Chapter 20

Five Things Necessary for the Conversion of a Sinner

“When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with [his] journey, sat thus on the well: [and] it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am [he].” (John 4:1-26)

What does it take to save a sinner? How is conversion accomplished? I want to answer that question by showing you how our Lord Jesus brought the Samaritan woman to himself, giving her life and faith in himself by his omnipotent mercy. In this portion of Holy Scripture God the Holy Spirit shows us that which is taught throughout the Book of God: — Conversion is the work of God alone. Here are five things that are necessary for the conversion of a sinner.

Path Crossed

First, no sinner will ever come to Christ until Christ first comes to the sinner. No sinner will come to Christ until the Lord Jesus Christ himself crosses the sinner’s path.

“When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.” (vv. 1-2)

            The Son of God left Judea. What a solemn word this is from God! Our Lord was in the midst of the Pharisees. He preached in their streets. He who is God’s salvation walked the streets of Judea and preached the gospel. But the Pharisees despised him and his gospel. They would not receive the Word of God. They preferred religion to righteousness. Therefore, the Lord Jesus left them. He left them in the darkness of their imaginary light. He left them to go to hell in the delusion of their self-righteousness. He left them to themselves!

      Hear God’s Word and be warned. — If you trifle with Christ and the gospel of God’s grace in him, you court the wrath and judgment of God! If God leaves you to yourself, you are as sure for hell as if you were already there. I pray that God will not leave you to yourself.

      If you go to hell, you will have no one to blame but yourself. It will be your own work, your own doing, your own fault (Proverbs 1:23-31). But do not be so foolish as to imagine that your unbelief will alter, or in any way affect the purpose of God. It won’t (Romans 3:3-4).

      God’s purpose does not depend upon the consent of man’s will, or upon the work of any man. You may not trust Christ. You may never come to him. But someone will. There is an elect remnant who must and shall be saved. At the appointed time of love, Christ will come to the sinner chosen by grace and redeemed by his precious blood. At the appointed time of love the Good Shepherd comes seeking his lost sheep.

“And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.” (vv. 4-6)

            This looks like a chance meeting, a lucky break; but it was nothing of the kind. In God’s eternal purpose, that place had been fixed before the world began. That parcel of ground was bought and that well was dug by Jacob because he desired it. But, more importantly, that parcel of ground was bought and that well was dug so that Christ our Savior might come there to meet and save a lost, ruined sinner. The Son of God came there seeking one of those the Father gave to him before the world began. The woman did not come to the well seeking Christ; but he came to the well seeking her (Isaiah 65:1).

            Divine providence arranged for the needy sinner and the mighty Savior to be at the well at the same time. She came to the well at noon (the sixth hour of the day), in the heat of the day, when it was most likely that no one else would be there, because she was a woman with a name and a reputation that made her the object of great scorn. Yet, she came at this hour, because this was the hour fixed by God to save her.

            Notice this, too: — The Lord Jesus arranged to be alone with the object of his mercy, love, and grace. — He sent his disciples away to buy (to buy, not to beg[1]) bread (v. 8). I am reminded of what we read in the book of Hosea concerning God’s method of grace. — “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her” (Hosea 2:14).

“There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.” (vv. 7-9)

            Do not fail to observe that, as Robert Hawker pointed out, that “The conversation which took place at the well, between Jesus and this woman began with our Lord. Yes! All the overtures of grace come first from the Lord (1 John 4:19).”

Created Interest

            This Samaritan woman would never have come to Christ had he not first crossed her path and come to her. Second, once he crossed her path, the Lord created an interest in her (vv. 10-14). — He asked her for a drink of water, because he was thirsty, yes; but the thirst he had come to quench was his thirst for her soul. His request was designed to get her interest and attention.

      The woman answered his request with a rude retort. Essentially, she said, “You’re a Jew. You wouldn’t have anything to do with me, if you didn’t need me. How dare you ask me to draw water for you! I know what you think of me.” But our Lord is long suffering toward his elect, not willing that any of them should perish. So he ignored her insult and pursued her heart. Look at verse 10.

“Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” (v. 10)

There is much more in this verse than I can deal with now; but I want you to see the obvious things.

1.    Salvation is the gift of God (Romans 6:23). — Who can measure the gifts of God? They are innumerable! Yet, in one great gift, God gives all. Christ is the gift of God, the unspeakable gift of God. Christ is salvation. Christ is eternal life (Luke 2:30; John 17:3).

