November 1, 2026
Man is inherently sinful. Ever since the Garden of Eden, every person on earth has been, by God’s standard, desperately wicked, with one exception: Jesus of Nazareth. We are every one of us sinful because we have inherited a sin nature from Adam. Even the best people we know and love suffer from, and must contend with, this old nature that the Apostle Paul called the “old man.”
By contrast, Paul referred to those God has redeemed as “new creations” (Galatians 6:15). Why would a holy God still love and wish to save man, a vile sinner? The simple answer is that we do not know. Curious as we may be, it is not always our place to know or understand many of the things of God. It is our job to merely trust and obey. Let us remember and cherish Proverbs 3:5, which tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Why? We do not have much understanding of spiritual things. In fact, there are many physical phenomena on earth that we still do not understand. The problem today is that many lost souls think that they do understand much. They are very foolish to think this.
It is so sad and tragic to look around and see so many unbelievers, some even among our families and friends. That is why we are to witness for Christ and tell people the Truth about Christ and salvation. Chances are great that they will still not believe, but that is not our responsibility. It may sadden and trouble us, but each person’s response to Christ is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit. Only He can persuade anyone, not we. Our job is to simply teach and exhort unbelievers to repent and call on the Lord for salvation.
The fate of lost souls is so grim and terrifying that they simply refuse to believe it. But we might ask the lost, “But what if the Gospel is true?” Satan has unfortunately convinced most people that it is not true, that Christianity and even God’s existence are all myths. The devil knows that unbelief is his only door to a person’s soul and his only chance of sending him to hell. Satan knows Scripture. He quotes just enough of it to trap and deceive unbelievers. He even quoted it to Christ! He knows John 14:6, where Christ tells us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Satan hates God and everything He created. Satan hates all souls and tries his best to destroy them. The devil knows he was defeated once and for all at Calvary when the Lord sacrificed His own life for all who would believe in Him. So the devil tries to disrupt everything good and every effort of a believer to serve God. And he has been very successful. So successful that Jesus asked if He would even find faith on earth when He returned. (Luke 18:8).
So let us pray for the lost by name. Pray that people can be saved from their own disbelief. Pray that people might repent and be saved from themselves!
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Ralph Fudge is the pastor of Big Ochlocknee Baptist Church in Coolidge, Ga., and has a Master’s degree in theology from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
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