An Inner Ally: Your Most Powerful Tool for Sharing the Gospel
When we share the gospel with someone, we often feel the need to start with deep philosophical questions. But what if the most effective starting point isn’t an intellectual argument, but a simple, undeniable fact that resides in every person’s heart?
This truth is rooted in the biblical principle that mankind is created in the image of God, and that God’s law is written on every person’s conscience. As Romans 2:14-15 states, even those who have never heard the Bible do by nature things required by the law, proving that “the requirements of the law are written on their hearts.” Their consciences bear witness to this truth, sometimes accusing them and at other times defending them.
Why You Should Start with Conscience, Not Philosophy
When you witness to someone—whether they are from a different faith background or have never heard the gospel—they have an ally for the gospel within their own hearts. That ally is the law of God.
Instead of spending time debating the existence of God or the reality of heaven and hell, you can cut straight to the heart of the matter. You need to appeal to their conscience and their understanding of right and wrong.
Every person, no matter their beliefs, has a set of ethics. While they may try to suppress this moral law, it never truly goes away. Your job is to pierce through their defenses and appeal to what they already know to be true.
A Simple, Practical Approach
So, how do you do this? Start with a direct question that appeals to their lived experience of guilt:
“Have you ever felt guilty about doing something you knew was wrong?”
If they are honest, they will say yes. At this point, you have an open door to share the gospel. That feeling of guilt is not just a personal emotion; it is God’s conviction of their sin. They have broken His laws, which their own conscience bears witness to.
Because of this, they stand guilty before God and are in need of a remedy—forgiveness for their sins.
From Guilt to a Need for Jesus Christ
By starting with this approach, you bypass the common intellectual excuses and arguments against Christianity. You are appealing to something they cannot deny, something they know in their own hearts.
Bringing people under the conviction of their own guilt and a conscious awareness that they need a way for that guilt to be cleansed is the core essence of helping them see their need for Jesus Christ. The guilt that arises from violating God’s law makes them see their need for forgiveness.
This powerful principle provides a lever for the gospel in every person’s life. It gets past philosophical distractions and gets to the heart of the issue: we have a moral problem. Our problem is guilt, which arises from violating God’s law, and for that, we need forgiveness. That forgiveness is provided by God in Jesus Christ.
The accusation of conscience is not a dead end; it is the springboard for opening a person to the remedy that is Jesus Christ.
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 