From Change Your Church for Good: The Art of Sacred Cow Tipping (W Publishing Group, 2007) by Brad Powell:

Even when the church faithfully discharges its responsibility, there is no guarantee that people will experience God’s love, forgiveness, freedom, and hope. After all, the nonbeliever still has a choice. Once the truth has been made clear and understandable, it becomes the nonbelievers responsibility to apply it to their lives. As James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Once they hear and understand it, they must act on it.

If you’ve been following these posts on Brad’s book you should begin to see a trend:  Brad is not very careful in the way he handles the word of God.  He cites James 1:22 as support for his view that the power of the gospel to save ultimately comes down to the “choice” the nonbeliever makes for or against what he has heard.  There is a major problem, however, in that James 1:22 doesn’t have nonbelievers in view.  James 1:22 is directed to “my brothers,” and “my dear brothers” (James 1:2, 16, 19).   James is speaking to believers – not nonbelievers – about their responsibility to act on the word in keeping themselves pure from moral filth.  He is most definitely NOT speaking to nonbelievers about their responsibility to “choose” to accept the word of God for salvation.

But someone will look at the context and point out that the verse immediately preceding the one Brad quotes refers to receiving the word which is able to save.  The gospel saves more than just sinners; it also saves by sanctifying the believer as a continual function of the word until we get to heaven, which is what James has in view here. For more on how the gospel saves believers, see John Piper’s three part sermon on the subject: part one | part two | part three.

To exegete the text the way Brad does denudes the gospel of its power to save.  To suggest that “there is no guarantee” the message of the gospel will save anyone unless and until the nonbeliever acts by choosing is to hold the gospel hostage to man’s choice.  Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and I give unto them eternal life.”  Jesus didn’t die, and the message of the gospel isn’t proclaimed, with our fingers crossed HOPING that someone will CHOOSE in response.  Jesus knew precisely those for whom He died. He redeemed them by His blood out of every kindred, tongue, tribe, and nation as the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. And when the gospel is proclaimed it is guaranteed NOT to fail according to Isaiah 55:11:

So is my word that goes forth from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and acheive the purpose for which I sent it.

It is not the nonbelievers’ “choice” that produces faith. It is faith as a free and unmerited gift from God (Ephesians 2:8,9) that regenerates the nonbeliever causing him to call upon the name of the Lord to be saved.  “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Not all who hear with human ears will respond in faith to the message proclaimed.  But just like the deaf who had their ears opened, so also the Spirit, working through the word preached, opens the ears and the hearts of those for whom Christ died – and the message for them cannot return empty – it is GUARANTEED to accomplish the purpose for which God sent it.

How futile is our proclamation of the gospel if it has no more power than a sales pitch dependent on the consumer ultimately saying “yes” to the deal and closing the sale!  The gospel we proclaim IS the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes – God GUARANTEES it! To paraphrase Brad, “Once the nonbeliever hears and understands the message, they can’t NOT act on it!”

Is the calling and character of the church shaped primarily by the word of God or by the prevailing culture?