The manifestation of the glory and grace of God
It was Gisbertus Voetius, the theologian, who said that the first goal of mission work to the unconverted is the display or the manifestation of the glory and grace of God. All of creation exists for the glory of God. We see this truth throughout Scripture. Everything that exists, exists to glorify God: the starry constellations, the sun and moon, the varieties of animal and bird and plant life, the insect world, and all human beings. And the apex of God’s glory is his grace revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” (Ephesians 1:3-7 ESV)
The reason why we evangelize, the reason we go out and share the gospel and make God known to the world, is because it glorifies God. God designed and planned it to be that way. The way God will save all his elect and the way He planned it and executed his plan in history, and the way he uses the means of preaching the gospel and the way he applies salvation to the human heart through the Holy Spirit, gives him the greatest glory. We don’t evangelize to glorify ourselves. We don’t evangelize so that we can get trophies and applause from the Christian community or the world. We don’t evangelize so that we can become famous. We don’t do it to be honored by men. We evangelize because there is no other way that people can be rescued from the power of sin and Satan and the wrath of God. We evangelize because God commands us to do so. We do so because God ordained that it would be through the preaching of the gospel that people would be saved for God’s glory. The word of God states:
“For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:13-17 ESV)
The gospel humbles the pride of man. It leaves no room for men to boast in their own achievements or titles or qualifications. The gospel leaves no room for man to lift his head in pride and glory in his own righteousness. The proclamation of the gospel leads to God extending his grace to vile sinners like you and me. God wants to display and manifest his grace to sinners, and he has chosen to do this through the proclamation of the gospel (See 1 Corinthians 1:21).
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,” (Titus 2:11-12 ESV)
God is most glorified through the gospel because it is there that people are united in fellowship with Him. And God wants to extend this grace to all peoples, people from every nation and tribe and language group (Read Revelation 5:9). When people are united to God through Christ in the Holy Spirit, God achieves his purpose of being glorified. Let those who boast, boast in Christ, for God has made Christ to be our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Dear reader: Are you committed to being involved in the manifestation of God’s glory and grace? God seeks for people to be committed to becoming his image bearers, proclaiming his glorious gospel to a lost world. God is seeking people who will proclaim his gospel so that He might be glorified.
“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15 ESV)
Truths Transform 