Category: Evangelism

Have you been rejected by religious groups?

“Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of God?’” John 9:35

The Jewish leaders “cast” out the former blind man from the synagogue because he demonstrated with his own testimony (9:25) and logic (9:30-33) that Jesus was from God. This is probably the best thing that could have happened to the man because now he would not have to listen to the works-salvation message of the Jewish religious leaders. He was now more prepared for his next encounter with Jesus. God can use the rejection of others to make non-Christians more open to hearing the gospel. 

Unfortunately, more and more churches are preaching a “faith plus” salvation message instead of a “faith alone” salvation message today which makes it more difficult for church goers to get saved. They teach that you are saved by what you do, not by what Jesus has already done (John 19:30). But all is not lost. Jesus seeks those who are disenchanted with churches today. When Christ heard that the Jewish leaders “cast” the former blind man out of the synagogue, He sought him out and asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of God” (9:35)? This is the purpose for John’s Gospel (cf. John 20:31). John recorded these miracles of Jesus, so people could believe in Him as the Christ, the Son of God. If the man believed that Jesus was the Son of God, the God-Man, he would have life in His name. This personal response is necessary for receiving the gift of eternal life (cf. John 3:15-16, 36; 5:24; 6:40, 47; 11:25-27). 

Many people today believe that Jesus exists and died for them on the Cross, but they are not trusting in Him alone for His free gift. The former blind man is willing and ready to believe, but he is ignorant. He wants the Son of God to be identified so he may believe in Him (9:36). After Jesus identifies Himself as God’s Son (9:37), the former blind man immediately responds in faith: “Lord, I believe”(9:38a)! Jesus used the physical healing of this blind man to prepare him for his spiritual healing. Out of gratitude for his physical healing, the man believed in Christ as the Messiah-God, which meant he now had eternal life (John 20:31). This is the climax for the man in a process that has been taking place throughout the whole chapter.

After believing in Jesus, the former blind man “worshiped Him”(9:38b). He honored Jesus as God (cf. 5:23). The former blind man could no longer worship God in the synagogue, but now he could worship Him to His face. And Jesus will never “cast” this man “out” of His family (John 1:12; 6:37). 

Have you been rejected by religious groups because you did not live up to their requirements for membership? Please understand that Jesus is not offering you religion. He is not giving you a long list of rules to follow to become a Christian. Jesus is freely offering you a personal relationship that can never be lost. All He asks is that you come to Him in faith, just as you are (Matthew 11:28). You don’t have to try to clean up your life. You do not have to give God your life to be saved. Salvation is not giving God your life, it is receiving His eternal life by faith alone (John 3:16). So simply believe in Jesus and He will give you everlasting life which can never be lost (John 3:16; 10:28-29). He will place you in God’s family forever and never reject you (John 1:12; 6:37). And you can worship or express your love for Him anytime and anywhere (cf. John 4:21-24).

Invitations to avoid in Evangelism

When the apostle Paul instructed the Colossian believers to pray for his preaching of the gospel, he said, “that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak” (Colossians 4:4; NASB). God wants Christians to be clear in the way they communicate the gospel of Christ to non-Christians.

God uses the words “believe” and “faith” more than any other words as conditions for salvation from hell in the New Testament (e.g. Matthew 9:22; Mark 1:15; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 8:12, 48; 17:19; 18:42; John 1:12; 3:15, 16, 18, 36; 4:10-14, 25-28; 5:24, 39-40; 6:35, 37, 39-40, 47; 7:38-39; 10:24-30; 11:25, 26; 12:36, 46-47; 20:31; Acts 10:43; 11:14; 11:17; 13:39; 15:9, 11; 16:31; 26:18. Romans 3:22, 24, 26, 27, 28, 30; 4:3, 5, 9, 11, 13, 16, 22, 24; 5:1; 9:30, 33; 10:4, 10; I Corinthians 1:21;2 Corinthians 5:1-5, 8; Galatians 3:2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 14, 22, 24, 26; Ephesians 1:13; 2:8-9; Philippians 3:9; I Timothy 1:16; 2 Timothy 1:12; 3:15; 1 John 5:1, 13; et. al). But instead of using the words that God uses the most in the New Testament to tell non-Christians how to respond to the gospel, many Christians have inserted other words or clichés to communicate the most important message given to humanity. 

When inviting a non-Christian to respond to the gospel (I Corinthians 15:1-6), avoid  invitations that do more to confuse a lost person than clarify what he or she must do to get to heaven. We will evaluate some common gospel invitations according to what the Bible teaches. 

1. Accept Christ.     

a. The one verse that alludes to this possible invitation is John 1:12: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” This verse makes it clear that the way to receive or accept Christ is to “believe in His name.” Receiving Christ is the result of believing in Him. 

b. The danger in asking people to accept Christ is that they may accept Christ as a Person (just as we may accept one another as a person) and still depend on their good works to get them to heaven without ever trusting in Jesus alone as their only hope of heaven.

c. This invitation can be very confusing especially for Roman Catholics who are more inclined to think of accepting or receiving Christ by partaking of the Eucharist. If you invite a Roman Catholic to receive Christ, he or she may think you are referring to receiving His body (bread) and blood (cup) in the Eucharist instead of believing in Jesus. In their minds, receiving or accepting Christ is done repeatedly.

