What About the “Seekers?”

Lately there has been a lot of rhetoric about the issue of “seekers.” Seekers are those people who are not yet believers in Jesus Christ who supposedly going from church service to church service seeking to know more about God. Some churches are so intent on reaching the seekers that they design their worship and church programs to attract the seeking crowd. Those who lean to a determinist (Calvinist) view of reality seem agitated by this approach and argue that seeking is not possible and that it is a departure from orthodox faith to go out after the seekers. In one college dedicated to training ministers, one professor of worship visited another and took him to task for taking a group of students to a “seeker service.”

The Calvinists argue that “no one seeks God” and since that is a direct quote from the Bible (Romans  3:11), it is easy to assume that verse supports their doctrine of total depravity that prohibits a sinner responding to God unless there is a special grace which they name “prevailing grace.” I place that is quotes because it is their theological term and not a biblical one. It is my position that this entire issue is a false one based on the doctrine of men and not that of God.

Wrong Question

            The question is not whether lost people can or will seek God in their fallen condition. That issue is settled in the scripture above. They do not and other scriptures can be brought in to support that truth. The issue is not whether lost people seek God. The issue is whether God seeks lost people and whether they can respond to him when he calls them. 

Right Answer

            What does the Bible say? We agree that the lost, fallen sinner does not of himself seek God. However, it is very clear, based on scripture, that God does seek man. God came seeking Adam and Eve in the Garden and Jesus stated that his mission was to “…seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). Jesus stands outside the door and seeks admission into the heart of the sinner according to Revelation 3:10. There is much in the scripture about the seekers. When we look at the total teaching of scripture about seeking God, we find three things:

 (1). God commands it. (Isaiah 55:6) “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” 

(2). Rewards are promised to those who do it. (Heb. 11:6)  “…for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

 (3). There are those who do it. John 12: 21 reports that some Greeks came seeking Jesus.

            How can we reconcile all these teachings about seekers with the one verse used by the Calvinists to deny the possibility? It is clear to me that the Calvinists have it wrong. Romans 3:11 teaches that no lost fallen sinner will on his own initiative start seeking God. The Calvinist interpretation ignores the fact that God is the seeker and the Holy Spirit is busy in the world convicting sinners and calling them to repent. He does this through the ministry of the church which is ordained by God to proclaim the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). The seeker who shows up at your church is not there because he is a wonderful  person who suddenly decided to seek God. He is there as the direct result of the work of a seeking God who has made himself known to every person (Romans  1: 18-20 and Romans 2:15). They have heard of the gospel and through what they have heard, they are attracted to Jesus enough for them to come as a seeker to a worship service. This also is in accord with the teaching of Jesus in John 12:32 which promised that “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” The Calvinist wants to restrict the seeking to the elect but that is reading their doctrine into the scripture. A pure reading of the Bible will never lead to restricting the power of God. The call goes out to all, the church is commanded to proclaim to all, all are drawn. The limitation is not on the part of the savior, but on the part of the sinner who either responds in faith or responds with rejection. 

Conclusion

            My conclusion is that the lost person does not take the initiative to seek God. God takes the initiative to seek the sinner. The Bible supports the doctrine that God wants all people to repent and has made provision for their salvation in Jesus. God has given the church the task of taking the good news of salvation to every creature and the Holy
Spirit will convict of sin when the gospel is presented. The lost person is confronted with the challenge to repent and believe the gospel with the promise that if he does repent, Jesus can and will forgive and the lost person can be saved. When the Calvinists take one scripture like Romans 3:11 and try to negate the rest of the teachings of the Bible, it is an error of interpretation. It ignores the power of the Holy Spirit and attempts to restrict the power of the sovereign Lord they claim to represent.