We are continuing our series of posts containing excerpts from a conference, put on by the Presbytery of Ohio, where Eric Hausler taught on evangelism. Eric particularly discussed God’s sovereignty in our everyday encounters with people. You can view previous posts from the series here: (Series Posts)
Having laid out how the gospel shapes our view of people and then how Jesus viewed people, this week Eric digs into how Paul viewed people. It’s a short but helpful survey as we see not how our sinless Lord and Savior viewed people, but how a sinner, a great sinner like Paul, learned through the gospel how to view people in our lives. Eric draws attention to some things revealed between the lines that we might overlook.
Questions for Thought or Discussion:
1) How do the extended examples that Eric goes through (Jesus in the last post, and Paul in this post) help us to learn and improve in how we view people as image bearers with souls? Do they help us? Or does it just seem overwhelming since it’s the perfect sinless Savior and the great Apostle? How can we see these examples as helpful to us–even if they feel well beyond our reach of how we might do in our pursuit of gospel obedience?
2) If these two examples seem unattainable, can you think of examples in your life–people that you know–that you could learn from and aspire to imitate in this regard? Maybe it’s not one person that’s great at it, maybe you could watch for examples here and there among your Christian friends or among your church members. Sometimes being intentional about looking for something can make you see it more often and more clearly. Maybe pay attention over the next couple weeks to find a few examples of Christians who show a distinct care and regard for someone who could have easily blended into the landscape.
