Racism Condemned

Sunday morning and evening, February 27, 2011 Racism Condemned Romans 10:11-13 By P. G. Mathew, M.A., M.Div., Th.M. Copyright © 2011 by P. G. Mathew

The heart of Romans 10:11-13 is that Jesus saves everyone without discrimination. Thank God for this truth! He saves not only the Jews but also the Gentiles. He saves the most wicked sinners in the world when they call upon the name of the Lord. Salvation is for everyone. This truth ought to give hope to those who are outside of Jesus Christ. Today I give you good news: call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved.

Jesus Saves Everyone without Discrimination

The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ does not discriminate. According to the Bible, allare sinners under the wrath of God, and the gospel is to be preached to all peoples of the world. Romans 10:11-13 teaches that everyone who believes the gospel will be saved instantly. This is true biblical universalism. Everyone who believes that God raised Jesus from the dead, everyone who confesses that Jesus is Lord, everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord, will be saved. This is a divine promise, and God keeps all his promises because he is righteous (Neh. 9:6).

The gospel of Christ does not discriminate. In fact, it is opposed to all caste systems, whether those of the West or of the East. True believers in Christ also do not discriminate. That is why they preach the gospel to all peoples of the world so that those who believe may be saved from God’s wrath.

Who established orphanages, hospitals, universities, colleges, primary and secondary schools, literacy programs throughout the world? Who gathered abandoned children and widows and sheltered and protected them? Study the work of Pandita Ramabai, a devout Christian in India. Especially Christians with their money and lives have supported such charitable works throughout the world.

This is an undisputable fact of history. Of all peoples, Christians have sacrificed themselves most for the benefit of the poor and disadvantaged. This is the way of Jesus. Christians do not abort and thus discriminate against their unborn babies. Christians are pro-life and spend their money to save life.

Romans 10:11-13 teaches us that in authentic Christianity there is no discrimination based on sex, race, culture, age, education, wealth, and rank. The gospel is preached to all, and everyone who believes in Jesus as the only Savior of the world is saved. In Christianity, there is no respect of persons because our God has no respect of persons.

It is said that Jewish men used to pray every day, “I thank God that I am not a woman, a slave, or a Gentile.” But what does the Scripture say?

1. “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes: to the Jew first and also to the Gentile” (Rom. 1:16).
2. “What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin”(Rom. 3:9).
3. “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all” (Col. 3:11).
4. “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26-28).
5. “God so loved the world that he [delivered over his Son to the atoning death of the cross] that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Praise God for this “whosoever”!

Because we sinned against God, he is our enemy. Because we became his enemies by sinning, we all must die, whether Jew or Gentile, old or young, rich or poor, male or female. There is no one good, no one who understands, no one who seeks God, no one who does good (see Rom. 3:1-12). Yet, thank God, there is the gospel, the word of salvation. Christ the word came down from heaven and up from the grave, bringing the gospel near us. “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart” (Rom. 10:8).

Paul says, “What I received I passed on to you as of first importance” (1 Cor. 15:3). The gospel is the most important thing in the world; without it, we die eternally. What is the gospel? “That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3). The death of the Messiah was promised by the prophets of old; it is God’s eternal plan. Paul continues: “that he was buried [i.e., Christ truly died], that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures [i.e., his resurrection was foretold in the Scriptures], that he appeared to Peter and then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers . . . last of all he appeared to me also [i.e., God gave proof that he lives and will never die again]” (1 Cor. 15:4-8). Because he lives, we live also.

When we repent and believe, God’s enmity against us ends. The moment Jesus died on the cross, the curtain of the temple, the veil that separated the people and the priests from God, was torn in two from top to bottom. God in Christ made a new and living way through Jesus to God.

Moreover, in applying this redemption, the Holy Spirit destroyed the middle wall that separated the Gentiles from the people of God and the temple. So by his death, Jesus destroyed all enmity between God and us, and between us and others, both Jew and Gentile. Paul explains, “For [Christ] himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near” (Eph. 2:14-17); “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 3:6).

Now there is no discrimination. In Christ we can approach God with absolute confidence. In Jesus we can enjoy fellowship with God and all God’s people. This is eternal life. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5). Jewish and Gentile believers make up the branches united to Christ. So we love God and one another. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we lay down our lives for each other. This is the normal church life.

Jesus does not discriminate because he is love. Therefore, true believers in him will also not discriminate, because they are to imitate Jesus, who ate with sinners, publicans, prostitutes, and the Samaritans. Jesus healed the daughter of a Gentile woman, whose faith he praised, even as he praised the faith of a Gentile centurion, whose servant he healed.