2. Turn from or be sorry for your sins. 

a. No human being, Christian or non-Christian, can stop sinning (I John 1:8, 10). 

b. The word “repent” (μετανοέω) refers to a change of mind about whatever is keeping an unbeliever from believing in Jesus, and then believing in Him for everlasting life (Mark 1:15). The non-Christian may need to change his mind about the Person of Christ (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38), God (Acts 20:21), idols (Revelation 9:20), sin (Revelation 9:21), or his works (Hebrews 6:1; Revelation 16:11) before he can believe in Christ alone for the gift of salvation.

c. Repentance cannot refer to sorrow for sin or turning from sin because in the Old Testament God repents (e.g. Genesis 6:6-7; Exodus 32:14; Jeremiah 26:19; Jonah 3:9-10; et. al.). If repentance meant turning from sin or sorrow for sin, then God would be a sinner.

d. The gospel of John which was written to tell non-Christians how to get to heaven (John 20:31), never uses the words “repent” or “repentance” as a condition for everlasting life because when one changes from unbelief to belief, he or she has repented. Another possible reason for the absence of these words is they are easily misunderstood to mean something like “turning from sins” or “penance” which involve works. The word “believe,” however, communicates such simplicity that it is less likely to be misconstrued to include a works-oriented response.

e. The issue is not how you feel about sin; it is how God feels about sin. God is completely holy and perfect (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8; 15:4). The Lord hates sin and demands that it be punished (Genesis 6:5-7;  Deuteronomy 25:16; Proverbs 6:16-19; Romans 6:23; Hebrews 1:9). Are you willing to agree with God that you are a sinner in His sight, who deserves to be separated from Him forever in a terrible place of  suffering called the Lake of Fire (Romans 3:23; 6:23; Revelation 20:15)?

f. This invitation can confuse people into trusting in their own efforts (turning from sin) or feelings (sorrow for sin) instead of the finished work of Christ on the cross (John 19:30).

3. Confess your sins. 

a. Jesus never invited an unbeliever to do this (cf. John 3:15-16; 4:10-14; 6:35-40; 11:25-27).  

b. This is what we do after we believe in Christ to restore fellowship or closeness with God after we sin (I John 1:3, 9).

c. The reference to people “confessing their sins” when they were baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River (Matthew 3:6) is referring to the self-righteous people of Israel recognizing their sin so they would see their need to believe in Christ. Acts 19:4 says, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus” (cf. John 1:6-7; 3:23, 36). 

4. Pray the sinner’s prayer.

a. Nowhere in the Bible is anyone told to pray a prayer to be saved from eternal condemnation. Jesus never invited an unbeliever to do this nor did the apostles. For example, when the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved from sin’s penalty, they did not say, “Pray this prayer” or “Pray after me.” They simply said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

b. The danger of using this invitation is that people may end up trusting in a prayer instead of trusting in the Person of Christ alone.  

c. Often times, people get saved before they ever pray the sinner’s prayer because they have already trusted in Christ’s promise of eternal life.

d. Before leading someone in a prayer, explain to them that praying this prayer does not get them to heaven; only trusting in Christ alone will get them to heaven. This prayer is a way of telling God they are now trusting in His Son. 

5. Give your life or your heart to Jesus.

a. This is not what the Bible teaches.

b. The issue in salvation is not what we give to God, but what God gives to us. “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (I John 5:11).

c. If we give God our life or heart to get to heaven, we will be very disappointed because our life stops at the grave. We need life that lasts beyond the grave. We need God’s everlasting life which we receive by believing in Jesus alone (John 11:25-26). 

d. This invitation is disturbing to children who think in more literal terms. 

6. Ask Jesus into your heart. 

a. Nowhere does Jesus or the apostles tell non-Christians to ask Christ into their hearts to possess eternal life.

b. When a person believes in Christ alone for eternal life, Christ comes to live inside of him as a result (John 1:12; Romans 8:9; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 1:13-14; Colossians 1:27), so there is no need to ask Christ into his or her heart

c. Some will use Revelation 3:20 to invite unbelievers to “open the door of their heart.” But in the context of this passage we see that the Lord is speaking to believers who are in need of fellowship with Christ (Revelation 3:14-22). 

 – The word “heart” is not mentioned in Revelation 3:14-22. 

– The word “church” in Revelation is always used of believers (1:4, 11, 20; 2:1, 7-8, 11-12, 17-18, 23, 29; 3:1, 6-7, 13-14, 22; 22:16). 

    – Jesus is standing outside of the “church”at Laodicea which had grown lukewarm or half-hearted in their service to Christ due to self-sufficiency and deceit (Revelation 3:14-18). Christ spoke of “chastening” (paideuō) them (Revelation 3:19a). The word “chasten” literally means “child-training” and is therefore an activity of God toward His children (cf. Hebrews 12:5-11). 

   – Jesus also called them to repentance (3:19b). Then He says in verse 20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in [eiserchomai] to [pros]  him and dine with him, and he with Me.” The Greek verb (eiserchomai) accompanied by the preposition translated “to” (pros) means “to come or go to someone.”The verse is speaking of entrance into a building toward a person, not entrance into a person. Jesus is saying that He will come in the church toward the person who repents (hears His voice and opens the door of the church) and eat dinner with him  i.e. have intimate fellowship with him. 

d. Why would Christians turn to the book of Revelation which was written to Christians to help them prepare for future events, when God has given us so many evangelistic verses in the gospel of John which was written to tell non-Christians how to get to heaven (John 20:31)? 

e. This invitation can be very confusing for children who tend to think in more literal terms and are easily confused or disturbed by the prospect of asking a literal Jesus to take up residence in their blood-pumping organ.

f. This invitation also gives people a false sense of security. They have sincerely asked Jesus into their heart, but they do not have assurance from the Holy Spirit that they have eternal life because they have missed the only requirement for it which is believe in Christ (I John 5:9-13).

