Matthew 12:30a says: “He who is not with Me is against Me…” This is the uncompromising assertion of the text. What we may call the unmistakable amplification of these words comes next: “and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” The implication that every Christian must and does have a heart and concern for evangelism finds indisputable confirmation in the rest of the New Testament.
Notice 1 Corinthians 10:33 – 11:1: “Just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 9:1-11:1 among other things is speaking of how Paul gave up the exercise of His Christian liberty in order to work for the salvation of men. He as an Apostle of Christ had joined Christ in the great mission of gathering men. In the text to which I have turned you we learn that it is not just Apostles or Pastors or even some group of elite Christians who must join Christ in this work of gathering. Immediately upon saying that he tried to please all men in all things in order that they may be saved, he proceeds to call the Corinthian church as a whole to imitate his lifestyle. In living a lifestyle of trying to gather men to Christ, he says, I am following Christ. He says to them, Now I call you to imitate my lifestyle, just as I am trying to imitate His. What is the lesson? He who is not with me is against me. He who does not gather with me scatters.
Dr. Sam Waldron is the Academic Dean of CBTS and professor of Systematic Theology. He is also one of the pastors of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY. Dr. Waldron received a B.A. from Cornerstone University, an M.Div. from Trinity Ministerial Academy, a Th.M. from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. From 1977 to 2001 he was a pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Waldron is the author of numerous books including A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, The End Times Made Simple, Baptist Roots in America, To Be Continued?, and MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto: A Friendly Response.
