He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Wisdom’s Great Gain: Winning The Lost To
Christ: Proverbs 11:30-31
30) The fruit of the righteous [is]
a tree of life; and he that winneth souls [is]
wise.
31) Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more
the wicked and the sinner.
EXPOSITION:
Perhaps,
the greatest gain that can be had by exercising wisdom is the bearing of spiritual
fruit that honors the Lord:
30) The fruit of the righteous [is]
a tree of life; and he that winneth souls [is]
wise.
1. Those who have received the Lord’s
righteousness, through faith in Christ, are made new creatures (2 Cor 5:17,
Gals 6:15) and bear spiritual fruit for Him.
What
is that spiritual fruit? When we become
a new creature in Him our outward walk of life will change. We will begin to recognize His Lordship and
willfully submit ourselves to His revealed desires for us. This will result in the putting off the works
of the flesh and bearing the spiritual fruits listed in Gals 5:19-24…
“Now the works of the flesh
are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I
have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not
inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections
and lusts.
(Galatians 5:19-24)
2. As the wise (righteous) exhibit this change
in their lives, they become a living testimony of Christ (His person and His
work). Christians, whose testimony plays
a role in the salvation of a lost individual, are described as “winning”
(gaining or acquiring) that soul for Christ.
Please
note the very essence of this proverb… When a righteous man submits to the
Christ’s lordship, follows the dictates of His Word and bears spiritual fruit, it
proves that he is a wise man. It is through
following the Word (wisdom) that there can be spiritual fruit and see the
salvation of lost souls.
31) Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more
the wicked and the sinner.
The
chief motivation to the bearing of spiritual fruit and the winning of lost
souls are the Lord’s giving back their works upon their own head…
For
the saved who are bearing fruit, their faithfulness to Christ will not only be
rewarded throughout eternity but also they will receive temporal, spiritual, blessings
(peace, contentment, satisfaction) while yet on earth.
For
the lost, they will have awaiting them not only temporal dissatisfaction,
insecurity and lack of joy and peace, but also eternal judgment involving
separation from the presence of God in the Lake of Fire.
The
result of bearing spiritual fruit is the salvation of the lost and receipt of
future blessings… this is one of the greatest motivations for fruit bearing
that can only be understood by those who are applying the Word to their lives
(wisdom).
SUMMARY:
When
wisdom is applied to the life, the importance of winning souls to Christ comes
into clear view. Also when we apply the
Word to our lives (wisdom) it leads is to bear fruit that honors and glorifies
Christ… it is this same fruit that is used by God to win the lost for His glory. In both these ways, wisdom plays a key role
in the winning of lost souls to Him.
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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