What The Bible Says About Soul-Winning
- To Do Witnessing… or Be a Witness
Series - Part 3
“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.
The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.” - Proverbs 4:18-19 NASB
A really long time ago, God challenged an old man who lived out in the desert to count the stars, if he was able. Then God promised this 100 year old, childless man, that his descendants would be as countless as those stars in the heavens. (Genesis 15:5) I love this family picture!
Abraham may not have been able to count the stars or have even the slightest idea of exactly how many descendants he would have, but God knew, because God can count the stars. In fact, “He counts the stars and calls them all by name.” (Psalm 147:4 NLT) The Father’s scrapbook must be enormous and I am excited that my picture is in it, because I am one of Abraham’s “Stars,” through faith in the resurrection of the Messiah, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Is your picture and name in the Lamb’s book of Life?
We have begun a series on “Soul-Winning,” but we are primarily focusing right now on building up and encouraging you, the “Soul-Winner.” We want you to be confident in your union with Christ through the Holy Spirit, Who is the ultimate “Winner of Souls”. If you are joining us for the first time, we’d like to encourage you to go back and read (or listen) to the Series Intro and also Part 2, as we are building on a foundation with each article.
We started this series with the promise made to Abraham about his descendants. Abraham’s descendants include his natural born descendants (of course), but in the book of Romans, we learn that those who are of the faith of Abraham are his descendants indeed. (We’ll get back to this in a moment.) These descendants will be like the stars of the heavens… too many to count. What are stars designed to do?...Shine!!!
“Those who are [spiritually] wise will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead many to righteousness, [will shine] like the stars forever and ever.” - Daniel 12:3 AMP
So far, in this series, we have learned that if we have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and received Him as our Lord and Savior, then we have been filled with His light and we shine already. God is light and there is no darkness in God at all, according to 1 John 1:5. So, if God is light and we have been filled with His Holy Spirit, then we have the Light of Life. We are well equipped to shine that light into the darkness, so the unbelieving can see the glory of God and turn to be saved. We are learning to have confidence in the good nature of our God and allowing that good nature and light to flow out of us, not hindered by fear and uncertainty. We don’t hide His light under a basket,because our God is not at all concerned about the darkness. This is the great energy and power of His light. In His light, we see light! (see Psalm 36:9)
In this article, we will be taking up the second part of Daniel 12:3 that “those who lead many to righteousness, [will shine] like the stars forever and ever.” As we begin to discuss the topic of “those who lead many to righteousness,”we are going to circle back to the testimony of Abraham and those who are his descendants by faith. Abraham was made righteous or declared righteous by God because of his faith, and so are all of those who possess the same faith as Abraham had. They, too, are declared righteous with God because of their faith. We want to unpack this a bit in this article to help you become “established in righteousness.” Knowing that you yourself are already a light and being established in righteousness is an important part of “Soul-Winning.” So, let’s get started as we take a look at this first promise...
“And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.” - Isaiah 54:13-14 KJV
We find that the previous chapter, which would be Isaiah 53, contains the great prophesy concerning the Messiah, His substitutionary sufferings, and His finished work in dying for our sin. Then comes Isaiah 54, where we find this wonderful promise, and it is a beautiful picture of restoration for the people of God, because of the Messiah’s finished work. The Apostle Paul gives us a clue in Galatians 4:21-5:1 that this chapter in Isaiah 54 is written to believers who are led by the Spirit of God. These promises of restoration are for those who have been faithful to believe and are willing to serve Him. (By the way, I encourage you to go and read all of the promises contained in Isaiah 53 and 54… it will build your faith!) But for now, let’s take note of just a few of the promises for the believer in these few verses of Isaiah 54.
First, it speaks of children being taught by the Lord Himself, and great peace is prophesied for the children. Well, as it turns out, all who believe in and put their faith in Jesus Christ are called the children of God (see John 1:12). Can you imagine having this kind of “great” peace; peace in your heart, peace in your mind, peace in your body? The opposite of peace is what people are experiencing in the world today, which is turmoil, disruption, fear, confusion, deception, warfare, unrest, uncertainty and so on. However, this verse promises “great” peace for the believer, but you’ll notice that this peace is connected with being “taught of the Lord.” This is important!
