a good person?
 Many believe they will go to
heaven because they are "good
people." How can
Christians help them realize
that without Christ, even "good
people" are condemned in God's
eyes?
Good doctors don't treat
terminal patients without first
convincing them that they are
ill. As Christians, we
must follow in the footsteps of
the Great Physician and use
God's Law to bring people to a
knowledge of their sin before we
offer them the life-saving cure
of the Gospel. Our failure
to do so could cost them their
lives.
Romans 3:20 says, "Through
the law we become conscious of
sin" (NIV). Galatians 3:24
states, "The law was put in
charge to lead us to Christ that
we might be justified by faith"
(NIV). In other words, the
Ten Commandments—God's moral
law—show us the exceedingly
wicked nature of sin, reveal our
desperate need of God's
forgiveness and lead us to Jesus
Christ for salvation.
Jesus used the Ten
Commandments like a mirror to
show people the filth of their
sin (Mark 10:17). When we
are convicted by the Holy
Spirit, God's moral law sends us
to find cleansing through faith
in the Savior.
During a conversation, you
can simply ask someone, "Would
you consider yourself to be a
good person?" Then follow
with, "Do you think you've kept
the Ten Commandments?"
Then go through each one:
"Have you ever lied?
Stolen anything? Taken
God's name in vain? Looked
with lust? If so, then by
your own admission, you are a
lying thief and a blasphemous
adulterer at heart. So on
the Day of Judgment, if God
gives you justice, you won't go
to heaven but to hell."
Although this might seem
harsh, in my experience, most
people respond very soberly when
they realize that they aren't as
"good" as they thought. No
matter how good people think
they are, when compared with
God's standard of goodness, they
can recognize quickly that they
have fallen short, and they
often admit their guilt.
You can show them that God's Law
was given for our benefit, so we
could see ourselves in truth and
feel genuine sorrow for our sin.
"Godly sorrow brings repentance
that leads to salvation" (2
Corinthians 7:10, NIV).
Only when people have a deep
conviction of sin can they begin
to appreciate the depth of God's
love for them. We know God
loves us not because of a warm,
fuzzy feeling He gives, but
because of His grace—"while we
were still sinners, Christ died
for us" (Romans 5:8, NIV).
It's simple: We broke the Law,
and Jesus paid our fine. If we
will repent and trust in the
Savior, God will forgive us and
grant us the gift of everlasting
life. Then we will not
just be a "good person" but a
new creation—a sinner saved by
grace.
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