The Immanency of Conversion

There are two verses in the Scripture that speak to the
immanency of conversion.

“Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until
harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for
harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for
eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the
saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have
not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the
benefits of their labor” (John 4:35-38).

“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful
but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out
workers into his harvest field’” (Matt. 9:37-38).

These are the truths: the harvest is ripe; the harvest is
plentiful; and there are few harvesters. That means that there are more people
who want to get into the kingdom than there are Christians who want them in.

Over the years, I have not been fruitful in expressing the
bad news prior to the good news. People need to know what they are being saved
from. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the
Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them” (John 3:36). There are
many texts on judgment in the New Testament.

This post coordinates with today’s reading in the Same
Page Summer Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading
plan, please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with
us.