Is it really possible to have perfect peace? Yes, yes it is! Jesus had perfect peace and as He was preparing to depart from the earth, He declared this amazing promise to His disciples…
“Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]” - John 14:27 AMP
Jesus, the Prince of Peace, bequeathed His peace to His followers, and that perfect peace is released to us in our new birth and is constantly being supplied to us, as long as it is not choked out by fear and a heart that is troubled. The Lord keeps us in perfect peace as we trust in Him, by keeping our mind focused on Him, His promises, and His finished work of redemption and salvation…
“You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].” Isaiah 26:3 AMP
What if I don’t feel like I’m in perfect peace? I’ve had to ask myself this question many times. Well, the answer lies in the second part of this verse… “Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].” When I trust in the Lord, He keeps me in perfect peace. So if I’m not in peace… Well, it’s probably because I have slipped out of that place of trust and confident hope and expectation in Him. Yikes...I hate it when that happens! I feel so lost at those times, but the Lord has given us a solution, if we will use it.
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time,
casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].”- 1 Peter 5:6-7 AMP
“Cast your burden on the Lord [release it] and He will sustain and uphold you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall, fail).” - Psalm 55:22 AMP
Wow!!! That seems so easy, yet how often we forget to do this and remain humble before the Lord. I heard someone say once, that if you are having a problem, “don’t cast your cares on other people who cannot help you, cast your cares on the Lord, Who can help you.” This is good advice.
Having our heart filled with His peace and rest makes it possible for us to be established in righteousness, and being established in righteousness leads to a life without oppression, fear or terror. Why??? Because God promises that it will not come near us… And if it does, God continues in Isaiah 54 with this promise…
“Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” - Isaiah 54:15-17 KJV
So, we circle back to the question...How? How do we become “established in righteousness?” How do we even become righteous? Back when I was a younger believer, I did not really know the correct answer to this question. In fact, if you had asked me if I was righteous, I would have said...”Not so much today, ask me tomorrow...first thing in the morning, preferably!” This is because I assumed my righteousness was based on my perfect behavior. Now, while righteousness will produce perfect behavior, your behavior will never produce righteousness...Why? There are two reasons. The first reason is because God, in His Word, declares that none of us are righteous. Let’s look at some of these verses…
“As it is written and forever remains written,“There is none righteous [none that meets God’s standard], not even one.” - Romans 3:10 AMP
“Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who always does good and who never sins.” - Ecclesiastes 7:10 AMP
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:23 KJV
“Hear my prayer, Lord, Listen to my pleadings! Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness!
And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For no person living is righteous in Your sight.” - Psalm 143:1-2 NASB
Well now, that is kind of sobering, isn’t it! So it turns out that none of us start out right with God, in right standing, or in right behavior or nature. Only God is righteousness! His Son demonstrated, on earth, His holy and righteous nature, but as it concerns us human beings, we are also told that “we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”(Isaiah 64:6a). That is because everything we did had to pass through our unrighteous, sin-filled nature. So, without God’s perfect nature working in us and through us, this is the best we could muster...filthy rags. Ouch!
I recently found an interesting verse that was penned by King David during a time when his sins had found him out. Notice what he says…
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” - Psalm 51:5 KJV
David had been confessing his sins before God when he made this interesting declaration. What was David saying here? Was he saying that his own mother sinned in order to conceive him? While it can be true that there arechildren conceived out of wedlock or in adultery, just as one of David’s children had been when he had committed adultery with Bathsheba, but was David transferring his own guilt over on to his mother? This seemed like a weird verse to me, at first, as there is absolutely no Scriptural record that David’s mother committed sin in conceiving him. Let’s take a look at the whole confession in a different translation, and I think it will become a little more clear what David was saying…
“Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.
Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.
For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.
