28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
Some have pointed out to me that the Bible has used the word “persuade” in our efforts to evangelize the lost. “Why would God want us to persuade anyone if they couldn’t be persuaded?”
I see this question as someone grasping for straws in trying to prove man has the ability to come to Christ, the ability to believe, and the ability to repent - all in, and of themselves, and outside God’s working in them. Here are some examples of persuade being used:
Luke 16:31 - And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Acts 19:8 - And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
Acts 28:23-29 - And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. (Bible Truth #393)
None of these examples make the least bit of difference and none change God’s Word! As a matter of fact, it was Jesus Who said in the passage from Luke that men will not be persuaded even if one rose from the dead! As is always the case, Jesus is right - One HAS risen from the dead and are men persuaded? Not in the least.
I’m sure the man who believes in decisional salvation would disagree and say, “But men ARE persuaded. Many come to Jesus every day through persuasion.” Oh? So Jesus is wrong? Sorry, Jesus said men will NOT be persuaded. There is no room for an exception.
But regarding salvation, lost men aren’t persuaded, they’re convicted. God is simply using the efforts of those who proclaim the Gospel to quicken the dead spirits of some lost, giving them eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to understand. Then, and only then, can they be convicted by the Holy Spirit because the man without the Spirit, i.e. the lost man, understands nothing from the Holy Spirit. It is foolishness to him and he will not accept it (1 Corinthians 2:14).
The circumstances of our Gospel proclamation have no effect on the lost because nothing we do will quicken a man who is dead in his sins (Ephesians 2:1, 2:5; Colossians 2:13), nothing we do will cause a lost man to come unto the Light (John 3:20), and nothing we say or do will cause a lost man to please God and “accept” Christ (Romans 8:8).
No matter the method we use to proclaim the Gospel, God will quicken only those He chose in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). Only those God has appointed to eternal life will believe (Acts 13:48). Only those belonging to Jesus will believe (John 10:26) because only God’s children will even be able to listen to God’s Word (John 8:42-47).
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