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What's in it For Me?
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The Good Person “Wherefore the law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ…” Gal. 3:24 In witnessing encounters, we come across a lot of people who think that being a “good person” will get them into Heaven. Most people think that they are good, because they can always point to someone who is worse than they are. People judge others by actions, but themselves only by good intentions. Now, we as Christians know that there is no one who is good (Psalm 14:3) and that we could never do enough good to earn our way into Heaven (Eph. 2:8-9), yet getting the sinner to see their need for Christ to save them from their sins is the dilemma. Thankfully, God has given us a mirror to hold before the unsaved to help them see their true condition. That mirror is the Ten Commandments. When I am witnessing to a “good person”, I will ask, “Would you mind taking the Good Person Test?” If they agree (the large majority do, because they think they will pass with flying colors) I ask them the following questions: 1. Have you ever loved anything or anyone more than God?2. Have you ever made a God out of someone or something? 3. Have you ever used God’s name as a cuss word?4. Have you always kept the Sabbath Day holy? 5. Have you always honored your father and mother?6. Have you ever hated anyone (God considers hatred to be murder)? 7. Have you ever lusted after anyone (God considers lust to be like adultery)?8. Have you ever stolen anything (the dollar amount doesn’t matter)? 9. Have you ever lied (fibs and white lies count)?10. Have you ever jealously desired what belongs to others? As I ask each question, the “good person” begins to realize that their standard of good is different from God’s. I continue by explaining that if they have broken even one of the Commandments, they have broken the law, and the penalty for breaking the law is death and Hell. And then I give them the Good News: But God, Himself, made a way of escape for us so that we wouldn’t have to go to Hell—JESUS! Jesus died on the cross to pay our fine and set us free. All we have to do is receive what He has done for us, repent and ask forgiveness of our sins, and make Him the Lord of our life. Presenting the Good News to the “good person” before giving them the bad news—that they have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God--is putting the cart before the horse. It would be like a doctor telling his patient that there is a cure for his terminal disease before the patient even knows that he is sick. I encourage you to try the “Good Person Test” in your soul winning adventures (it helps to have the Ten Commandments memorized). It has revolutionized my entire approach to personal witnessing. Soul Winning Quote of the Month “We are more interested in keeping the sick out of heaven than we are in keeping the lost out of hell.” Adrian Rogers on the subject of prayer meetings --Jamie Morgan Copyright 2004. All rights reserved. |
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