For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” - Psalm 51:1-5 NLT
Now this makes much more sense! You see, David had a very real sense of his corrupted nature. He deeply loved God and was even called by God as “a man after His own heart.” (1 Samuel 13:14) Even though David wasn’t perfect, he had a revelation of the goodness and mercy of God, and he wanted to serve God with his whole heart. David knew he was a sinner and had made many mistakes in violating God’s laws and moral standards, but somewhere along the line, God had given him a revelation that he was born with a sin nature. He knew where that sin in him had come from...He was born with it! Though he did everything he could to wholly follow the Lord and do everything God commanded him to do (see Acts 13:22), he still met face to face with that sin nature within him. That sinful nature convinced him to take advantage of another man’s wife, then send that innocent man to the front lines of battle, hoping he would be killed in the process, in order to hide the adulterous sin he had committed with his wife while he was away at battle. This was David’s brilliant plan to try to conceal the unexpected pregnancy that occurred. David had hoped to cover the whole wicked thing, but David couldn’t hide things from His God.This was a grievous sin against his God and David knew it in his heart.
However, just like Abraham, David also discovered something about righteousness with God. Righteousness is given as a gift by God to those who “believe God” and His Word concerning His Son (the Messiah, the Savior). It is not given as a payment to those who try to work for it, earn it, or perform for it. This is the second reason that your behavior will never produce righteousness, because it is a gift of grace, not a reward for good behavior. Both David and Abraham had a revelation of this gift of righteousness. Let’s read carefully this next Scripture. There is amazing revelation here, so stick with me through the whole thing. This is the Apostle Paul’s explanation of attaining righteousness in Romans, chapter 4. Here we go...
“Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God?
If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way.
For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned.
But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.
David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it:
“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.
Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”
Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith.
But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!
Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith.
And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.”
I’d like to interject here for just a moment and make a simple clarification, as I do not have time in this article to expound on the law of circumcision. Circumcision was prescribed in the Old Covenant of Law and in this passage it represents the act of doing something in order to get something. What Paul is trying to explain is that you no longer have to do something to be qualified to receive the righteousness of God, other than to believe that God forgives sinners. The way He made that possible was through the death, burial, and resurrection of Messiah, Jesus Christ, His Son. Let’s continue…
“Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.
If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless.
For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)”
Again, I am going to interject to say that the way to righteousness could not be achieved for us by trying to obey God’s laws. The problem wasn’t God’s laws, the problem was our sin nature. The Law of God was inflexible. It’s not like our justice systems today, where we just let things slide if you have enough money or clout. If you broke God’s Law, even at the tiniest point, you were guilty of the punishments associated with the broken law. If you broke the Law in one place, you were guilty of breaking the whole thing. (James 2:10) There was no hope for us who were plagued with a sin nature or a propensity toward disobedience, especially since we were born with it, because of Adam & Eve’s first sin. (see Romans 5:12, 19) I always challenge unbelievers to see if they can be perfect in thoughts and behavior for just 24 hours and see if it’s possible. We all know that without a redeemed nature, it is not. As this Scripture says in the last verse. “(The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)” The only way to have no law to break was that someone had to be perfect enough in thought, behavior and deeds in order to fulfill the Law. That person was Jesus, the sinless Son of God. Let’s continue reading on about the promise of righteousness…
“So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.
That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.
Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”
And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.
He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.
And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.
And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded
for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.” - Romans 4:1-25 NLT
Friends, you became righteous when you took God at His word and believed that Jesus bore the punishment and guilt for your sins on the cross. You became righteous with God when you believed that God raised His Son from the dead, because you had been justified, which means declared “Not Guilty!” Why were you declared “Not Guilty?” Because Jesus hung in your place, received your curses, your guilt, your punishment for every infraction, for every misstep, for every purposeful or unintentional violation against God’s Law and perfect standards for human living. Jesus not only bore your punishment, along with your sicknesses and diseases and pains, but He also “became sin,” which means He took into His own sinless humanity your sin nature.
“He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious loving kindness].” - 2 Corinthians 5:21 AMP
It was this Divine transfer that purged you of the sin nature that you were born with. When Jesus died at the cross, that sin nature died in His body and was buried. Jesus was the fulfillment of all of the Old Covenant offerings, and His sacrifice was so pleasing to God and so effectually put away our sin, that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is simply amazing!
