Sharing the Gospel with someone from a traditional church background, like CSI or Roman Catholic, who hasn’t had a personal “salvation experience” requires a sensitive and understanding approach. While they are familiar with Christian vocabulary and stories, they may not have experienced the reality of those truths.
In my experience, when I share the Gospel, people often nod and seem to agree, and I sometimes wonder if the message truly makes an impact. Below is an approach from my personal experience that can provoke thought and encourage them to seriously consider our message.
Start with Thought-Provoking Questions
Begin by asking open-ended questions based on the situation to encourage reflection. Here are some examples:
- “What does faith mean to you?”
- “What do you think is the purpose of going to church?”
- “How does someone get saved?
- “Have you had a salvation experience?”
- “How do you think a person gets to heaven?”
I recall a conversation with my CSI aunt at a funeral. I asked her, “Since we will all pass away one day, do you believe that as soon as you die, you will go to heaven and enjoy eternal life? John 3:16 says God loved the world so much that anyone who believes in Christ will not perish but have eternal life. Do you have that assurance?” She responded, “I don’t know.”
I used that opportunity to discuss the work of Christ and the importance of exercising faith. I clarified that some can hear about Christ their entire lives and never truly exercise faith in His work. When you exercise faith, you gain the assurance of going to heaven. Many traditional Christians live with this uncertainty because their churches often don’t teach salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone, but instead add works. When works are added to salvation, it removes any possibility of having assurance because our works can never be perfect or complete enough. Only when we are enabled to trust in the complete, finished, and perfect work of Christ can we have the assurance of eternal life. I believe God will use this seed that was sown in her heart. I could see there was an impact on her face and voice.
Unlike my aunt, some people might confidently state they will go to heaven. However, when you probe further about the basis for their belief, they often point to their life and good deeds. I remember speaking with a young Roman Catholic man at a KFC who told me he believed he’d go to heaven because he was a good man, went to church, had no bad habits, and did good works. I asked him, “How good do you need to be to get to heaven? How many good works do you think will ‘buy’ you heaven?”
While he pondered, I clarified that the Bible states you must be perfect in everything to enter heaven. I explained God’s holiness and His standard of the law: lust is like adultery, anger is like murder, envy is like robbery. “Can you truly be that good?” I asked.
As he listened and thought, I made him little curious by saying, using our KFC surroundings, “The Bible states the only way to heaven is by GFC, not eating at KFC.” He chuckled and wondered what GFC meant. I explained, “It’s by free Grace through Faith through Christ alone. The only way you get to heaven is by trusting in God’s grace and believing in Jesus’ perfect work.”
Understanding “Grace Through Faith in Christ Alone” (GFC)
Salvation is purely God’s grace, with none of our works involved. To be saved means believing God’s gracious promise in the Gospel, which is based on Christ’s life and His work on the cross. God not only punished Christ for our sins but also imputed Christ’s perfect righteousness to us. Only when we fully believe by faith in the perfect work of Christ, without adding any of our imperfect works to salvation, can we have the assurance of eternal life. We don’t have to do anything to earn it. That’s what GFC means: by grace through faith in Christ alone.
The young man told me he had been going to church for 20 years and had never heard this in his life. This highlights a sad reality in most traditional churches: they often do not teach the true Gospel, preventing people from experiencing the joy and assurance of eternal life. Once a person has that assurance, they cannot be controlled by religious fear, the bondage of works, ritual prayers, tithes, or church attendance. Most churches in our country teach “Christ plus this and that,” rather than GFC.
We have a great responsibility and privilege to preach this glorious Gospel of grace, which unfortunately, very few do. Remember, the goal is to faithfully present the person and work of Jesus Christ in a clear, loving way, leaving the results to God.
Key Points for Sharing the Gospel
- Start with a Probing Question: Make them think deeply.
- Gently Clarify the Gospel: Remember the five essential parts of the Gospel: God, Man, Christ, Promises, and Conditions of Gospel
- Leverage Common Beliefs and Emphasize Experience:
- The Problem of Sin: They believe in sin, so emphasize personal sin and the horror of even small “heart sins.” Help understand they need to experience a sense of sorrow and hatred for sin before a holy God.
- The Inadequacy of Works: Emphasize that our good works, rituals, sacraments, or being a “good person” cannot bridge the gap of God’s standard and earn salvation. (Refer to Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast,” and Titus 3:5).
- The Only Solution: Jesus Christ: They know about Jesus. Explain why Jesus came and what His death and resurrection accomplished.
- The Crucial Role of Faith and Repentance: They might think faith is merely intellectual assent or a general belief in God. Repentance might be seen as just feeling sorry for sin. Explain “saving faith” as personally trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, not in ourselves or our works. It’s a surrender of self-reliance to completely rely on Him. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of direction—turning from sin to God.
- The Joy of the Salvation Experience: Encourage them with blessing of gospel. It’s not just a religious drill but a joyful life of enjoying a relationship with God. When they repent and believe, they will experience the joy of forgiveness, peace of justification, a new heart, become a child of God, and enter into a personal relationship with God, guided by the Holy Spirit.
Conclude by offering to pray with them and encourage them to prayerfully think about these things and read the Bible.
Attitudes to Maintain
Key Attitudes to Remember:
- Patience: This may take multiple conversations.
- Prayer: Pray for them and for wisdom in sharing.
- Holy Spirit’s Role: It’s the Holy Spirit who convicts, illuminates, and draws people to Christ. You are merely a vessel.
- Love and Humility: Share the truth in love and gentleness, without condemnation or arrogance.
- Clarity: Ensure they understand the distinct meaning of grace, faith, and Christ’s finished work, contrasted with earning salvation.
What are your thoughts on this approach, and do you have any specific examples from your own sharing experiences that you’d like to share. Please contact me.
Pastor Murali, GRBC
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 