But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
John 1:12
How much of our evangelistic effort roots itself in this verse, asking people to “receive Christ,” inviting him into their hearts? Is that what John meant when he wrote these words?
Jim Elliff argues that no, John did not have such a practice in mind. And Elliff shows us from the verse’s context a better understanding. Here is one place it takes him:
Our main work is not so much to explain the sinner’s response to Christ (that is important mainly for pretending believers), but to labor on the gospel itself. When we are brutally honest with people about their sin, and lucid about the only answer being in Christ, His death and resurrection, then we have preached the gospel. We have done what is necessary to cooperate with the Spirit in their conversion. We will actually work against the Spirit when we get caught up in a formulaic approach to the gospel as opposed to a content-filled proclamation. Get the message right and depend on God to convict and convert. You will know someone is saved, not when they “pray the prayer,” but when they repent and believe in Christ, with the evidence of truly following Him. Ask, “Do you believe?”
Elliff observes the text closely, in its context, and he argues, from John’s larger message, a better way to think about evangelism. This is terrific.
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