7. Confess Jesus is Lord. 

a. One passage that alludes to this possible invitation is Romans 10:9-10, “9 That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will besaved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” But these verses are talking about being delivered from God’s present-day wrath (displeasure) which is expressed in sinners being given over to the downward spiral of their own sinfulness (1:16-32; 5:9-10). To be delivered from God’s present-day wrath requires both believing in Christ resulting in justification (10:9b, 10a; cf. 1:20-5:9a) followed by confessing Jesus as Lord or “calling on the name of the Lord” (10:13) resulting in victorious Christian living (10:9a, 10b; cf. 5:9b-8:39). This sequence is confirmed by Romans 10:14-15a when the verbs in these verses are reversed – “sent …preach…hear…believe…call on Him.” We see that calling on the name of the Lord is done after believing in Christ and is therefore something Christians do after their conversion to obtain divine assistance in living the victorious Christian life (Romans 5:9-8:39; cf. Acts 9:21; I Cor. 1:2).

b. Confession involves effort and possible persecution (cf. Matthew 10:32).

c. When false prophets (Matthew 7:15) stand before Christ on Judgment Day (Matthew 7:21-23), they will confess the Lordship of Jesus and appeal to the good works they have done in Jesus’ name for His glory (“Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?”) as the basis of their entrance into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:22). But Jesus will say to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew  7:23). Why does He say this? Because they had failed to do “the will of the Father in heaven” as it relates to entering the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21b). Jesus said, “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40;cf. 3:5, 15-16). Until a person is rightly related to Jesus by believing in Him for everlasting life, all their good works and words, including confessing Jesus is Lord, are “lawlessness” before  a holy God (Matthew 7:23; cf. Isaiah 64:6).  

d. The Scriptures give examples of secret believers who refuse to confess Christ openly with their words and lifestyle for fear of persecution (John 7:13; 9:22; 12:42; 19:38). They still have eternal life, but they will lose rewards for not identifying with Christ openly because of their fear of persecution (cf. Matthew 10:32-42). 

8. Follow or obey Jesus.

a. Some use John 10:27-28 to defend this invitation for salvation: “27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” But in this passage the word “follow” is a figure of speech referring to belief. In the context, Jesus addresses the unbelief of His Jewish audience, who questioned if He was the Messiah (10: 24). Jesus replied to them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you” (10:25- 26). People who are not of His sheep do not believe (10:26). What then do His sheep do? They believe He is the Christ – the One who gives eternal life to those who believe in Him. They hear His voice and respond in faith like sheep follow a shepherd. They trust Him. 

b. Throughout the Gospel of John, figures of speech are used to illustrate saving faith: receiving (1:12), looking (3:14-15), asking (4:10), drinking (4:14), hearing (5:24; 10:16, 27), coming (6:35, 37), eating bread (6:54), entering (10:9) and following (10:27).

c. Following Christ through obedience is necessary to be a disciple of Christ (Mark 1:17-18; Luke 5:10-11; 9:23), not a possessor of Christ. For example, when you examine all four gospels, it becomes clear that the disciples whom Jesus called to follow Him in Mark 1:14-18 had already believed in Christ for about a year (John 1:35-4:35). 

9. Commit your life to Christ. 

a. Jesus never invited non-Christians to commit their life to Him to obtain the free gift of everlasting life.  Many people have pledged to serve God in the hope that their commitment would persuade God to take them to heaven. 

b. Promising to commit your life to Christ can actually become a stumbling block, for to be saved from the Lake of Fire one must believe in Christ alone, not Christ plus your commitment (Acts 16:31). Making promises is a form of works-salvation and is foreign to God’s way of salvation (Titus 3:5). 

c. This cliché may be an appropriate challenge for Christians to follow Christ and to serve and suffer for Him as His disciple (Matthew 16:24- 27; Luke 9:23).

10. Submit to Jesus as your Lord and Master.

a. Submitting to the Lordship of Christ does not take anyone to heaven because it misses the object of saving faith – believing in Jesus alone for eternal life.

b. The term “Lord” in the name “Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:31) refers to Christ’s deity and unique role in our salvation, not His control over every area of an individual’s life. Only Christ has the ability and authority to punish sin or pardon sinners. 

c. Submitting to Christ’s Lordship is a challenge that Jesus gives to people after they are saved, who then have the supernatural resources to enable them to surrender to Christ’s control as a part of the life-long process of discipleship (cf. Luke 14:25-35). Failure to submit to Jesus’ Lordship results in the loss of rewards (cf. Colossians 3:23-24), not salvation.

Conclusion: We are not suggesting that no one has been born again when these clichés are included in a gospel presentation. Evangelist Larry Moyer has said, “God can still use a crooked arrow to hit a target.” God can still use our unclear gospel presentations to help people come to Christ by believing in Him. But why use an unclear phrase or cliché which will do more to confuse a lost person than clarify what he must do to obtain eternal life? Would it not be better to use the clearest presentation possible so that the unsaved person has the best opportunity to respond to the gospel the way God wants him to respond? Let’s keep the gospel clear by using the words God uses the most – “believe” and “faith” – when inviting non-Christians to respond to the gospel!

How do I share the gospel with those who are religious?

Have you ever talked to someone about the Lord and have him tell you how religious he is? Or did you ever witness to someone and have the person inform you that he felt he had to work his way to heaven by being good? How do you respond to that? Or did you ever present the gospel to someone only to have them say, “I believe all of that,” even though you sensed he didn’t really understand?

