Chapter 40. Why God Chose Men Rather than Angels to Dispense the Mystery of Reconciliation: The Reas
understanding, with no trace or footprint of them to be found in creation. Thus, although there is a kind of sound in creation that God has a way to be reconciled with us, it is through the preaching of the Gospel that the full message of reconciliation is revealed. This responsibility, therefore, is committed to the preachers of the Gospel, as the Apostle states in 1 Corinthians 1:21: "For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."
Observe, the world did not know God by wisdom alone. Although they knew there was a God, infinite in power and goodness, they did not know God in a saving way through Christ. They might have understood that God had some way of showing mercy to sinners, but they did not know the manner or means of that mercy. It is not through wisdom or the understanding of creation that we come to know God in a saving way. Rather, it is through what the world deems "the foolishness of preaching" that God is pleased to save those who believe. Hence, it is evident that the ministry of reconciliation is committed to the preachers of the Gospel.
Chapter 40.
Why God Chose Men Rather than Angels to Dispense the Mystery of Reconciliation: The Reasons Thereof Now, it is to be inquired, first, why God chose men rather than angels to be the dispensers of the great mystery of reconciliation. God has not committed this word of reconciliation to the angels (though it is
true that angels sometimes go about and bear witness to the Gospel, as you may read later). However, they are not appointed to the office of the ministry of the Gospel in the same way as human ministers are. God has not chosen angels in an ordinary way to come and dispense these great and glorious things to the children of men.
Objection: You may ask, would it not have been better for God to have chosen angels to come and preach Jesus Christ rather than men, since men are weak creatures and like ourselves? When they stand up to preach about reconciling men to God, should we think they know more than we do?
Answer: You must not think that good can only be done when someone tells you something you have never heard before.
Rather, you must understand that it is by virtue of the ordinance of Christ. Because Christ has appointed a minister of the Gospel to come and preach in this way, even though the instrument may be like yourself and perhaps may not have a deeper understanding than some of you, you are to look beyond just the words he speaks. You are to view it as the ordinance of Christ and to expect and regard all means accordingly.
The primary standing ordinance in the Church of God is the ministry of the Gospel. It is this that is committed to us to preach, and it should therefore be viewed as the power of God for salvation to those whom God intends to save. God has not chosen angels but men, for a reason: we are not as capable of conversing with angels as we are with men. We would not be able to stand before them. When an angel has sometimes appeared to a devout servant of God, that person has often been overwhelmed by the glory and has fallen down. For instance, when the angels appeared in Luke 2,
proclaiming, "Glory to God in the highest," they struck the shepherds with amazement.
Secondly, the ministry of angels would not be as effective because angels do not fully understand the inner workings and turnings of the human heart in the way that men do. A man is more aware of the turnings and complexities of his own heart than any angel can be. By knowing his own heart, a man is more capable of speaking in a way that resonates with others. We do not read in Scripture that angels know the thoughts of men's hearts any more than they are expressed outwardly, nor do the devils know them. Searching the heart is described as a unique property of God. However, a man can search his own heart to a greater extent than angels can, and therefore, he can speak more suitably to the hearts of others.
Thus, in his wisdom, God has chosen to commit the ministry of reconciliation to men rather than to angels.
A third reason, and a particularly significant one, is that the power of God might be more evident in the conversion of souls to Jesus Christ.
Indeed, in this one matter, the power of God appears far greater than in the creation of heaven and earth.
Firstly, the doctrine of reconciliation is the most elevated and supernatural matter in the world—it surpasses the comprehension of any creature.
Secondly, it humbles human nature as much as possible. Consider that initially, a few poor fishermen, to whom the word of reconciliation was committed, along with a few apostles in a poor, mean, and contemptible state—who sometimes scarcely had rags to cover themselves, were whipped, imprisoned, and treated as though they were the vilest rogues on earth—yet, through these weak and
lowly means, God subdued many nations and, in time, brought the whole world to receive this doctrine. O, how the infinite power and glory of God shine forth! By using weak means, God demonstrates the greatness of his power. As it is clearly stated in 2 Corinthians 4:7:
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels," referring to the ministry of reconciliation. Indeed, it is a treasure in earthen vessels.
The Greek word here implies "vessels of shells." These were certain valuable shells that appeared plain and worthless on the outside but contained precious pearls within, worth many thousands of pounds.
So, we have this treasure in an earthen vessel—in a poor, weak, frail, and contemptible human vessel.
And why? The apostle provides the reason: "That the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." There is a mighty power of God that accompanies the ministry of reconciliation. Whenever a soul is brought to be reconciled with God, there is certainly a mighty, even hyperbolic, power at work.
Objection: But how does this demonstrate that such a mighty power of God accompanies the ministry of reconciliation?
It is evident in this: that such mighty things are accomplished through such poor, weak, and contemptible means. People are willing to part with everything in the world, even their very lives, and endure the greatest torments of the most cruel tyrants, all to bear witness to this truth. This proves the mighty power of God. This provides a silent answer to an objection found in 2 Corinthians 3: Is it true that the ministers of the Gospel are far more glorious than the ministers of the Law? Then why are the ministers of the Gospel in such a mean condition, much poorer than the ministers of the Law?
Under the Law, the high priest wore glorious robes with precious stones upon his breast and shoulders. But now, the ministers of the
Gospel are often just poor fishermen—weak and insignificant in the eyes of the world. Surely, some might say, the ministers of the Law were more glorious than the ministers of the Gospel.
No, the apostle explains, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." And we are content, he implies, to be earthen vessels so that God's power may appear even greater and his glory shine more brightly.
Another reason why God commits this ministry to poor men rather than to angels is that it serves, in just judgment, as a stumbling block to wicked and ungodly people whose hearts oppose the glorious
Gospel. Just as Christ said he spoke in parables "that seeing, they might not see, and hearing, they might not understand"—a just judgment against the Pharisees and others with wicked, unclean hearts opposed to Christ—so too, the humble means of the Gospel ministry (which the world counts as foolishness) and the lowly condition of Gospel preachers act as a stumbling block to ungodly people whom God has destined to perish eternally. Because their hearts are wicked and perverse, God hides this rich treasure from them. He says, in effect, "I hate them and will keep this treasure hidden, showing them only the outward appearance." But for those whom God loves, he opens up the inside, revealing the true treasure.
There are others whom God intends to save. To them, he speaks not only through the outward ministry but also directly to their hearts, revealing the inward treasure. They see its glory, admire it, taste the sweet promises of the Gospel, and adore God for such blessings.
Thus, God achieves his purposes: hiding the Gospel from some in his just judgment and revealing it to others. Therefore, as the apostle says in 2 Corinthians 4:3, "If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost." The ministry of the Gospel is concealed from some, but