There are things that are God’s business and are His alone, and there are things that He has made our business. When Jesus gave the Great Commission to His followers in Acts 1:7-8, He made telling people about Him and His work our business. But the part where a person gets saved is His business. You and I cannot save people, we can only tell them where to go for help.
Think of it this way: Say I can’t swim. I’m drowning in the water. Someone in a boat throws me a life-preserver and I grab on. I see someone else who can’t swim, drowning in the water. I yell out to them about the man on the boat so they can grab onto a life-preserver. I can’t go over and give them mine, they have to grab their own. If they do, they’re safe. If they don’t, that’s on them. I can’t make them do anything. I’m just as helpless as they are. We both need help.
Here’s another way: I’m a starving, dirty beggar, and I meet the son of the richest man in town. He lets me come into his house to eat, clean up, and get some new clothes. If I care anything about the other starving, dirty beggars, as soon as I’m done getting what I need, I’m going right back out to tell everyone else. I can’t make any of them go into this man’s house; they have to decide to go inside on their own. If they don’t want to go in, they don’t get what they need.
As followers of Christ, it is our business to go and tell everyone everywhere about Jesus. But the authority to forgive sins and the power to save people from eternal damnation is God’s business alone.
Related:
The Best Food Ever!