Christianity does not discriminate. Jesus said to his Jewish disciples, “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16). This was God’s eternal plan.

God called Abraham so that in him (that is, in his Son, Jesus Christ) all the families of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:3), and we are blessed. The Jewish nation was established to be a light to the Gentiles by proclaiming salvation to them through faith in the Messiah. Prophet Jonah proclaimed that salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). Jesus told the Samaritan woman that salvation is of the Jews, and the believing Samaritans declared that Jesus is the Savior of the whole world (John 4:22, 42). Later Jesus said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32). He was speaking about accomplishing redemption through his crucifixion and resurrection. All people will come-Jews and Gentiles, barbarians and Scythians, brown, black, white, and yellow. Jesus saves Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and all others who trust in him, the only heaven-sent Son of God.

In John 12 some Greeks came to speak to Jesus to learn the way of salvation. He told them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:23-24). He was saying that his atoning death would bring about salvation not only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles. Remember Rahab? She was a Canaanite and a prostitute. Yet Rahab was saved, and we see her name listed in the genealogy of Jesus. She is listed together with Ruth, a Moabite woman. God so loved the world; God so loved us.

On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came upon Peter, and he explained the Pentecostal phenomenon of speaking in other tongues. He said, “These men are not drunk, as you suppose. . . . No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “˜In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.'” Then he said, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:15-17, 21). That is what Paul is also quoting in Romans 10:13. Everyone will be saved who calls upon the name of Jehovah, that is, the name of Jesus Christ. He is God, Lord, and Savior. He is the head of the church, high priest, and coming Judge. He is our atonement, our justification, our sanctification, and our redemption. He alone is this-no one else. That is why we speak about the futility of all human ways of salvation. And this God commands not some but all people everywhere to repent and be saved (Acts 17:30).

Although Peter quoted Joel’s prophecy, he failed to understand its full scope. He did not think it included the Gentiles. But God taught him that lesson in Acts 10. While he was in Joppa praying, he fell into a trance and had a vision in which God instructed him to kill and eat unclean animals. Peter strongly protested: “Surely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean” (Acts 10:14). But God said to him, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15).

The meaning of Peter’s vision was that God is no respecter of persons. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, but also to the Gentiles. No matter what we may think about ourselves, the Bible says this: All are sinners, all are under God’s wrath, and now all are to hear the good news of salvation. Thus, to the Gentiles gathered in the house of Cornelius the centurion, Peter said, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. . . . All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:34-35, 43). Then we read, “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message” (v. 44). Notice, the Holy Spirit came without Peter’s permission. Peter recognized this sovereign work of God: “”˜Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’ So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ” (vv. 47-48).

All sinners are welcome to come to Jesus. And they came. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11, italics added). Paul also said, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Cor. 1:26-29).

God does not tolerate discrimination in his church. James says, “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “˜Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, “˜You stand there’ or “˜Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 2:1-4). Jesus himself was hated because he associated with publicans, prostitutes, and sinners. But Jesus came to seek and save only sinners-those who are sick, lost, poor, and unrighteous. He said he was anointed to preach the gospel to the prisoners and to the poor. He touched the leper and he was healed.

Jesus calls us to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all without distinction. He poured out the Holy Spirit so that his people would witness with power to all people everywhere, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. So William Carey went from England to India, David Livingstone to Africa, and Hudson Taylor to China. Jesus taught, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14).

In Romans 10:11 Paul cites Scripture, the highest authority, to prove that the gospel does not discriminate: “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (i.e., will surely be saved). And in verse 12 he declares that there is no discrimination between Jews and Gentiles. He said this earlier (Rom. 3:22-23); we are all sinners. So in salvation there is no difference. Everyone who believes upon Jesus shall be saved because the same Lord is Lord of all. He is the Lord of the Gentile believers, and he is the Lord of the Jewish believers.

In verse 13 Paul writes, “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” If we have not called upon the Lord’s name, if we are still outside of Christ, it is because we did not believe God. It is sheer arrogance. May God give us great humility to do what he tells us and be saved.

God is God of all and Jesus Christ is Lord of all. Paul asks, “Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith” (Rom. 3:29-30). There is no other God. The God of the Scriptures, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the only true and living God. And there is only one Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who is the Savior of the whole world. Only Jesus will save his people from their sins. There is no other name given to men by God by which Jews and Gentiles must be saved (Acts 4:12).

