If We Don’t Warn the Dying – Prov 24:11-12
In 2023, the world population is expected to exceed 8 billion people. Every day, 360,000 people are born and 151,600 die. If 8% of the world are ‘evangelical Christians’ (according to some estimates), then, every day, 139,000 people die without Christ and go to hell! Clearly, this is a horrible reality about which Christians cannot remain silent or passive.
The responsibility for telling the world the gospel lies with the church. The church has been commissioned by Jesus Christ to preach the gospel to all nations. And if we fail to tell the world, then we will be help responsible.
Proverbs 24:11-12 tells us how God views such a failure:
“If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, And those that are ready to be slain
;If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; Doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall not he render to every man according to his works?”
God knows our hearts. God keeps our soul. God sees when we ignore the plight of those who are being drawn to death and about to be slain. God sees through our lies when we say that we were unaware. He will hold us accountable and will render to us according to our works.
What greater tragedy could there be than for a person to be heading toward eternity without Christ and we not warn them. We cannot make people believe, but we can at least warn them. If we warn them, then we are not held responsible. If we fail to warn, then we are responsible. (Read also 1 Corinthians 15:34 and Ezekiel 33.)
May our attitude toward warning sinners be the same at Charles Spurgeon’s:
“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”
Charles Spurgeon