Persuasion is the act of bringing someone to believe something through reasoned arguments or appeal, often through intellectual or emotional influence.
When Christ was on trial, the chief priest and elders persuaded the Jews to ask for Barabbas, a murder, and to destroy Jesus, a man whom even Pilate stated was innocent (Matthew 27:20). Upon the cross, the chief priest, scribes, and elders all mocked Christ, stating that since he was persuaded by God, let God deliver Him (Matthew 27:43). After the resurrection of Christ, the chief priests gave the guards of His tomb a large sum of money and stated they were not to be concerned about the governor, for they would persuade him not to have them put to death for failing to guard the tomb (Matthew 28:11–14).
Persuasion impacts both the mind and actions. It is difficult for those who are persuaded by wealth to enter into the kingdom of God (Mark 10:24). In the world we live in, wealth can purchase anything. The fondness for money is a root of wrong (1 Timothy 6:10), and all those who determine to be wealthy fall into temptation and a snare, being persuaded that wealth, which only brings ruin into the lives of those who are persuaded by it (1 Timothy 6:9).
Alongside the persuasion of wealth also comes the danger of being persuaded in the flesh. Those who are persuaded they themselves are teachers of inarticulate babblers and guides to the blind are not to fall into the trap that, through their position and intelligence, they can escape the judgment from God (Romans 2:3; 17–20). If anyone could be persuaded in the flesh, it was Paul. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews. Yet, he understood that all that he was in the flesh was nothing more than dung compared to the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:4–8).
Seeing with the eyes does not guarantee persuasion. When the rich man, who was in the lowest part of Hades, spoke to Abraham, who, at the time, resided across an impassible abyss in paradise, desiring to have him send Lazarus to his brothers, Abraham stated that if they would not believe Moses and the prophets, then they would not be persuaded even by one who was raised from the dead (Luke 16:31).
The term ‘persuaded’ is also used in a negative sense, indicating someone who is not convinced. In Romans 2:8, Paul writes concerning those who are self-seeking and not persuaded by the truth. These ones are persuaded by unrighteousness. God’s wrath will come upon the sons of the unpersuaded (Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6). Those who are not persuaded will not enter into God’s rest, just as the Israelites would not enter His rest (Hebrews 4:6). Let us not be those who are unpersuaded, but understand what God has done, and enter into His rest so that we are living out the righteousness we have in Christ, not seeking our own righteousness (Hebrews 4:11).
When we understand what God has done in salvation, we come to the persuasion that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38). Persecution, famine, distress, peril, death, life, angels, principalities, things present, nor things to come do not have the inherent ability to take us out of God’s hands. Therefore, we are to be fully persuaded that the good work God has begun in us, He will bring to completion up until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). Therefore, we are not to be ashamed for suffering for righteousness, but rather in truth being persuaded that God is able to keep us unto the day when we receive our full redemption (2 Timothy 1:12).
Our actions show that we know the love of God. We know love because Christ loved us first and gave Himself for us (1 John 4:19). Therefore, as we manifest our love for God, we will love the brethren (1 John 4:20). As we love in actions, not by tongue alone, we come to a full experiential knowledge that we are out from the truth, assuring out hearts before Him (1 John 3:15–21).
Although persuasion and obedience are often conflated in many English translations of Scripture, they have distinct meanings. We put a bridle in the mouth of a horse to persuade them, not to cause them to obey (James 3:3). We may be persuaded by the obedience of others, as Paul was with Philemon (Philemon 21). In obedience, we purify our souls by obeying the truth (1 Peter 1:22).
Persuasion involves a reasoned argument or appeal, whether through logical or emotional means, for the purpose of impacting a person’s actions. In the Galatia region, men from Judea came down bewitching the saints to not be persuade by the truth regarding a life lived out from faith by grace in Christ (Galatians 3:1). Although they had run well, they were hindered from being persuaded by the truth from those who sought to bring them into bondage under the law (Galatians 5:7). Even today, there are many teachers who desire to persuade Christians to follow after law for righteousness rather than the truth, for the purpose of separating them out to be zealous to follow them. Let us be the ones who reject these heresies and hold to the persuasion of the truth, for in Christ we are righteous before God and have all things pertaining to life and godliness. Therefore, we are free to live out the righteousness we have in Christ, apart from law.
