THE PASSIONATE SOUL WINNER (7).

*WISDOM FOR TODAY.*

*THE PASSIONATE SOUL WINNER (7).*

*Scripture Treasure.*

Rom 9:3

*For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,.*

*Insight and Highlight.*

Paul's wish to accurse himself opens our eyes to the potency of Christ's substitionary doctrine.

*Scripture Commentaries.*

Paul's wish to be accursed opens our eyes to understand how God works in our lives.

Paul was asking God to substitute his salvation for the liberation and salvation of his lost kinsmen.

He wished God would lose him for the gain of his kinsmen.

What later happened in the life of Paul tells us that God would not substitute any life for hell just because he wants to win a soul for Heaven.

We have seen that though Paul made his wish serious because He made reference to Christ and the Holy Ghost, God would not allow the loss of Paul's soul in order to gain the souls of his kinsmen.

The psalmist says in Psalm 16:10 *For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.*

This teaches us that God would not lose a soul to gain another, but *"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.*

because He would gain both the saints and the other souls they won to Himself.

The disciples, according to Church history, died as martyrs, and though some refused their teachings yet the martyrs were counted as dying for the word of God. It is God's wish that these martyrs did not die in vain.

The scriptures record blood of prophets and saints who were slain for the word of God, Rev 16:4-7, 18:24.

Both the souls of the martyed and the souls of those who were transformed to Christ were gains to Heaven.

God does not want anyone to perish, 2 Pet 3: 9. No martyr died in vain, and none of them died to be substituted for hell for the salvation of the people they preached to.

The martyr goes straight into God's presence, Acts 7:55-56, and those who believed the word of God they preached would go with them, and Heaven gains both. They will altogether be raised as the dead in Christ, ref 1 Thess 4:14-17.

Though Paul's wish stands as one of the perfect and selfless examples of an ardent and commited soul winner, his idea of the substitution he wished and proposed was not God's idea of the principle of substitution.

Jesus Christ was an example of God's substitutionary atonement. He died as a substitute for humanity, taking on the punishment for their sins.

His sacrifice as a sacrificial lamb was "once for all," there was no need for any further sacrifices, or any form of self-sacrifice to be made for the forgiveness of sins, Heb 10:6. His death completely atoned for humanity's sin. 

1 John 2:2 calls this principle or doctrine of substitution as propitiation.

John says *And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world".*

He was the only 'corn of wheat' that could die in order to bring much fruit.

John 12:24 says *Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.*

Given John's illustration, neither Christ who died was a loss because He rose again nor the souls who believed in Him. Christ and the souls became gain to the Kingdom.

Therefore, Paul's self-sacrifice and zeal to wish himself accursed and forfeit his salvation in order to win his lost kinsmen would not be acceptable to God. God will not lose his soul in hell in order to have the souls of his kinsmen in Heaven. He would rather have his soul and his kinsmen's in Heaven.

The salvation of anyone of us is too precious to be wished away.

God's atoning power was later reflected in Paul's declaration that *".....neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing” can “separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”* (Rom. 8:38–39).

He would later write that he would have self-control to avoid *".....when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.* 1 Cor 9:27.

Though God knew Paul was willing to forfeit his salvation, God made him know that his salvation was too precious to forfeit.

Though he was willing but God would not relinquish his salvation.

Though he was willing to forfeit his salvation, God was more willing to protect it.

God knew his heart, and so He saw him through to the end.

No matter what the righteous wish in order to win the lost, God sees his heart. He knew Paul loved his salvation, and God knew, so He guided him. He understood His zeal. He will not see the righteous forsaken, ref Psalm 37:25.

*Remorse corner.*

God would rather have Paul saved along with his kinsmen.

*Call to Word action.*

Only in Christ are we substituted with life. Even in Christ's substitutionary plan, both He and the souls that believed in His death and resurrection were gains to Heaven.

*The Christian clarion duty.*

God will not lose you to hell because He wants you to gain someone to Heaven. He would rather have you both in Heaven.

*Prayer.*

Lord, guide my wishes to win souls for You.

Let me not be a castaway as l preach others to Christ in Jesus name.

Good morning all, and have a blessed day.

God bless you.