When we address the subject of soul-winning or of the need to be engaged in personal witnessing there are some fundamental points that we would do well to bear in mind.

1. We believe in the absolute sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners. It is clearly taught in Scripture that God has chosen a people in eternity out of the mass of humanity and has given them to Christ. This number is definite and exact and cannot be diminished or increased. They are called Christ’s people or sheep or church and they, and they alone, shall be saved. They will be called by God and in His perfect time will come to believe in Christ.
    
2. We also believe in the responsibility of man, ie that every man has a duty to repent and believe the Gospel. No man can save his own soul, yet he can damn his soul. We do not profess to understand the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, nor can we explain it. It is possible that even in eternity we will never be able to reconcile these two truths. But they are clearly revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures and we will therefore believe and preach both. The Bible is our manifesto and we will seek to be like Paul who said, ‘For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God’ (Acts 20:27).
    
3. Furthermore it is also believed among us that every Christian has an obligation to do all that is within his or her capabilities to spread the good news and to seek to win converts to Christ and His cause. The Puritan, Thomas Watson, said, ‘We glorify God by labouring to draw others to God; by seeking to convert others, and so make them instruments of glorifying God’.

With these points in mind let us examine the words that were penned under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by Solomon, the wisest man.

The Righteous⤒🔗

Firstly, the text would mark out to us the description of a believer. He is described as ‘righteous’. There is none righteous except they be in Christ. Only the true-hearted Christian can be described as righteous in the sight of God. From this new relationship with God the life of the believer is, or at least should be, a life of soul blessings. By this I mean that if anyone is truly to be a soul-winner his own soul must first be saved. The soul-winner must be a Christian, one who has tasted that the Lord is gracious. He must first of all know from firsthand experience that his sins are forgiven, that he has new life in Christ, that he has salvation from sin. He must know peace with God and have confidence in his own relationship to Jesus Christ the Lord. He does not need to know these things in an absolutely perfect sense, but he or she must know these things to some extent.

Furthermore, the believer must be one who is walking in obedience to His Lord’s commands. We know that we are justified by faith and declared righteous in a legal sense the moment we believe. Nevertheless, there must be a practical righteousness or holiness clearly evident in the believer’s life in order to be a soul-winner. In other words the believer must practise what he believes or preaches in order to be effective. The soul-winner must be a fruit-bearing Christian, one in whom the fruit of the Spirit is seen. How can any believer be a fruit-bearing Christian? It is only by abiding in Christ that a believer can bear fruit. All believers are united to Christ in their effectual calling, but some believers know little communion and fellowship with Christ. None know as much as they should of communion with their Lord. The believer who abides in Christ and knows intimate fellowship with Christ will bear much fruit. It is this kind of believer, under obviously the sovereignty of God, that will know the joy of soul-winning.

The first part of the text implies an overflowing in the life of the fruit-bearing believer who is walking closely with his Lord. And this overflowing affects others who are in contact and come in contact with the believer.

Duty of Soul-winning←⤒🔗

Secondly, the text would remind all Christians of their great duty of soul-winning. In order to do that we are reminded that it will take time, effort and energy. The text says ‘winneth’ which implies expending some force to achieve an end. If a young man wishes to woo his sweet-heart he may have to win her affections. He may face opposition from the lady in question and from other suitors. He may well have to stir himself up to persuade her that it would be in her best interests to agree to marry him. So it is in soul-winning. The sinner must be made aware and convinced that it is in his/her best interest to close in with Christ as He is freely offered in the Gospel. The riches and grace of our glorious all-powerful, all-willing Saviour must be declared to all who will hear. The businessman who seeks to win or obtain his fortune must work day and night to achieve his goal. The general who seeks to ‘win’ the battle must be fearless and bold in his endeavours. The young person who seeks to obtain a first-class education must put effort, enthusiasm and drive into his/her studies to achieve the desired edge. All of these examples can be applied to the soul-winner. It will take all our physical, mental and spiritual resources because there is nothing more difficult than seeking to win persons to Christ. In the text the word ‘wise’ is used implying that those who engage in soul-winning need to be wise and have chosen a wise pursuit. To be successful as a soul-winner one must be taught of God. ‘And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men’ (Mk. 1:17). As in all biblical matters a sense of balance is required. The soul-winner must be taught before he can successfully engage in seeking to draw the lost to Christ, yet the believer does not need to wait years or a life-time to begin. Nor does the believer need a formal theological training. The woman of Samaria began to witness with success moments after her conversation with Christ, ‘Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?’ (John 4:29).The blind man whom the Lord cured was able to say to the Lord’s enemies, ‘Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see’ (John 9:25).The attitude of the Psalmist should be the attitude of the new or old convert or of the theologically uneducated or educated believer, ‘Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul’ (Psalm 66:16). Even the penitent thief on the cross became an evangelist and he died the day he was saved.

Anyone who chooses to strive to be a soul-winner has chosen a wise pursuit or activity. Why? Because there can scarcely be any joy like the joy of leading a soul to Christ. The doctor, nurse, surgeon and dentist all seek to do physical good and relieve the pain and suffering of their patient. But, however good and valuable their work is, it only has limited value in that it pertains to this life. Not so with the soul-winner; his work has relevance in this world and supremely in the eternal world to come.

We need more soul-winners. Young people, are you considering a career? There is no higher calling than to be engaged in soul-winning!

Christian, let us look at our lives and see if we know anything of soul-winning. Ministers of the Gospel, you have taken solemn vows at your ordination and induction. If you are a Free Church minister one of them was: ‘Are not zeal for the honour of God, love to Jesus Christ, and desire of saving souls, your great motives and chief inducements to enter into the function of the holy ministry, and not worldly designs and interests?’ When was the last time you preached the Gospel with as much earnestness as if the salvation of your hearers depended on you? Do you preach a full and free Gospel so that the unlearned and ignorant know the way of salvation? Do all your hearers know that Jesus Christ is willing and ready to save all that will come to Him? Does the chief of sinners in your congregation know there is forgiveness for him in Christ?

Do ministers need to re-assess their workload and commitments and make adjustments? Are you spending too much time on secondary issues and neglecting the salvation of your hearers? On that great day the Head of the church will evaluate your ministry and He will deem it unwise if you have kept the church and manse grounds clean and tidy, attended to minutes and committees at the expense of soul-winning! What will it matter if you were the greatest of theologians and possessed vast amounts of biblical knowledge and did not engage in soul-winning? What will it matter if you could answer all the questions posed at fellowships and did not lead a soul to Christ? It is not wise to neglect soul-winning!

Maybe the minister has lost some of his former zeal and passion for evangelism? What should he do? Repent! Meditate on what Christ has done to secure the salvation of souls. Meditate on eternity! Think on the value of one soul, ‘For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?’ (Matthew 16:26).

Christian, do you seek to speak a word in season to your husband/wife, sons/daughters? What about your neighbours? Work colleagues? Your enemies? The devil will seek to dissuade you from trying. You’re too old! You’re too young! Who is going to listen to you, for you can hardly put two words together! You don’t know your Bible well enough! Leave it to the minister or elders! These are some of the excuses he will use. Do not listen to him but trust in the Lord and reach out.