How are we to reach a religious person who thinks he is already saved when he is not? Jesus teaches us by example in John 3:1-15 when He talks to a prominent religious leader who thinks the way to heaven is by doing good works. His name was Nicodemus and he had a difficult time realizing the difference between religion and relationship.

The first way to approach a religious person about Christ is to… 

1. CONFRONT HIM WITH THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS NEED FOR SPIRITUAL BIRTH (3:1-12). After Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night expressing his admiration of Jesus by affirming that Jesus’ ministry is blessed by God, Jesus says to him: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (3:3). When Nicodemus misunderstands Jesus to be talking about physical birth, Christ confronts him with the need for both physical birth (“born of water…that which is born of the flesh is flesh,” 3:5a, 6a) and spiritual birth (“born of… the Spirit…that which is born of the Spirit is spirit,” 3:5b, 6b). Some people teach that because God loves everyone, all people will go to heaven. But this is contrary to what Jesus is saying. Christ makes it clear that you must have two births to enter the Kingdom of God: physical birth and spiritual birth. 

From Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, we learn the following truths:

Being born again is not about human efforts. If anyone “deserved” eternal life, it would appear that Nicodemus had all of the right qualifications. He seems worthy of eternal life. But this conversation reminds us that salvation is not about human effort or merit. 

Position does not get you to heaven. Nicodemus was “a man of the Pharisees” (3:1), one of the seventy-one who comprised the Sanhedrin – the Jewish Supreme Court. He was a part of the religious elite. He had a distinguished religious position. But a certain position does not get you to heaven. Being a pastor, a Sunday School teacher, a member of the board at a non-profit organization does not save you. Being born again is not about human efforts. It is not about positions.

Popularity does not get you to heaven. The name “Nicodemus” means “a conqueror or victor of the people.” Nicodemus was well known and respected in the community. He was popular. He was recognized as a spiritual leader. Mothers pointed to Nicodemus and told their children, “There is a good man. You grow up to be like Nicodemus.” He was extremely popular. But popularity does not save you. Being recognized as a “Christian” person or as a spiritual leader does not save you. Being born again is not about popularity.

Prestige does not get you to heaven. Jesus identified Nicodemus as “the teacher of Israel” (3:10).  He was the one to whom people turned for spiritual answers. He was recognized as the spiritual adviser, the religious guru, the one who spent his life studying the Scriptures, but he did not possess eternal life. He knew the Scriptures, but he did not know the Author of the Bible. He was not born from above because prestige does not save you.

Piety does not get you to heaven. Nicodemus possessed great religious knowledge. As a member of the Pharisees, he knew and lived what was considered right and wrong. His first words to Jesus, “we know” (3:2) express a certain level of spiritual knowledge. Yet the reality is that Nicodemus did not know. He was ignorant of spiritual truth. He was religious to the core. The Pharisees went to drastic measures to make sure they obeyed the letter of the law. They fasted and prayed and studied the Scriptures. They lived spiritually disciplined lives, but they were lost. He was religious and lost. Do you know why? Piety does not save. You can come to church, tithe, go to Sunday School, lead a class, be a deacon or trustee, read your Bible, pray, witness, and practice spiritual disciplines and yet still be lost. You can do all the things that pious people do and be without Christ. Piety does not save. I have heard so many people say, “I live a good life. I try to do what is right. I go to church, etc.,” but pious living, good living does not get you to heaven. Why? 

Because you are still a sinner who deserves to die forever in hell. The Bible tells us,“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”(Romans 3:23). Regardless of how good we are, we have stilled sinned. We may have sinned one time or a hundred times, but we have still sinned! And sin demands a penalty. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.”A just God cannot overlook sin any more than a just judge can overlook a violation of the law. No matter how good you are, you are facing eternal separation from God in a place called hell.     

After we have confronted the religious person with the truth, we then 2. CONFRONT HIM WITH GRACE (3:13-15). Jesus had authority to teach about heavenly things because He lived in heaven (3:13). No one has ascended to God. Instead, God has come down to us in the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus knows best how to get to heaven because He lived there. No one knows better how to get to your home than you. To find out how to get to heaven ask the One who lives there, Jesus Christ. What does He say? 

“14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (3:14-15). Why do you suppose Jesus used Moses and the serpent illustration from the Old Testament? Perhaps Nicodemus had just finished teaching the passage in the synagogue? Whatever the reason, Jesus turns Nicodemus’ attention to Numbers 21. The people of Israel were on the way to the Promised Land. They were complaining against God and were dissatisfied with the manna He sent them. To discipline them, God sent poisonous snakes among the people, resulting in many physical deaths (Numbers 21:4-6). Moses then asked God to remove the snakes. God told Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten when he looks at it, shall live” (Numbers 21:8). 

In a similar fashion, all of mankind has been struck down by sin. Sin has sunk its fangs in our spiritual souls and the venom has made its way to our hearts and we are dying in our sins. But God saw our hopelessness and lifted up His Son on the cross to die for our sins. To be born again and experience eternal life, Nicodemus needed simply to “look and live,” just as in Numbers 21 one had to “look and live.” Jesus explained their “look”as simply believing in Him: “That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (3:15).

To Nicodemus, the admonition to look and live would have been both personal and effective. Having fasted, prayed, faithfully attended the synagogue, observed the feasts, and honored the Sabbaths, he was tempted to look at what he had done to give a him a right standing with God. Instead, now he discovered he must look to Christ alone for eternal life. He must believe in Him. Being born again is all about a personal relationship between a holy God and a sinful people. 