God is God of all and Jesus Christ is Lord of all, whether we recognize it or not. It is like the sun shining. We can close our eyes, but the sun still shines. But how we respond to Christ makes a difference as far as our salvation is concerned. I pray we will get rid of all arrogance and be clothed with humility. Anyone who believes that Jesus, the sinless Son of God, the God-man, died for our sins and was raised for our justification will be saved. Jesus perfectly obeyed all God’s laws in our place. He alone is our atonement and justification. We call upon his name only; we trust in his righteousness only; we rely upon him only; we rest upon him only; we are inseparably united with him only. We do not pray to Christ and Mary and the saints.Only Christ intercedes for us. (PGM) This text says that if we call upon the Lord, we will be saved. We do not rely on a combination of his righteousness and ours. We deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow him. He justifies the ungodly to make them godly.

Even our faith does not save us; it is non-meritorious. We are saved by Christ alone. Our faith is like that of the beggar who lifts up his hands to receive food from his master. We come to Jesus the living bread so that we may eat and hunger no more. We come to Jesus to drink the living water that we may thirst no more. We come to Jesus because he invites all sinners to come to the feast he has prepared for us.

The Lord says, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare” (Isa. 55:1-2). He invites poor, miserable, wretched people to come as we are. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30). The yoke of the devil is very heavy. It will kill us. But Jesus says, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” But never think that Jesus sets us free so that we can go and do what we want. He saves us so that we will worship and serve him alone all of life. This is maximum freedom for God’s creatures. In John 7 we read, “On the last day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “˜If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him'” (John 7:37-38). John writes, “The Spirit and the bride say, “˜Come!’ And let him who hears say, “˜Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Rev. 22:17). Jesus is offering us the living bread and the water of life. Come!

Nothing in my hand I bring;

Simply to thy cross I cling.

Come to him as you are! He will feed and clothe you. He will wash you clean. He will justify you and forgive all your sins. He will bless you. All who come to him, he will never drive away (John 6:37). This is God’s guarantee. We must add faith to it and come.

Jesus Enriches Everyone without Discrimination

Verse 12 says, “There is no difference between Jew and Gentile-the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him.” Did you know that I am a very rich man? And if you are united to Christ by faith, you are very rich too. Jesus is Lord of all, and being rich, he enriches all who call upon his name and worship him. We are poor, but our God is rich. He adopts us and makes us sons and daughters of God. We are heirs of God and co-heirs with his beloved Son (see Rom. 8:16-17).

Our God is rich in love and mercy. Paul writes, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive” (Eph. 2:4-5). He is also rich in grace. Paul speaks of “the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves” (Eph. 1:6). And as we said, our rich God also enriches us. Paul says he “raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6-7). God will disclose to us the incomparable riches of his grace in heaven.

He is rich in wisdom and knowledge. We must admit that we do not know much, but do not worry. Come to him; he will give us wisdom and knowledge. Paul exults, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” (Rom. 11:33). Our heavenly Father delights to give us wisdom and knowledge. Every time we open the Bible, we are hit with the depth of the knowledge, wisdom, grace, mercy, and love of God. It is the most delightful experience to delve into the word of God! The world surrounds us with lies. But when we come to the Bible, we get the truth.

Jesus became incarnate to make us rich. Paul writes, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). God’s purpose in saving us is to make us rich. I am not poor. You have no idea how rich I am in God! The Lord is my shepherd; I shall lack nothing. He is Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides for all our needs. He gave us bodies; thus, he will sufficiently provide for our physical needs. Moreover, he provides sufficiently for our spiritual needs, for we are both body and spirit. So he encourages us: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33, KJV).

Jesus is the heir of all things: “But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe” (Heb. 1:2). We are heirs with him. Moses “refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” Instead, he left all the treasures and pleasures of Egypt to possess Christ, the real treasure (Heb. 11:24-26).

To the unsaved, miserable, rich young ruler, Jesus counseled, “Sell all, give to the poor, and come, follow me, that you may obtain treasure in heaven.” He refused and went away sad. If you refuse to trust in Christ, you will be miserable, hopeless, sad, and poor. The materially rich Laodiceans were told by Christ, “You say, “˜I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see'” (Rev. 3:17-18).

From Christ we receive grace upon grace and wave upon wave of blessing. So John says, “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another” (John 1:16). “He daily loadeth us with benefits,” (Ps. 68:19, KJV); his mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23). Paul writes, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority” (Col. 2:9-10). Paul says that the church “is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Eph. 1:23). John Murray says we are empty receptacles, and Christ pours all we need into us.¹Bring your empty vessels, not a few. Come to Christ hungry, thirsty, and needy, and he will give you all you need.

