Preach the Gospel to Every Creature

I was speaking to a likable atheist who disagreed with much of what I said. Nevertheless, he was kind enough to listen—for which I was grateful. Here is a comment someone left on our YouTube channel about that colorful interview:

Ray needs to be more selective to whom he witnesses, because he genuinely cares about atheists but he doesn’t realize they are hardened and are not written in the LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE. Therefore he should refrain from trying to witness to these unchosen people, and search for humble-hearted lost people instead.

The commenter said that the gospel isn’t for the hard-hearted. It’s for the humble. He’s right in that respect, but he’s terribly wrong in his conclusion.

“The criteria for us to know who should hear the gospel isn’t to ask if he’s humble or proud but to ask a more important question: Is he breathing?”

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Let’s take a moment to look at someone I knew of who fit perfectly into this hard-hearted category. He was involved in violent crime, was a blasphemer, was arrogant, and was very hard-hearted toward the Christian faith. I’m, of course, speaking of the apostle Paul: “…although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13).

Let’s then look closely at the words of Jesus to see who it is that should hear the gospel:

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

We are commanded to preach the gospel to every creature. How do we reconcile that the gospel is only for the humble? I would estimate that 99 percent of those with whom I share the gospel aren’t humble. Almost all of them think they’re morally good. That’s evidence of a proud heart, not a humble one. I therefore follow the example Jesus gave us in Mark 10:17-21, taking the proud, self-righteous sinner through the Ten Commandments to humble him. That’s the function of God’s Law. Then, once he is humbled and understands the nature of sin and his consequent danger, he will begin to thirst for righteousness. Now he’s ready for the gospel.

It’s a mistake to cast pearls before swine. This is because pigs don’t value pearls. In the same way, the precious pearl of the gospel will have no value to someone who thinks he’s morally good. That’s why we hold back from giving him the pearl of the gospel and instead do what Jesus did: take him through the Law. It prepares the heart for grace.

The criteria for us to know who should hear the gospel isn’t to ask if he’s humble or proud but to ask a more important question: Is he breathing? If he is, he qualifies to hear the message of everlasting life. When we have that biblical perspective, this verse will make sense: “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” (John 4:35).