Many think that converting someone to Christ is worth it regardless of whether it sticks or not. However, there is nothing quite so dangerous as to inoculate someone to the truth of the Gospel through a shallow initial commitment with no follow-up.
When one gets the sin vaccine of Christ only skin deep, and it never reaches the bloodstream, they become improperly inoculated to future reception of the real Gospel. They think, when next at a key moment of truth: “Well, I tried that before, and it didn’t work.” Like a new year’s resolution forgotten by February, short-term salvation cycles are self-defeating to authentic discipleship.
We were commissioned to make disciples of all nations, not make salvations in all nations, returning to our smug pews with only numbers to report, instead of souls to do life with.
Jesus rants about a similar adventure in missing the point in Matthew: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” – Matthew 23:35
Perhaps he gives a similar word for us today?