How are we made righteous then? By our good behavior or works or our obedience to laws? No! (see Galatians 2:16) Righteousness is a gift to be received simply by faith. Oh, how this message finally freed me, and continues to free me, from trying to earn the things of God. Like I said before, if you had asked me if I believed I was righteous, in my early days, I would have said “No!” In fact, if you were to ask entire congregations today, you may received the same answer. So let me ask you, right now…
ARE YOU RIGHTEOUS WITH GOD???
If you are uncertain of your answer right now, then you probably are not. However, since righteousness is a gift from God, all you have to do is receive it. If you have made it this far through this article, then you have been hearing the Gospel (or the Good News) that God has forgiven us of all sin through the sacrifice of His own Son. Friend, just take God at His word, that He loves you and He has already forgiven you all of your sins. If you follow the instructions in the next passage of Scripture, you will be saved and will have received God’s gift of righteousness…
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.
For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - Romans 10:9-13 NLT
Simply declare this from your heart and with your mouth…
“I believe in Jesus! I receive Him as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Father God, for forgiving my sin and cleansing me of all unrighteousness. I look forward to enjoying my everlasting life with You and being able to receive all of your blessings in Christ. Thank you for making me right with You”
Dear Friend, if you prayed that prayer, you are now righteous, cleansed of all sin, and placed in right relationship with God through your Savior, Jesus Christ. You are now a child of God...Welcome to the family!
Becoming “established in righteousness” is a life-long adventure in relationship with our Lord. We are “made” righteous when we believed, but we are “established” in that righteousness over time, as we grow in our relationship and our knowledge of the Lord. Remember the promise from Isaiah 54, that being established in righteousness brings us to a place of being unshakable and steadfast in the faith.
So, why is it so important that we be established in righteousness and how does that relate to “Soul Winning?” Well, the message of righteousness is the Gospel…
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: “But the righteous one will live by faith.” - Romans 1:16-17 NASB
Yes, this message of righteousness and how it is received is the Gospel, and it is this message of righteousness, as a gift by faith, that contains the power of God. God backs up this message of “righteousness by faith” with all of His salvation power. It is the only message the Holy Spirit will confirm with signs and wonders. We had better be “established in righteousness,” or we will be delivering a false message. As a “Soul Winner,” being established in righteousness, will by nature, be effective in winning souls. Hallelujah!
Since we love the Word of God, we’d like to close this article with one last passage of Scripture to confirm all that has been said. May this forever be established in our hearts…
“Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”
But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not!
Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down.
For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God.
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.” - Galatians 2:16-21 NLT
WOW!!!
Now that, Dear Friends, is grace!
written by
Eileen R. Jacobs (December, 2022)
Copyright © 2022 Eileen Jacobs Ministries. All rights reserved.
Artwork © 2022 Kaylee R. Jacobs. All rights reserved.
A Message to the New Believer:
Congratulations &
Welcome to the Family of God
If today you received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, this is an exciting day! All of Heaven is rejoicing over you, and your name has been officially written in the Lambs Book of Life.(Luke 10:20)
“I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” - Luke 15:10
We would like to encourage you to write this date down somewhere important to you. Many people like to write the date of their salvation on the inside cover of their Bible. I can’t stress enough how important this is to do. Not only does it help you remember the day you became a Child of God, but it is a marker of your New Birth, like a birth certificate, which is a legal proof of your existence.
This date or marker is important because, whether you know it or not, there actually is a devil. Since he is a spirit, he has an ability to speak to our minds by way of deceptive thoughts. I can almost guarantee that there will come a time when a suggestive thought will come to your mind that will cause you to question whether you are really saved or not. This is where that date recorded or marker or New Birth certificate becomes important. You can simply go back to your Bible or wherever you wrote it down, and remind yourself, or say to the devil...”Nope, you’re wrong! This date is the day I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, the day of my New Birth, the day I became a Child of God, the day I was forgiven and saved, the day my name was written in the Lamb’s book of life...end of discussion!”
Finally, we would love to know that you have joined the family of God. We are so excited for you and we want to keep you in our prayers. Email us at info@EileenJacobs.orgto let us know!
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