It is important to be realistic about what is in the heart of unbelievers. Some Christians give the impression that the biggest reason people don’t follow Jesus is the bad example of Christians or other faults in the church. But this does not fit with Scripture. The reality is that the lost are corrupt. By the time people reach early teens they have adopted sinful ways. Most people want to be god of their own lives; they want to cling to destructive ways. Even if they are “nice” people and have been hurt by those who call themselves Christians, the truth is that they are just making excuses. (There are cases of real abuse that do create a huge barrier and we should recognize their pain)
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23, ESV). In other words, the lost are just like all of us before we became followers. If we try to win them primarily by addressing the ways in which they have been wronged or by apologizing for the faults of some Christians we won’t be getting to the root of their issues with God. If they sincerely reflected on the issue of the faults of Christians they would understand that there is an important difference between Jesus and the faults of some who say they are followers of Jesus. The faults of Christians were not the main barrier between us and God when we were saved. The biggest issue is always the sinful heart.
We should not forget that the great majority of the lost have their share of secret sins. They lie, gossip, indulge in lust, indulge in sexual immorality, act selfishly for the sake of finances or career and commit many other sins that they prefer to hide. Most indulge in observable sins of materialism and hedonism. Most fear the rejection of peers more than they fear neglecting God. They sense their emptiness, and loneliness and aimlessness and yet they do not pursue God. They have every opportunity to seek after God and discover the truth about Jesus but they don’t find the time. Moreover, they avoid the idea that God will ever judge their lives, or if he will judge their lives they believe that they are good enough to pass. Worst of all, they replace the true God with themselves as god. We can verify these truths by talking to faithful believers who converted after their childhood and asking them if God convicted them of any of these attitudes when they believed. And did you not have some of these attitudes before you believed?
Unbelievers persist in this corruption day after day. We need to gently and diplomatically present the contrast between kingdom goodness and their low view of goodness. In short, they need to be convicted of their sinfulness and their need for repentance before they can find salvation. Our kingdom living will help expose the gap between their “righteousness” and true righteousness.
Conviction of sin is an element of biblical evangelism and we can not rob listeners of it without paralyzing their movement toward God. It is truth that sets them free and paves the way for receiving Christ. And for those who long for revival, it is important to remember that revivals always include a strong conviction of sin in seekers. For all these reasons, when the time comes to lead someone to salvation – forgiveness and regeneration – we need to speak words that the Spirit can use to bring conviction of sin.
