He Who Wins Souls Is Wise Meaning

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that win souls is wise.”—Proverbs 11:30.

“He that wins souls is wise,” Solomon asserts in the text, and such a proclamation is even more precious because it comes from such a wise man. Let me show you why a soul-winner is wise.

He Who Wins Souls Is Wise Meaning – 4 Aspects:

#1 Wise: He is Taught Of God

First, he must be taught of God before he will attempt it. The man who does not realize that he was once blind but now sees should consider his own blindness before attempting to guide his companions in the right direction. You can’t save others if you haven’t been saved yourself. He who seeks to win souls must first seek salvation for himself.

#2 Wise: He Selects Such A Pursuit

That being taken for granted, he is a wise man to select such a pursuit. Are you, young man, choosing an object worthy of being your life’s great aim? I do hope you will judge wisely, and select a noble ambition.

Your wonderful gifts from God should not be wasted on low, dirty, or selfish plans. If I am now speaking to someone who has great talents and the opportunity to be whatever he wants, to enter Parliament and help pass important legislation, or to enter business and become a powerful man, I hope he will consider the claims of Jesus and immortal souls, as well as other claims.

Do I need to study? Shall I give in to the business? Do I travel? So, shall I enjoy my time? Shall I become the county’s top fox hunter? Should I devote my time to political and social reform?

Consider them all; but if you are a Christian, nothing will compare in enjoyment, usefulness, honor, and enduring reward for giving oneself up to soul-winning. It’s fantastic hunting, and it beats all fox-hunting in excitement and exhilaration! Haven’t I sometimes chased a poor sinner through hedges and ditches, keeping up with him at every turn, till I overtook him by God’s grace, was in at the death, and delighted exceedingly when I saw him captured by my Master?

No other fishermen have as much labor, grief, and joy as we do. What a joy it is to win souls for Jesus while remaining in your secular callings! The workshop, laundry, nursery, and drawing-room can all win souls. Some of you will never win souls in pulpits; it would be a great pity if you tried. Wherever we go, we hunt: by the wayside, beside the fire, among the crowd. We have no other theme among the great than Jesus. You will be sensible, my brother, if your sole purpose is to convert the ungodly. You will receive a crown adorned with many stars, which you will place at Jesus’ feet on His return.

#3 Wise: Win From Diverse Groups

Not only is it sensible to have this as your goal, but you will need to be extremely wise if you achieve because the souls to be won have such diverse constitutions, feelings, and circumstances, and you will have to adjust to them all. North American trappers must learn the habits of the creatures they seek to catch, thus you must master each class of cases.

Some are terribly sad; you must console them. Perhaps you will console them too much, and they will become unbelieving; as a result, instead of comforting them, you may need to give them a strong word now and then to break their sulkiness.

Another person might be jovial, and if you put on a severe look, you’ll scare your bird away; you’ll have to be cheery and drop an admonition as if by chance.

Some people will not allow you to speak to them, but will speak to you; you must master the art of slipping a word in between their teeth.

Your success will reveal your knowledge as you must become all things to all men. Theories of dealing with souls may appear to be smart, but they frequently prove to be ineffective when put to the test: he who, by God’s help, completes a task is a wise man, even if he knows nothing about the subject.

This endeavor will require all your intellect and more, and you will need to beg the great Soul Winner above for His Holy Spirit.

#4 Wise: In Making Men Wiser

But he who wins souls is wise since he is involved in a profession that makes men wiser.

Your earliest attempts to win sinners to Christ will probably fail and push them away. I’ve worked hard to move some souls with a chapter of Scripture, but they’ve misunderstood it and gone in the wrong direction. It’s difficult to respond to puzzled inquirers.

To get certain people to move ahead, pull them backward; to get them to move right, force them to move left, and then they move right. You must be prepared for human folly.

I knew a poor elderly Christian woman who had been a child of God for fifty years, yet she was in a state of sadness and anguish that no one could lift her out of. I contacted her several times and tried to cheer her up, but she was in worse shape when I left. So, when I called to see her, I didn’t mention Christ or religion. She immediately brought up those themes, and I said I would not talk to her about such sacred matters, because she knew nothing about them, and she wasn’t a Christian and had been for years. She couldn’t take it any longer and defended herself by claiming that the Lord above knew her better than I did and that He was her witness that she loved the Lord Jesus Christ. She could hardly forgive herself after that admission, but she could no longer speak to me with such despondency.

Man who loves souls master the technique of dealing with them, and the Holy Spirit transforms them into competent soul surgeons for Jesus. It is not because a man has more abilities, nor entirely because he has more grace, but because the Lord causes him to love the souls of others profoundly, and this transmits a secret skill, for the method to draw sinners to Christ is, mostly, to love them to Christ.

