Sword & Trowel 2019: Issue 1
with passion and strong urging. In such an environment you might feel that conversion to Christ was not such a great accomplishment. But the power and grace of God is most clearly seen when people are saved out of an environment as opposed to God as ours today.
The pendulum has swung, and
there is now derision and scorn for Christian people, even outrage that they could believe the Bible to be inspired and hell to be real. The be- liever is considered an anti-scientific fool. He is also an offence because he cannot endorse the LGBT agenda or participate in the immoral and coarse conversation of this world. Yet the gates of hell will never be able to stop the arrow of conviction from piercing the hearts of the redeemed, so that they are changed in nature, affections and direction to serve the living God. All this is a special vindication of the power of God and the truth of the Gospel.
Out of step with society Speaking of ourselves as believers,
we know that if we had been left to ourselves we would never have fallen out of step with the rest of society. We would never have taken up a point of view which would bring us into contempt, and cause oth- ers to distance themselves from us. We would never have left our sinful pleasures and pursuits, or pulled out of our cravings for earthly gain. These things of the world had a pow- erful fascination and hold on us, and intimidated us. We would never have stepped out of line. But the irresistible power of the
Spirit moved in our conscience, con- victing us of our sin and need, and brought us to cast ourselves upon him and his mercy, and depend on Calvary. Then we truly found him, and began to walk with him, and prove him, and now we cannot for- sake him no matter what the world does or says.
So in an age such as this, the glory of the church and its impregnability, and the truth of the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is espe- cially demonstrated, and the gates of hell shall not prevail. To be saved in an age such as this is an exceptional demonstration of the power of God.
Keeping power of God
Not only is the ongoing work of salvation more glorious in an evil age, but so is the keeping, purify- ing power of God. Just as times of physical persecution show the depth of conviction of believers, so times of moral and atheistic hostility show they are possessors of a new nature. In 1 Peter 1.5-7 we read about believ- ers being ‘kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time…that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.’
Satan said of Job that he did not
worship God for nothing, and that if all was taken from him, he would deny his God. Job’s suffering proved Satan wrong, and showed Job’s con- version to be true and his love for God real. In a godless age, in perilous
page 28 Triumphs of the Church in an Atheistic Age
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