Genuine faith never comes by coercion, force, manipulation, or some type of trickery. The scripture is clear that unless God acts upon the heart of a person, that person will remain eternally lost in their sin. Jesus Christ did not force people to follow Him, nor did He take revenge because they rejected to follow.
In Lukes’ gospel chapter nine, the disciples apparently thought that if Jesus would send fire down on the Samaritans that rejected him, that dramatic event may convince a whole lot of folks to think twice about rejecting the Son of God, therefore putting their faith in Him.
Luke 9:52 ” And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him.
Luke 9:53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.
Luke 9:5 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
When the disciples brought this foolish idea to Jesus, He not only rejected the idea but sternly rebuked them for such an idiocy.
Luke 9:55 “But he turned and rebuked them.”
The Lord Jesus responded in mercy toward those who didn’t follow him. Mercy was given and still is to this day toward all who reject Him, at least temporarily. Christ came to seek and save the lost, not to force people to believe or wipe them out because they didn’t respond the way the disciples wanted them to respond.
Now before we sit back today in our comfortable pews and chairs and call out the disciples for having such a twisted idea we would do well as Christians of the 21st century to look and question our methods. Would Jesus rebuke us? Would Jesus rebuke our pragmatic programs? Would he rebuke our worship? Would He rebuke our evangelism? Would He rebuke our clever ideas, even our traditions? I’m afraid in many, if not most situations He absolutely would.
If you have to force or manipulate someone to believe something it’s not genuine faith. We live in America where people have the freedom to worship how they choose, regardless of the particular religion. Whether you believe it or not, that is a beautiful thing. We do not want the state/government dictating to us what we can believe and what we cannot. Thank God our forefathers understood this.
Clearly the church is compelled by command to go and preach the gospel calling men and women to come to Christ and be forgiven of their sin. It’s only then that man can experience true everlasting peace with God and joy within their heart. The following are the words of the Lord Jesus.
Mat 11:28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:2 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Pastor Scott Tyler
Oak Street Baptist Church
