we want to look at how the Gospel of grace by all the Persons of the Trinity as one God must determine our methods in evangelism if we are to present the Gospel of grace in truth. The first thing that we must notice is that the person we are dealing with is either dead or s/he is not. If the person is dead, then we have to approach the person in a way that reflects that as a true belief. If the person is sick and even very sick, then our approach must be to determine that reality. If the Father has chosen to save sinners based on Himself, then we can know that evangelism done with His methods and centered upon Him can be done in confidence.
Another point to consider is that God saves sinners for His own glory. God’s very holiness is that He loves Himself (within the Trinity) and will never do anything that is not out of love for Himself which is what our Great Commandment to love God is built upon. Sinners love themselves and do not love God with any of their being and that is why they are at enmity with Him. He makes demands of them to love Him and they want to love themselves. True conversion, therefore, is when a person repents from loving him or herself and trusting in him or herself to loving and trusting God in and through Christ.
Approaching lost men and women, therefore, is something far different than just telling them a message of Christ and leaving it up to them to choose Christ or not. People always love themselves and love things that are in accordance with their chief love and will never turn away from that until they are turned from that by the work of God. In John 6 there were crowds of people seeking after Jesus, but only to get free food: “Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (v. 26). If we go out teaching people things that are in accordance with their self-love and consuming desire to be focused on themselves, then those people may become very religious but they will never be turned from the love of self to the love of God. Instead we must teach them that they are their own idols and they serve themselves. We can get people to make decisions based on self-love, but that is what they must be turned from. We have to go out knowing that it is the Spirit alone who can truly convict of sin. We must teach the truth of God and expect the Spirit to do His work rather than change the Gospel into a man-centered message.
We must also not throw human beings upon their own power and wisdom to make a choice for Christ as Arminian theology does. They must not have any hope left in themselves and all of their hope must be in God. They must see that it is the work of Christ in His life, cross, resurrection and even now that alone can save, but they must not be told to trust in their own choice in order to apply that. It is the work of the Spirit to prepare the soul for Christ. It is the Spirit that opens the eyes that are in darkness and gives light. It is the Spirit that instructs and illumines people to their sin and to the reality of Christ. It is also the Spirit who gives life itself and applies the work of Christ. It is not the choice of man that brings regeneration, but it is the choice of God carried out by the work of the Spirit. The good news of the Gospel is not that Christ has done everything needed for people to be saved and now it is all up to them, but it is that God saves sinners from start to finish. It is God who alone can break the proud hearts of sinners so that as humbled sinners they may receive grace. It is God alone who can open the heart of a person and pour the Spirit in who regenerates and renews that person and pours out the love of God in that soul. Our evangelism must be all about God and the hope that there is in God rather than man. That is a full Gospel.
God Loves... Himself 
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