Salvation Summaries

I think we’ve all heard of the seven deadly (or detestable) sins, and that seven is one of the most commonly used numbers in the Bible.  In this post, I’d like to present seven problems that keep people from witnessing (or witnessing effectively), and offer a solution for each (though the solution to most will be in my next post).

1. No interest or desire

Not every Christian has an ongoing desire to witness to non-Christians.  Of the ones I know, I believe most like the idea of witnessing, but would prefer that another Christian handle it.

If you are in this “camp,” let me share with you two verses that have convicted me on whether I should witness, for I believe they will convict you too.  The first one is by Paul and the second Peter.

Paul

I think we can all agree that if we could choose a Christian in the Bible to emulate, Paul would rank high on our list.  What was his thought on witnessing?  It was to “win” or “save” as many people as possible.  How?  By relating to them and their situation the best way he could.

• 1 Corinthians 9:19-22 19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.

If this was Paul’s goal in life, and if he is one we should emulate, then maybe we should seek to do the same.

Peter

The following set of verses should be convicting to every Christian, as Peter warns us not to be content with our status as a Christian.  Like a young child, we are to grow, grow, grow, but in a spiritual sense.  Those that don’t, according to Peter, are ungrateful for their salvation (see verse 9).

• 2 Peter 1:4-11 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

If we are not growing as a Christian, then we, per Peter, have a problem.  And if we are not witnessing as a Christian, then we would appear to have the same problem.

2. Some interest but don’t know how

See my next post!

3. Some interest but fear might offend someone

This is a touchy subject.

Once you become a Christian and begin to grow in your faith, you start to realize that many people who claim to be a Christian are not. This can be seen in surveys by Barna, Pew Research and others, where 70% – 80% of Americans claim to be Christians, but a surprising percentage may not believe in hell, or may not believe that Jesus was sinless, or hold some other belief that contradicts what a true Christian should believe.  Also, these surveys often show that Christians live no differently than non-Christians, but this cannot also be true (unless all of the Christians were new Christians and thus had not changed from their worldly lifestyle), for a true Christian experiences a spiritual change in their life (receives the Holy Spirit) that leads to a change in their behavior. In other posts, I’ve presented reasons why many people claim to be a Christian but are not, so I won’t go into detail here.

Also, there is a growing number of people who do not claim to be a Christian and have no desire to be one, so witnessing could possibly offend them too.  I have some atheist relatives who fall into this camp.

While sensitivity is clearly important in witnessing conversations, I believe the problem for both types of people can be overcome by shifting the focus of the conversation away from their need to become a Christian to how YOU became one.

Also, if this is a person you regularly interact with, you will want to show them that you are a Christian by what you say and do (how you live your life).  If they are observant, they will realize that you – an obvious Christian – act and live differently from them, which may prompt them (at some point) to start asking questions about your faith, and then you can witness more directly to them.

4. Some interest but do not have a testimony to share so won’t make it interesting

See a prior post where I shared my testimony, and use it as an example in how to create your own.

5. Some interest but can’t recall specific salvation verses to use, so won’t be effective

See my next post!

6. Seek to but unclear on which verses to use (some say to believe or have faith, some to repent, etc.)

There are a surprising number of verses in the Bible on salvation, but they don’t all say the same thing, which can be confusing. Some say you need to believe, others say you need faith, in some you need to repent, and still others you are supposed to “come to Jesus” or receive Him.  See below for more details on this and my next post where I try to combine all of these apparent differences into one overall requirement.

7. Seek to but may not fully understand the meaning of certain terms and thus may not witness effectively.

Many years ago, I witnessed to a relative of mine using John 3:16, and said that this person needed to believe in Jesus in order to be saved. This person said they did, but it’s clear that they were not saved then or now.  How can that be?  Let me give you two reasons.

First, through studying many salvation-related verses in the Bible, it became clear to me that there are two types of belief in the Bible: one that saves, and one that does not  (a general or casual belief in God and Jesus that does not lead to a born again experience.  Also, a shallow belief can turn into unbelief – see Luke 8:13).  I believe that MANY people who claim to be a Christian have the latter type of belief, and therefore are not truly saved, even though they may think they are.

Second, and also through studying salvation-related verses in the Bible, it became clear that “believe” should not be viewed on an isolated basis, for it relates to other things a person must do to be saved.  For example, believe relates to “receive” (must receive Jesus), “come to me” (Jesus), faith, repentance and losing one’s life (for Jesus).  According to the Bible, a person must do each of these to become a Christian, and thus, much more than a casual belief in Jesus is required.

In my next post, I hope to combine each of these requirements into an easy to understand story in order to offer a more clear and comprehensive picture of what is required for a person to become saved.