Whoever Wins Souls Is A Wise Man

I’ll say it again, beloved brethren: whomever truly wins souls for Jesus, whatever he wins them, is a wise man.

Must It Be Done In A Certain Way?

Some of you deny it. “Well, So-and-so, I daresay, has been very useful, but he is very rough,” you say. What does it matter if he is tough if he wins souls? “Ah!” exclaims another, “but I am not built up under him.” Why are you going to hear him build yourself up? If the Lord has sent him to tear down, let him tear down, and go somewhere for edification; but do not grumble at a man who does one thing because he cannot do another.

We’re also prone to pitting one minister against another and saying things like, “You should hear my minister.” Perhaps we should, but it would be better for you to hear the man who edifies you and let others go where they also are instructed.

“He that wins souls is wise.” I don’t want to know-how. But he was wise if he won souls. Soul-winners are wise if they just gain souls. I’ll tell you what’s not wise, and what won’t be wise in the end: going around the churches doing nothing and railing at all the Lord’s useful servants.

Win Soul vs interpreting Prophecy?

On his deathbed, a dear brother has the sweet thought that the Lord helped him to bring many souls to Jesus and the expectation that many spirits will greet him at the gates. They will throng the New Jerusalem climb, welcoming the man who led them to Jesus. His work is immortalized in them. He knows.

Another who has spent his life interpreting prophecies, seeing everything in Daniel or Revelation.

Some claim he’s wise, but I’d rather spend my time gaining souls. I’d rather bring one sinner to Christ than unravel all the holy Word’s mysteries because salvation is what we live for.

I would to God that I understood all mysteries, yet the chief of all would I proclaim the mystery of soul-saving by faith in the blood of the Lamb.

The essential aim of a pastor is to win souls, not to be a staunch defender of orthodoxy.

But I don’t suppose I would want to die saying, “Lord, I have lived to fight the Romanists and the State Church and to put down the various erroneous sects, but I never led a sinner to the cross.”

No, we’ll fight the good battle of faith, but the primary concern is the salvation of souls, and whoever attends to it is wise.

Another brother proclaimed the truth, but he hid the gospel in his preaching. He considered a sermon was fit to preach only after he had typed it out a dozen times to make sure every sentence followed Cicero and Quintillian’s canons. Is that wise?

Well, it takes a wise man to be a thorough orator; but it is better not to be an orator if fine speech prevents you from being understood.

Let eloquence go to the dogs instead of souls. We want souls, not beautiful speeches.

We must have the winning of souls in our hearts, and be zealous for their salvation, or we will not be included among the wise, according to the critics.

Resolve To Win Soul

Share It With Your Loved Ones

Now, Christian men and women, I want you to resolve to win a soul tonight. If you can’t think of anyone else, try the seat next to you. Try it on the way home or with your kids. Have I not told you about a Sunday evening? In my sermon, “Have you ever prayed with each of your children individually, urging them to accept Christ? Maybe Jane is in bed now, and you haven’t pleaded with her about eternity. Sleepover at Jane’s and apologies for not telling her about the Saviour and praying with her. Wake her up, wrap your arms over her neck, and pray with her.” Well, there was a wonderful sister with a Jane. What say you? “Oh, dear mother!” cried Jane, “I have loved the Saviour these six months and wondered you had not spoken to me about Him; ” and then there was great kissing and gladness. Maybe that’s the situation with a youngster at home; if not, that’s all the more need to speak up right away.

Childless In Heaven?

Do you think you’ve ever won a soul for Jesus?

Heaven will give you a crown, but no jewels. You will be childless in heaven, and you know how ladies feared being childless in the past. Let Christians fear becoming spiritually childless. We must heed the cry of people whom God has entrusted to our care. “Give me converts, or I die.” we must hear them. If you love the Lord, get a passion for souls. Don’t you see?

Thousands are being swallowed up by hell, as the dial’s hand completes its cycle. Your own friends and relatives are unsaved and may die before the week is over.

Oh, if you have any humanity, let alone Christianity if you have discovered the cure, inform the sick!

If you discovered life, tell the dead; if you found freedom, tell the captives; if you found Christ, tell others.

My College brethren, make this your choice task while studying and your life’s work after you leave us. Don’t be satisfied with a congregation; work to win souls, and God will bless you.

We hope to spend the rest of our lives following Him who is The Soul-Winner and putting ourselves in His hands who makes us soul-winners, so that our existence is not a long folly, but is directed by wisdom.

Remember that trust in Christ saves you lost sinners! Trust Him. For His name’s sake, may you trust in Him! Amen.

This article is an edited version of the article “The Soul-Winner’s Life and Work” from Charles Spurgeon’s book “The Soul Winner”. Check out our related posts for more information on this topic, or get a copy of the book from Amazon.