I had the privilege of growing up in an Adventist home. My mother had tried to teach me the gospel, but I was a moralist—failing, but still aiming, to get to heaven by good behaviour.
Following a career in business, where achieving was the benchmark for success, I was now in my first year of a theology degree at Avondale College (now University).
It was in a class taught by “straight from the shoulder” Arch Hefren, that he confronted his students with the statement, “If you don’t have the assurance of salvation, come and see me in my office.”
What arrogance, I thought, thinking that you could be good enough to be assured of eternal life! So up the stairs I went to his office. The door was open. Arch was standing, bent over, thumbing through papers. I knocked. He didn’t look up. “Yes,” came the gruff voice.
“I’ve come here about the challenge you threw out to the class about being assured of being saved,” I said.
He still didn’t look up. “Yes,” he replied.
“Well, it seems to me that that’s like a pretty self-righteous attitude,” I suggested.
Then he straightened up, looked me straight in the eye and asked the question that changed my life: “Are your sins forgiven?”
It hit me like a rocket. If my sins were forgiven, then there was no barrier between God and me! And if there was no barrier, then I could be assured of salvation. I had eternal life!
I was “born again”.
The Holy Spirit brought me instant conviction that Jesus had forgiven me 2000 years ago (1 John 2:2,12). Jesus had paid the price for my sin when He was crucified (2 Corinthians 5:21). So now, if I believed that, I had eternal life (John 3:15-18). What mattered was Jesus’ performance. Not mine.
THAT IS “THE GOSPEL”!
God knew the hopeless predicament that I was in–that no matter how hard I tried, I was still a sinner (Romans 3:23; 5:12,18; 7:14-18; Isaiah 64:6). That is why He passionately wanted to give me the gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:7-9). I could never get there by myself. What I must do is accept the gift. I did!
Such unconditional love transformed my life. Now, I wanted to live so that others could know the joy of Jesus, have the identity of belonging to God and know the privilege of living without condemnation, in spite of my regrettable mistakes.
This honour has led me to preach “the good news” to thousands of people internationally, so that they too could rejoice in “the incomparable riches of His grace”. That “grace” encourages us to do whatever God has prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:7-10).
Jesus truly said that “God so loved the world that he gave his unique son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Arch Hefron taught me a great lesson. That lesson was in the power of a question. I guess that Arch had learned that technique from his master Teacher–Jesus.
Have you noticed how Jesus often used a question to help people think? Self-realisation and truth can often come from a question, more than from “telling”.
Do you use questions when you share Jesus’ way?
If you do, then others too may embrace the gospel, the good news of Jesus’ gift to us and have the assurance of salvation.
John Denne is a retired pastor, ministerial secretary and mentor to pastors.
