By Tony Williams
Many times, when we attempt to share the gospel with folks who are lost, they will respond with conversation that indicates they believe they are saved. Many believe they are saved in their current condition though they have not complied with the mercy and grace God gives freely, but conditionally.
This, I believe, is the Devil’s favorite weapon: to convince people they are saved when they are not.
We must not be shy when informing these folks of their lost condition. Will Hanstein stated well in his sermon, “A doctor would not tell you of an unhealthy condition just because he knows you would not like to hear it.” Therefore, we must tell folks they are lost even when they won’t like to hear it and must be convinced otherwise.
Most people think they will go to heaven when they die if they believe in God and are a generally good person. Most do not like to hear they are in a lost condition. Most are also unaware of what is required from the Bible for one to be saved. We have several examples in the book of Acts where people complied with the conditions set forth and were saved by grace. We know that in Acts chapter two, Peter tells the Jews in the assembly to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. Of all the world’s population, very few have done this. They think they don’t have to in order to be saved.
We must be bold in proclaiming the whole Gospel. In times past, many would accuse members of the church of Christ for being too harsh by telling people they were lost. I am afraid we would not stand accused today.