The church is the body of Christ, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5). As branches, we receive all our vitality from our union with the vine (Jesus Christ) so that we will not just survive, but flourish, bearing fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. Paul affirms, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). Our God is rich, and he gives to us according to his standard, which is high. Paul also says, “So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future-all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God” (1 Cor. 3:21-23).

Jesus declares, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). The whole universe belongs to us because it belongs to God. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Ps. 50:10). We will inherit all finally, in its new form of a new heaven and new earth. In Christ, all things belong to us. How, then, can we know if we are in Christ? When we trust in Christ, we become inseparably connected to him. Nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ. Believe on Jesus Christ, call upon him today, and you shall be saved. The infinite personal God is eager to hear and answer our prayer of faith.

The Lord hears the prayers of sinners who repent and believe. He heard the prayer of the publican, who went home justified. He heard the prayer of the leper: Jesus touched him and he was cleansed. He heard the loud cry of blind Bartimaeus, and Bartimaeus received precious sight. He heard the prayer of the father whose daughter had just died, and God raised her up, to the great joy of her parents. He heard the prayer of the dying thief, and the same day this thief entered paradise with Jesus.

Do not say you need nothing. That is what a materialist, a Laodicean, says. May the Holy Spirit come upon you and enable you to acknowledge your need. Realize you cannot save yourself. Realize that you must die, and you will die. Realize that Jesus Christ alone is able to save you. Realize that he welcomes all sinners to him without discrimination. Call upon him and be saved. Are you a Jew? Are you a Gentile? It does not matter: call upon him, and he will save you. Do you consider yourself the chief of sinners? Call upon him, and he will save you. Do you say, “But I don’t feel anything. I don’t have goose bumps.” Don’t worry. Call upon him, and he will save you. Do you say, “But I have this besetting sin; I have tried to get rid of it often, but it didn’t work.” Do not worry; call upon him, and he will save you. Are you a backslider? Come to him, and he will save you. Have you been excommunicated from the church? Repent, call upon him, and he will save you. Do you say you are the dirtiest sinner in the world? Call upon him, and he will save you. He will save you from God’s wrath, from sin, from law, from death, from the devil, from the world, and from hell. Jesus saves us from all these things.

Not only are we saved from certain things, but we are also saved to something. We are saved to enjoy the sum of all blessings-the beatific vision, which is seeing God. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8). We are saved to eternal life-to fellowship with God forever, to dwell with God in the new heaven and the new earth, where there is no sin, and to fellowship with God’s holy people. This is joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Everyone who believes in Jesus will not be ashamed. Today, shame is no longer in the closet; rather, it is on parade as something wonderful. Sin and evil are praised while righteousness and holiness are condemned. No wonder Christians are discriminated against in the marketplace and universities when they uphold God’s law. It is all due to man’s hatred of Jesus Christ. But, thank God, our shame has been taken away by Christ, who suffered shame by his shameful death on the cross.

If you are outside of Christ, you are outside of the ark of safety, and you will perish. Life is in the Son. Believe him, call upon him, and enter the ark of eternal salvation through the door of Christ. In the day of judgment, our baptism in the waters of self-esteem will not cover our nakedness. No fig leaf covering is good enough. We all need the robe of Christ’s righteousness.

Do you refuse salvation in Christ Jesus? That is your prerogative. But he is coming, and he will judge you and shame you with real shame. At that time, you will certainly experience his discriminating judgment and humiliation. Daniel says, “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:2). Jesus proclaimed, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matt. 25:46). Listen to the writer to the Hebrews: “For the word of God is living and active. . . . Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:12-13).

If you don’t want to listen to God or your parents or your pastor, be careful: you will die. No one ever lived resisting God. You will be like Pharaoh, who asked, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him?” God took that challenge and killed him. The Bible is not telling stories; it tells the truth. As a minister, I have to give an account of you to God (Heb. 13:17). Isaiah declares, “”˜Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. “˜Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.’ For the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isa. 1:18-20). Notice the promise and the threat, signed with the signature of God. If you refuse to trust in Christ and confess him as Lord now, you will do so on the day of judgment. But then it will be too late, and you will be sent to eternal punishment. I beseech you who are outside of Christ to add faith to what you have heard. Call upon him now and be saved. “Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation.”

¹ John Murray, “The Nature and Unity of the Church” in Collected Writings: Volume Two, Select Lectures in Systematic Theology (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1977), 331.