How can a holy God have a relationship with a sinful people? Because God came down to earth (3:13). And why did He come down? That He might be lifted up on the cross (3:14) to die for our sins so that those who look up or believe in Him, should not perish but have eternal life (3:15). Faith alone in Christ alone gets you to heaven. 

Have you been born again? Is there anything keeping you from trusting in Christ now as your only hope of heaven? There are four obstacles that can prevent any religious person from coming to Christ:

1. PRIDE. A religious man was told he must be born again. Religious people don’t like to be told this because they want to look to what they have done, not what someone else has done to get them to heaven. When I tell a religious man all he must do to get to heaven is believe in Jesus, he says, “But I’ve lived a good life.” 

2. TRADITION. We often hear a religious person say, “What will my family and friends think” if I go against what we have been taught and trust Christ for eternal life?” Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews, a teacher, a religious leader. He couldn’t trust in this miracle-worker. His colleagues would reject him. 

3. IGNORANCE. “No one ever told me this before.” Many religious people have not been told that all they must do is look to Christ in faith to get them to heaven. 

4. MISUNDERSTANDING. Many religious people have said, “Don’t you think I’ll get to heaven if I believe in Christ plus my good life?” The only condition for eternal life is belief or trust in Christ (period), not plus something else. 

Nicodemus reminds us that the best of people are not so good they can earn their way to heaven. God takes us to heaven on the basis of His Son’s performance, not ours. He offers eternal life only on the basis of grace – favor we do not deserve. Grace with anything added to it ceases to be grace (Romans 11:6). If we trust in anything in addition to Christ for salvation, then we’ve fallen victim to Satan’s deception. Christ and Christ alone saves. When presenting the gospel to the religious, confront them with the truth of their need for a Savior – they are sinners who deserve eternal separation from God. Then share God’s grace with them – that Christ died for them and rose again, and they can have eternal life simply by believing in Christ for it.

How do I share the gospel with those who are hurting?

How do I share the gospel with those who are hurting? To help us become more effective in doing this, we will look at how Jesus presents the gospel to a hurting person in John 4:1-26.

1. CROSS OVER THE BARRIERS OF PREJUDICE (4:1-7a). Instead of going the normal route to Galilee by going around Samaria (because the Jews hated Samaritans), Jesus went straight north into Samaria because He had a divine appointment with a hurting person there (4:3-4). Being weary from His journey, Jesus rested at Jacob’s well in the Samaritan city of Sychar at the “sixth hour”or noon in Jewish time while the disciples went into the city for food (4:5-6, 8). While Jesus was resting, a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water (4:7a). Jesus was willing to cross over the barriers of prejudice to reach this hurting woman with the gospel.

Who represents your Samaria? One way to find out is to ask yourself, “Who do I dislike the most? Who do I try to avoid the most?” Are we willing to do whatever it takes to reach people that no one else wants to reach? That person at work or in our neighborhood that is the subject of jokes and gossip? That person whose values and lifestyle are the opposite of our own? The person who has so many problems and needs that the only thing they can give you is a list of complaints? Ask the Lord to show you who represents your Samaria. Then surrender to His will.

2. CULTIVATE THE HURTING WITH LOVE (4:7b-9). How do we do this? Listen to them. In John 3, Jesus did most of the talking in His conversation with Nicodemus. He was confrontive with Nicodemus. But in John 4, He listened. He was compassionate with her. He cultivated the Samaritan woman with love and grace. In John 3, only three verses record what Nicodemus says. In John 4, seven verses cover what the Samaritan woman said to Jesus. God both speaks and listens. As the hurting person begins to open up, ask questions about his or her problem. Then listen. Ask more questions. Then listen some more.

Jesus asks this woman to give Him a drink (4:7b). His request is most effective in light of the fact that water is what she has come to the well for. By asking her for a drink, He goes from the problem of an empty bucket to her greater problem of an empty life.

You can do the same thing most effectively. When talking to someone who has marriage problems, you might begin by talking about marriage in general. Then mention how you and your spouse have been helped by the teachings on marriage in the Bible. Explain how you have discovered that it’s the One who created marriage that knows best how to make it work. Once the person sees the need for Christ in a marriage, you can then begin at step one: the need to know Christ personally and have the assurance of eternal life.

3. COMMUNICATE THE GOSPEL WITH RELEVANCE (4:10-26). After you’ve listened to a hurting person’s problems, you will have to speak. Christ now moves from the water that could not satisfy her thirst, to the water that could. In other words, Jesus is being relevant by communicating what this woman needs to hear in a way she could understand it. They were at a well, so He talks to her about living waters (John 4:1-26). When Christ was with the fishermen, He talked about fishing for men (Matt. 4:18-20). When He was with farmers, He talked about sowing seed (Luke 8:4-15). Jesus used methods and words they would understand and value. If we are going to be effective in reaching non-Christians, we must also minister to them in ways that they value and understand.

What does Christ say she needs to know to quench her spiritual thirst? She needs to know“the gift of God” (4:10-15) and the Giver (“who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’”) of the gift (4:16-26). Did Jesus tell her to stop living with her boyfriend (4:17-18) to be saved? No. Did He tell her to start centering her life around God or to be baptized? No. He says to ask in faith for the gift of God, and He would freely give it to her (4:10). That is grace – getting what we do not deserve.

But the woman thinks Jesus is talking about physical water (4:15) when He refers to eternal life as living water (4:10-14). She didn’t recognize her need for this gift of God. So, Jesus confronts her with the truth about her sin-stained life in which she had five husbands in the past and now she was living with a man who was not her husband (4:17-18). This woman was looking for eternal life in her relationships with men, but those relationships could not satisfy her longing for a relationship with God. Through His conversation with this hurting woman, Christ revealed His identity to her as the Messiah-God (4:19-26).