2.    You will never be saved, you will never come to Christ, until you are made to know the gift of God. Henry Mahan wrote…

“This is the root of man’s whole problem. The gift of God is salvation; it is eternal life (1 John 5:11). God is the Giver; all we do is receive. Man does not know the gift, and he does not know Christ, the Giver! Neither does he know his need for mercy. ‘If you knew these things, you would ask of me.’ Asking proceeds from knowing. Before we ask, God has to deal with us in conviction and revelation. Notice Christ deals with her on the basis of who, not what; it is not doctrine, any more than doing, that saves. It is the person — Jesus Christ!”

3.    Salvation is to be had for the asking (John 7:37-38; Luke 11:9-13). – “Thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” — How close at hand salvation is! “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, [even] in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:8-9). Christ is willing to pour out this living water of grace, salvation, and eternal life to sinners in overflowing superabundance! — “Ask and ye shall receive.”

4.    All men by nature are totally ignorant of all things spiritual, until we are taught of God the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-14).

In verses 11 and 12, this poor woman did what all unregenerate people do when they talk, or try to talk about spiritual things. She showed her total ignorance. She had no idea who she was talking to, or what she was talking about. Like Nicodemus in John 3:4, she was just talking.

“The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?” (vv. 11-12)

In verses 13-14 the Lord Jesus declares the vanity of all earthly things.

“Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (vv. 13-14)

            These words are written by the finger of God over all the wells of this world: — “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.” The thirst that is in you, the thirst of your soul is too deep to be quenched by the waters of this world. Have you not found it to be so? But that person who is born of God, who receives the water of life, who has the grace of God, the Spirit of God, the Christ of God, and the light and life of God in his soul shall never thirst again (1 Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 2:9-10).

            No sinner will ever come to Christ until Christ comes to the chosen, redeemed sinner and creates a thirst in his soul for something more than can be found in this world.

Sin Exposed

Third, no sinner will come to Christ until he exposes to that sinner his own sin. Before a sinner comes to Christ for mercy, he must be made to know and acknowledge his sin before God. Because he intended to be gracious to her, the Lord Jesus made this woman know that she was utterly naked before him.

“The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.” (vv. 15-18)

            He laid bare what she thought she could keep hidden. This always makes sinners uncomfortable. We love darkness rather than light. We will not come to the light, lest our deeds be reproved. And when the light falls on us, we immediately take refuge and try to turn the light away from ourselves. That is exactly what happened next.

“The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” (vv. 19-20)

            The Samaritan woman immediately changed her tone and the subject. She began to speak respectfully, and started talking religion. She wanted to get away from the subject of her immoral, lascivious, perverse behavior. Her conscience was pricked; and she tried to soothe her conscience by talking about her religion. She tried to break the barb off the Master’s arrow with the shield of religious controversy. Men love to talk about religion in general terms, just like this salty old girl. Here she is, a woman with less respectability than a prostitute, a woman who shacked up with one man, then another, without the least compunction, defending her father’s religion!

      But the Lord Jesus would not be led into her trap. He was far more concerned for her soul than he was in proving a point. So he did what only he can do. He destroyed her refuge of lies.

Refuges Destroyed

Fourth, no sinner will come to Christ and find refuge in him, until he destroys every false refuge, every refuge of lies, in which the sinner attempts to hide from God. Every rebel sinner has a refuge of lies, a religious refuge he has built, some kind of fortress around his soul, a refuge in which, like Adam in the garden, he is hiding from God. That refuge must be destroyed.

      Notice how the Lord Jesus destroyed this woman’s refuge. He did not shake his finger in her face and say, “You Arminian Samaritans are all going to hell.” He simply told her the truth; and the truth, penetrating her heart, destroyed her refuge.

“Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (vv. 21-24)

God the Holy Spirit gives us his commentary on our Savior’s words in Philippians 3:1-3.

“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

      God is seeking sinners to worship him in Spirit and in Truth. If we would worship God, we must worship him in Christ, in the Holy Spirit, in the spirit of sincerity, in the spirit of faith, and in the truth of the gospel (Isaiah 28:14-22; Hebrews 4:14-16; 10:16-22).

Reveal Himself

Fifth, the Lord Jesus Christ must make himself known to the sinner, before the sinner will come to him.

“The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.” (vv. 25-26)

      Slowly, but surely, the Word of God had done its work (Romans 10:17; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23). This woman was driven from her refuge of lies into the arms of the Son of God. As soon as she expressed a desire for the Christ of God, in whom alone sinners can worship God, he said, “I am!” — “I am he.” — That is salvation. That is what it takes to bring sinners to the Savior — the revelation of Christ (Zechariah 12:10).

      Once Christ is revealed to you and in you, that is enough. Nothing more is needed. The needy sinner and the sovereign Savior met face to face, and all was settled forever (Isaiah 45:20-25; Matthew 11:28-30).

Don Fortner

Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com