Whosoever Will
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the Water of Life freely.” Revelation 22:17
As the Apostle John wrote the last words of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, he was appealing to all who are lost in this sin-cursed world to heed the message of the book. He is like the preacher who has preached his heart out delivering the message of the gospel of salvation to all who are in attendance and then offers an invitation to come repent of sin and receive Christ as Lord and Savior. In evangelical churches, this is known as the “altar call”. It is an appeal to leave one’s old sinful lifestyle and come to the altar of Christ in true repentance and belief in the saving power of Christ to completely forgive and transform a sinner. In the church in which I grew up, the altar was a pew in front of the pulpit and facing the congregation. It was called a “mourner’s bench” because it was the place where folks could go, kneel, mourn over, and confess their sins. I remember that the padding on the mourner’s bench was stained with the tears of folks who cried before God, confessing their sins or praying prayers of supplication. Some of the smaller churches still have the mourner’s bench, but most churches today use the steps which lead up to the platform from which the sermon is delivered as the altar.
An altar can be anywhere that one surrenders his or her life to Christ which is the point that a sinner turns in a new direction for his or her life, repenting of sin, and following Christ. The book of Revelation, along with the entire word of God, is a written “altar call” inviting all who are weary and burdened down under the bondage of sin to come to the only One who can give them rest (Matthew 11:28). From the written word, we hear the message of hope from the inner workings of the Holy Spirit and also from the church, God’s representatives on earth designated with the important task of spreading His word to a lost and dying world. Those who respond then are to call others to Christ, the only one who can rescue from sin. All those who are thirsty for peace and righteousness can come and take of the Water of Life freely. The gospel is open and free to all who will come just as they are. Many have said that God will receive you just as you are, but He won’t leave you that way. Out with the old, and in with the new.
Salvation is a gift. Grace is free, but it is not cheap. Jesus gave the ultimate price to provide the free gift of salvation. “Whosoever” refers to anyone who responds to the call of grace. Jesus is reaching out His nail-scarred hand with the offer of salvation by grace through faith as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8), and in order to possess that free gift, we must receive it. My former pastor when I was young said many times that if he wanted to give you a quarter, in order for you to receive it, you would have to take it from his hand. A real gift that you receive is one that is given to you by another whose desire it is to give it to you, not out of obligation, or as a bribe, or as payment for some favor, but just because he or she wanted to give it to you. God desires that all people receive His gift of salvation. He wants everyone to repent of sin (II Peter 3:9) because He can’t give us the free gift of salvation without repentance and belief in Jesus Christ.
No amount of “good” works can earn God’s forgiveness, nor can money be paid to buy salvation. What an insult to God to offer Him, the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, money or favors in exchange for salvation. God has already paid the ultimate price in allowing His Son to suffer and die to provide this gift. The most familiar verse in scripture is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. Some folks think and some teach that there are many “paths” to God, but the Apostle Peter made it clear to the high priest and his associates when brought before them and to everyone who has ever walked this earth that there is salvation in no one but Jesus, saying, “…for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Just give me Jesus.