At the end of this conversation at the well, this hurting woman now knew the Gift of God and the Giver of that gift (4:25-26, 28-29, 39, 42). And that is all she needed to know (John 4:10; 20:31). That’s all anyone needs to know. And when they do, an eternal transaction occurs. Without a word or prayer, her heart had asked, and He had given her eternal life.

This tells us that no one is too bad to receive the gift of God. Perhaps you can relate to the Samaritan woman. Your life is empty and parched. You’ve tried to fill it with substitutes – relationships, drugs, your work, special projects, etc., but they leave you feeling emptier. You need the real thing – a permanent thirst quencher. Ask Jesus for the gift of eternal life and He will give it to you right now.

What is “Easy Believism”?

The expression “easy believism” is used by Lordship Salvation teachers (e.g. John McArthur, R.C. Sproul, Greg Laurie, etc.) to mean that more than believing in Christ for everlasting life is necessary. Lordship Salvation proponents insist that turning from sins, commitment, obedience, and perseverance in good works must accompany belief in Christ in order to obtain eternal life. If this is true, why would the Gospel of John, the only book of the Bible whose express purpose is to tell non-Christians how to obtain eternal life (John 20:31), repeatedly say that believing in Christ is the only condition necessary for receiving the gift of eternal life (e.g. 3:15-18, 36; 4:10-14; 5:24; 6:40, 47; 7:38; 11:25-27; 20:30-31)? Are Lordship Salvation advocates saying that God was making it too easy for people to get saved by emphasizing the word “believe” as the only condition for eternal life? 

Is the phrase “easy believism” even logical? The opposite of “easy believism” would be “hard” or “difficult believism”. How hard or difficult must believing be to be genuine or saving? How hard of a life must one have to avoid “easy believism”? 

Is the label “easy believism” even true? Is it easy to believe the contents of the Gospel? We are asking an unsaved person to believe in a man they have never seen before who lived two thousand years ago and claimed to be fully God and fully man. The written records we have about Him were preserved by His followers. There are no living eyewitnesses today who can attest to the accuracy of His claims. Is it easy to believe in an unseen Savior for the forgiveness of all your sins and the gift of eternal life on the basis of what He has done for you (His death and resurrection) and not what you have done for Him? On top of that, this is to be done in Satan’s world where all the forces of darkness are resisting the necessary change in the non-Christian’s mind (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4). There is nothing easy about believing this especially when you consider that human nature tends to rely on one’s own efforts instead of the efforts of another person.

If believing in Christ for eternal life is easy, then why do the majority of people depend on something or someone else to take them to Heaven? Why do so many depend on believing in Jesus plus their water baptism, their good life, or turning from all their sins? Man by nature is very self-reliant. That is, man has a propensity to rely on his own efforts in order to gain acceptance before God.

Lot would be a likely candidate for the label of “easy believism.” Although Lot chose the easy path of living in the plain of Sodom and had little godly influence there, yet Peter says he was righteous before God (2 Peter 2:7-8)! While none of us would say a believer is to live a carnal life as Lot did, nor should we say a non-Christian must avoid that kind of life in order to be saved because that would contradict what the Bible says is necessary to get to Heaven (John 3:15-16, 36; 6:40; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9)! We tell the non-Christian to trust in Christ alone for His gift of eternal life. After he comes to Christ in faith, then we instruct him to live a holy life in order to glorify God now and earn eternal rewards in eternity (Matthew 5:16; Colossians 3:23-24).

How do I share the gospel with someone who compares his own righteousness with those who seem worse?

“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.” Luke 18:14

Jesus told a parable about a proud “Pharisee” who trusted in his own righteousness and a humble “tax collector” who recognized his own lack of merit and trusted in God’s mercy to justify or declare him righteous before the Lord (18:9-14). Christ said both men “went up to the temple to pray” (18:10). The Pharisee prayed, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess” (18:11-12). He was comparing his own righteousness with that of other people to justify himself before God. But Jesus said the tax collector, “standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner’” (18:13). Christ concluded, “I tell you, this man [the tax collector] went down to his house justified rather than the other” (18:14).

Before a person can be declared righteous before God through faith alone in Christ alone, he or she must realize, like the tax collector did, that they are a guilty sinner before God who needs God’s mercy to save them. But like the Pharisee, many non-Christians compare their own righteousness with those who, in their opinion, live worse than they do. They conclude, “I am not as bad as him or her. I have not murdered anyone nor committed adultery.” 

But God is not asking them to compare themselves with other people. He is asking them to compare themselves with His own standard of righteousness, which is found in His perfect Son, Jesus Christ (cf. Matt. 5:17-18; John 316; Rom. 3:23; 2 Cor. 5:21; I Pet. 3:18). Even though Jesus was like you and me in His humanity (He got hungry and thirsty, and even had feelings), He never sinned because He was fully God (John 1:1, 14; Heb. 4:15). And when we compare ourselves to Him, we fall short in every area of life. Jesus never told a lie, but we often twist the truth to make ourselves look good. Jesus never stole from anyone, but we can steal peoples’ reputations by gossiping about them. Jesus never had a wrong thought, but we can have several lustful or hateful thoughts within seconds. Christ never uttered a harsh word, but we can quickly lose our patience and curse God or other people when we do not get our way. Jesus was God’s only perfect Son (John 3:16; Heb. 4:15). And none of measure up to His perfect standard of righteousness.

