An Introduction to Paul’s Presentation of the Gospel
How many steps does it take to lead a person to Christ? That is not an easy question, for there is so much that enters into the receptiveness of the counselee which may hinder him from grasping the details of the gospel. Or on the other hand the primary Soul-winner, the Holy Spirit, already may have prepared him and enabled him to grasp and respond to the gospel readily. For that matter, no single passage in Scripture gives a final answer to the question. Indeed, I suspect that the answer is one which must be answered by the Holy Spirit as the one who is witnessing cooperates with the work of the Holy Spirit in drawing that man or woman to Christ. This seems to be suggested by Christ’s words in that great Upper Room Discourse. In it He marvelously prepared the disciples for the coming of the Holy Spirit after His own resurrection and departure for heaven 40 days later. In part He said: “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, who will go out from the presence of the Father, He will testify of me; and you also shall bear witness …” (Jn. 15:26–27).*This textual corruption evident in the Egyptian manuscripts argues powerfully for a return to the Majority text as a more trustworthy basis for identifying the original Greek text. The New King James Version notes variations in Majority textual tradition which are supported by a multitude of Greek manuscripts. Often the translation found in “True Evangelism” closely follows the NKJV, a translation which I appreciate because it does follow the Majority Greek Text rather than following the Alexandrian Text of Egypt. Often for clarity, or where I feel that an important factor in the Greek text needs to be emphasized, I supply my own translation and understanding of the Greek text. I indicate this by an asterisk (*) following the Scriptural reference. Explanatory phrases which I have added to a Scriptural verse are in brackets and are not in bold type as Scripture is otherwise. Where I wish to stress a phrase, I have placed it in italics. This does not mean that this text has been supplied by the translator.
Northrup, Bernard E. True Evangelism: Paul’s Presentation of the First Five Steps of the Soul-Winner in Romans. N. p., 1997. Print.
Northrup, Bernard E. True Evangelism: Paul’s Presentation of the First Five Steps of the Soul-Winner in Romans. N. p., 1997. Print.
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