Yes — God has chosen human beings, not angels, as the instruments through whom His message of salvation is spread.
Scripture shows that people cannot hear or understand the gospel without a human instrument to explain it. Les teaches that God has almost always used one human to lead another to a knowledge of salvation, and He calls believers to serve as ambassadors for Christ with the ministry of reconciliation.
Romans 10:14-15 — Paul states that people cannot hear or believe without a preacher, showing why God uses humans to proclaim salvation.
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 — God has given believers the ministry of reconciliation and made them ambassadors for Christ.
Acts 8:30-31 — The Ethiopian eunuch needed a human guide to understand the Scripture he was reading.
Romans 10:14-15 presents the pattern: people must call on the Lord, believe, hear, and be preached to. Paul writes, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?” In Acts 8, God sent Philip to join the Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah. Philip asked, “Understandest thou what thou readest?” The man replied, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” The human guide was the means by which the man was led to understanding. In 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, Paul identifies believers as those entrusted with this work: “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” He continues, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.”
Les teaches that God has deliberately kept His Word in the hands of human beings rather than angels. He says God has almost always used one human instrument to lead another human to a knowledge of salvation, and He uses common, ordinary people rather than a class of highly educated seminarians. Because of this, believers are to become skilled in the Word so they can explain it when an opportunity arises. Les connects this to Paul's language in 2 Corinthians 5: believers are ambassadors for Christ with the ministry of reconciliation, and when the Lord opens a heart, the believer must be there with the truth of Scripture.
Les Feldick says God has seen fit to leave His Word in the hands of human beings, not angels. He asks why God didn't appoint angels to do His evangelization and simply concludes, “He just didn't do it that way.” God instead has placed His Word, with the leading of the Holy Spirit, into the hands of every person who wants to handle it, and He uses common, ordinary people to bring others to a knowledge of salvation.
Romans 10:14 asks how people can call on the Lord if they have not believed, and how they can believe without hearing, and how they can hear without a preacher. Paul concludes in verse 17 that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 was reading Isaiah but could not understand until Philip asked him, “Understandest thou what thou readest?” He answered, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” Les points out that God uses a human instrument to explain the Word so that people can respond.
In 2 Corinthians 5:18, Paul says God “hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation,” and in verse 20 he calls believers “ambassadors for Christ.” Les explains that an ambassador serves his home government in a foreign environment, and believers are to bring people to reconciliation with God. He adds that nothing can win a lost person until the Lord opens their heart, but when that happens, believers must be there with the truth of Scripture.
Les encourages believers to become skilled in the Scriptures so that when an opportunity comes they can simply turn someone to a few verses and show them what the Word says. He is not an advocate of door-knocking or grabbing people by the shirt collar, but when God gives opportunity, believers should be ready to jump on it. Even when a believer feels he has knowledge to share, he may need to wait on God's timing.
What It Really Means to Be Saved - Romans 10:9 Explained
refuse to believe, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. Oh, Israel cast Him aside. Going back to my analogy. The chief cornerstone was thrown out into a vacant lot. The weeds grew up around it, and if people happened to go through there, they stumbled over it. But that stone of stumbling isn't going to stay out covered with weeds forever.
Ambassadors for Christ
Les explains that God has chosen to leave His Word in the hands of human believers rather than angels. Believers are ambassadors for Christ, serving in a foreign environment to bring people to reconciliation with God.
Human Instruments of Salvation
Les teaches that God almost always uses one human instrument to lead another to a knowledge of salvation. This is why believers should become skilled in Scripture so they can share it clearly when the Lord gives opportunity.
Preachers and Go-Betweens
Les highlights Paul's question about how people can hear without a preacher and how they can understand without a human instrument. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, which is why teaching the Word matters.
Ministry of Reconciliation
Les points to Paul's statement that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation. When opportunity comes, believers are to tell those bound by Satan that God has done everything needed to reconcile them to Himself.
Power of the Preached Word
Les stresses that the preaching of the cross is the power of God to those who are saved. The very power of God is released when people believe the gospel.
Waiting and Readiness
Les describes a believer who felt ready to use his knowledge but was told to wait. God gives opportunities to share, and believers must be ready when He does.
Common Ordinary People
Les uses Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch to show that God uses common, ordinary people rather than angels or a highly educated class to bring others to a knowledge of salvation.
Romans 10:14: How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Paul says a preacher is necessary for people to hear and believe, showing why God uses human proclaimers.
Romans 10:15: And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
This verse connects the sending of preachers with God's plan to reach the lost.
Romans 10:17: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith in God's message comes through hearing it, which requires a human voice to proclaim it.
2 Corinthians 5:18: And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
God has entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to human believers.
2 Corinthians 5:19: To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
The word of reconciliation has been committed into the hands of believers to share.
2 Corinthians 5:20: Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
Believers act as ambassadors, representing Christ in making the appeal for reconciliation.
Acts 8:30: And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
Philip engaged a seeking man and asked if he understood the Scripture he was reading.
Acts 8:31: And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
The eunuch's response shows the need for a human guide to explain the Word.
1 Corinthians 1:18: For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
The human proclamation of the cross becomes the instrument through which God's saving power is revealed.
Les Feldick points out that God simply did not appoint angels to do His evangelization. Instead, God has left His Word in the hands of human beings, and He uses believers as ambassadors for Christ to bring people to reconciliation.
Paul says in Romans 10 that people cannot hear without a preacher and faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Les adds that people need a human instrument to explain the Word so they can understand, as seen when Philip guided the Ethiopian eunuch.
Les encourages believers to become skilled in Scripture so they can easily show someone what the Word says. When God opens a heart, the believer is to be there with the truth, and when God gives opportunity, they should be ready to jump on it.
Watch the Teaching: What It Really Means to Be Saved - Romans 10:9 Explained