When we share the gospel with non-Christians, we must remind them to compare their own righteousness with God’s, like the tax collector did. This will reveal to them that they have sinned against God and fall short of His perfection (Rom. 3:23), so they can see their need to believe or trust in Christ alone whose perfect sacrifice for their sins on the cross and resurrection paid the penalty for their sins in full (John 3:16; 19:30; I Cor. 15:1-8). Then God can declare them totally righteous before God and accept them into His family on the basis of their faith alone in Christ alone (John 1:12; Rom. 4:5). 

What did Jesus means when He said, “It is finished”?

“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” John 19:30

When Jesus was hanging on the cross to pay the penalty for the sin of the world, He triumphantly said, “It is finished!” What did He mean when He said this? The Greek word that is translated “finished” is tetelestai. Receipts in New Testament times were stamped with this word which meant that the debt had been paid in full.

All people have sinned against God with their thoughts, words and actions (Rom. 3:23) and deserve to be separated from Him forever (Rom. 6:23; Rev. 20:15). But God so loved the world that He gave His only perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment for our sin when He was crucified in our place on the cross (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8) and rose from the dead, proving He is God and had finished the work of paying our sin debt in full (Rom. 1:3-4; I Cor. 15:1-8; I John 2:2).

No amount of our good works can change the fact that we are sinners before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6; Rom. 3:1-20, 23; 4:5; Gal. 2:16). Christ did not make a down payment for our sin when He died on the cross so that we must pay the remainder of our sin debt to God. God does not accept us on the basis of our good life, our keeping of His commandments, our water baptism, or the sacraments we have taken. We are accepted by God on the basis of the full payment for our sin debt to God when Jesus Christ died and rose again on our behalf. God was completely and forever satisfied with Jesus’ full payment for our sin. The verb tetelestai is in the perfect tense. This means Christ made the full payment for our sin debt when He died on the cross and it remains paid in full to the present.

When we communicate the gospel with non-Christians, we must be clear that all people have sinned against God and deserve to die forever in the Lake of Fire (Rom. 3:23; 6:23; Rev. 20:15). No amount of our good thoughts, words, or actions can change the fact that we are sinners before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). Because Jesus finished paying the penalty for our sins when He died in our place, that means we do not have to work for our salvation (Rom. 4:5; Eph. 2:8-9). All God asks of us is to believe in Jesus and His finished work on the cross as sufficient payment for our sins (John 3:14-15; 19:30). When we do, He gives us everlasting life and forgives all of our sins (John 3:16; Acts 10:43).

Those who are trusting in their good works or in Christ plus their good works to get them to heaven, are telling God the Father that Jesus’ death on the cross failed to pay their sin debt in full. However, since God was forever satisfied with His perfect Son’s payment for the sin of the world (Isaiah 53:11; John 19:30; I John 2:2), we must also be satisfied with what satisfies God. God cannot accept anything we do as payment for our sins because He has already accepted His Son’s payment for all of our sins when He died in our place on the cross.

We can reflect this truth in evangelism by inviting non-Christians to believe or trust in Christ alone, not their good works, to give them a right standing before God (Rom. 4:5; Gal. 2:16) and everlasting life (John 3:15-16; 6:40, 47; 11:25-26) so they will go to heaven when they die.

How do I share the Gospel with those who focus on “hypocritical Christians”?

When sharing the gospel with non-Christians, we may encounter those who focus on the hypocrisy of Christians as a reason not to hear or believe the gospel. They may claim to know Christians whose lives are no different than non-Christians or even worse. Perhaps you have met someone who was quick to point out that televangelists preach God’s Word on TV but fail to live it out in their personal lives. Some non-Christians have referred to people who have done horrendous things in the name of Christ such as the Spanish Inquisition and The Crusaders. Even Adolph Hitler claimed to serve God by persecuting the Jewish people because they had crucified Christ. An unbeliever may say, “I want nothing to do with Christianity because I see too many Christians who are some of the most angry, greedy, immoral, and selfish people I have ever known!”

How do we respond to non-Christians whose focus is on the hypocrisy of Christians? There are several things to consider:

1. Explain to them that not all people are Christians who say they are Christians. The Bible emphasizes that eternal life is a free gift (John 4:10-14; Rom. 6:23; Ephes. 2:8-9). A person does not receive eternal life by living a good life, keeping God’s commandments, going to church, praying every day, or being baptized with water. The Bible tells us that a person must come to God as a sinner (Rom. 3:23), realizing that Christ died for all his sins and rose from the dead (I Cor. 15:3-6), and then believe or trust in Christ alone for His gift of everlasting life (John 3:36; 6:40, 47; I Cor 15:3-6). The moment a person trusts in Christ alone to give them everlasting life, God not only gives him or her the free gift He paid for when He died on the cross – eternal life – He also comes to live inside of that person through His Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:11; Gal. 2:20; 3:2) to give them the power to live a life that pleases Him.

Many people who claim to be Christians do not understand this simple gospel message. Instead of trusting in Christ alone to get them to heaven, they are trusting in their good works or in Christ plus their good works to get them to heaven, and therefore, they do not have God’s power in them to live a life that pleases Him. Many non-Christians use their religion to try to cover up their sins. So it is important that the non-Christian understands that not all people who say they are Christians have God’s power in them to live a different life because they are not trusting in Christ alone to save them and give them everlasting life. Instead, they are depending on their good works or religious efforts to get them to heaven, instead of on Christ and His finished work on the cross alone. 

