When witnessing, and trying to lead a person to Christ, the following points should be made.
There is the problem of personal sin. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” (Rom. 3:10).
To say that there is none righteous is not to say that people are not religious, for indeed they are. However, the religious efforts of men do not measure up to the righteousness of God. And there is a reason for this, as Romans 3:23 explains. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
The word “sin” means literally to “miss the mark.” It refers to a transgression of the Moral Law of God which commends men not to lie, steal, covet, commit adultery, or worship idols. But all have sinned, and come short of God’s glory. This is the problem of sin, and it gets worse. The Bible warns about the penalty for sin. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
Wages are what we earn, or deserve. Men deserve to die, both physically, and spiritually for the sins they have committed. We recognize this truth in extreme cases involving a brutal murder. The justice of putting to death a mass murderer such as Ted Bundy is clearly understood. In the sight of God our sins are just as heinous as his, and we deserve to die.
That is the bad news. But there is good news. There is a Divine provision for sin. The Bible says, ” But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Where sin abounds, the grace of God does much more abound. The full love of God is something that is beyond human comprehension.
“The love of God is greater far
than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star
and reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care
God gave His son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure,
The saints’ and angels’ song.”
Here is good news indeed. There is a divine provision for sin, and there is a promise from God the Father. It is found in Romans 10:9-10. There is a promise from God the Father, “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. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
The soul that is in search of salvation should be encouraged to call upon the name of Christ for salvation. They should be encouraged to pray in a manner like this:
“Lord Jesus, I am coming to You by faith, admitting that I am a lost sinner, and in need of mercy and the forgiveness of sin. I am asking you to forgive me for all that I have done wrong, to come into my life, to save me, and to change me. Please make me the kind of person you would have me to be. Please give me the grace to trust You, and You alone Lord Jesus, for this so great salvation. In your name I pray, Lord Jesus. Amen.”