2. Inform them that Christians are also imperfect sinners who do not always live the way God wants them to live. The Bible tells us that when a person believes or trusts in Christ alone for everlasting life, he becomes a child of God forever. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Just as children can disobey a father and lose their closeness with him, so God’s children can disobey Him and lose their closeness with God. And as an earthly father’s children remain his children no matter how they behave, so God’s children remain His children no matter what they do after they trust in Christ alone for their salvation (cf. 2 Tim. 2:13). But God is not pleased with them and He will lovingly discipline them if they continue in disobedience (Heb. 12:5-11).

It is unfortunate that the disobedience of God’s children can discourage non-Christians from wanting to learn more about Jesus Christ. Ask the non-Christian not to permit the ungodly lifestyles of Christians keep them from receiving the greatest message ever offered to humanity! It is essential that the non-Christian distinguish between the lifestyle of a Christian and the message of Christ.

3. Ask the non-Christian if there are any Christians they respect for the way they live. Most non-Christians know of believers in Christ who try to live consistent Christian lives, but they tend to focus on the few believers they know who live hypocritical lives. Like all of us, non-Christians can be inconsistent in their thinking. 

4. Confront the non-Christian with Christ’s invitation to believe or trust in Him alone on the basis of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, not the lifestyles of Christians. Christ is not inviting non-Christians to trust in Him alone for salvation on the basis of how Christians live or do not live their lives. Christians cannot save lost sinners from hell no matter how much they live for Christ. Only Christ can save sinners from hell because only He has paid the full penalty for the sins of the world through His death and resurrection (John 19:30; Rom. 5:8; I Corinthians 15:3-6). 

When Jesus was talking to a religious leader, named Nicodemus, who thought the way to heaven was by living a good life, Jesus confronted Nicodemus with his need to be born of God’s Spirit by believing in Christ alone for His gift of everlasting life (John 3:1-16). Christ referred to Numbers 21:8 where God instructed Moses to lift up a bronze serpent so that all who were bitten by poisonous snakes and dying, could “look” at the serpent and “live” physically. Jesus explained their “look”as simply believing in Him:

“14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). 

Just as the dying Israelites had to look at the bronze serpent lifted up on a pole, so all people who are dying in their sins must look in faith to Jesus Christ who was lifted up on a cross to die for their sins. Christ did not say to look at how Christians live so they can believe in Jesus. No, He says to look at the “Son of Man,” Jesus Christ, who was “lifted up”on the cross for them so they can believe in Him for the gift He paid for when He died in their place.  

The most important issue for the non-Christian to consider is not what Christians have done, but what Christ has done for them when He died on the cross and rose from the dead! Encourage the non-Christian not to let the Christians who disappoint them keep them from believing or trusting in Christ alone who will not disappoint them!

(Adapted from Larry Moyer’s, 1999 Dear God I’m Ticked Off, pp. 110-117). 

Is God ever Unfair?

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

When we face difficult times, we may doubt that God loves us. We may feel like He has abandoned us. We may accuse God of being unfair when He allows us to suffer. But please understand there was a time when God was unfair. It is when He sent His innocent Son to die in the place of guilty sinners. The Bible says,“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21).

The perfect Son of God was punished on the cross instead of guilty sinners. Was that fair to Jesus!?! Of course not. But thank God for His love and grace which sent His perfect Son to pay the debt for our sins that we could never pay – “the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (I Peter 3:18).

After all, the Bible tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). All people have sinned against God and deserve to be punished for their sins forever in the Lake of Fire (Rom. 6:23; Rev. 20:15). But God loved us so much, He sent His perfect Son who never sinned to die in our place for our sins and then rise from the dead, proving that He is God (John 3:16; Romans 1:3-4; I Corinthians 15:3-6).

If you have never understood this before, God now invites you to “believe” or trust in Jesus alone to be made right with our holy God. “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5). The moment “ungodly” people believe in the innocent Son of God who died in their place for all their sins and rose from the dead, God declares them “righteous” before Him so He can accept them into His family forever! Believe in Jesus for His gift of eternal life and He will save you from hell forever and give you life that never ends (cf. John 11:25-26; Acts 16:31).

When you believe in Jesus, He comes to live inside of you through His Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11; Galatians 2:20). You can thank Him for saving you from hell forever by living for Him now: “and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15).

How to be more Effective in Evangelism

“But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.’” Luke 5:5

After fishing all night without catching any fish, Peter was hesitant to obey Jesus’ command to launch out into the deep water to let down their nets (5:4-5a). Who could blame him? Peter was an expert fisherman, and he knew that if you do not catch any fish on the Sea of Galilee during the night time when fish come to the surface to feed, you are not about to catch any fish during the daytime when the fish go down into the deeper waters. Even though Jesus’ command did not make any sense to him and contradicted his experience, Peter still was willing to obey the Lord – “nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net” (5:5a). 

When Peter let down his nets where Jesus told him, he caught a net-breaking, boat-sinking catch of fish (5:6-7). What made the difference between this outing and the previous one? After all, this was the same fishermen (with the addition of Jesus), the same boat, the same nets, and the same body of water they fished upon during the night. The main difference was that Jesus was now in Peter’s boat (5:3) to direct his fishing. 

If we want to be effective at catching men (and women and children) for Christ (5:10), we must have Christ in the boat of our lives, and we must obey Him even if it does not make sense to us or line up with our experiences. We can get Christ into the boat of our lives by believing in Him for His gift of everlasting life (John 1:12; 3:15-16). And then He will make us fishers of people as we learn to trust and obey Him as our Master Fisherman (Luke 5:1-11). With Christ at the helm of our lives, we will see more people come to Him in faith than we ever thought possible!