Evangelism Equipping

Evangelism Equipping

Jay Wegter

I. What is the Gospel?

A. The Gospel is First of all about God.

1. He is sovereign Creator.

a) He is the designer, fashioner, and sustainer of all creation (Ps 100:3; Acts 17:24-31).

(The universe is not self-existent or self-explanatory--He called the universe into existence by His spoken Word and He explains it by His written Word, the Scriptures.)

b) He is revealing His mighty attributes by the creation (Rom 1:18-20).

The created universe discloses God day by day (Ps 19:1-6).

c) He is sovereign Ruler and Lord over everything that exists (Is 14:27).

He owns everything and He is absolute over all reality (Ps 24:1, 2). (Sinners and Satan do not create a separate reality by their rebellion, God sees their day coming – Ps 2).

2. He is infallible Creator.

a) He is light

He is the source of all truth, wisdom, knowledge, and ethics (1 Jn1:5 Prov 1:7).

b) He is holy, He made the universe in order to demonstrate His holiness. God is unchanging in His moral majesty, purity, and holiness (Is 6:3). He alone sets the standard for right and wrong -- every commandment he has given is the manifestation of His holy character (1 Pet 1:16, Rom 3:19-21).

3. He is personal Creator.

a) God is a personal Being He is self-aware, personal, holy, knowable, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient (Ps 139; Rom 11:36).

b) God is love He created us in His image (Gen 1:27) in order to have a love relationship with us (1 Jn 3:1; 4:7-10). We were made for communion with Him. He created us for His glory to take delight in worshipping, honoring, and reflecting Him (1 Cor 10:31; Is 43:7, 21).

c) God is worthy to be loved.

His character is perfect, wonderful and excellent. We were created to be satisfied in Him and all that He is for us. (It is the creature’s duty to live for His glory –that duty flows from our being made in His image (Matt 22:37). (We glorify God by trust and thanksgiving—love God enough to say thank you and love neighbor enough not to covet.)

B. The Gospel is about Man’s Sinful Condition.

1. Mankind rejects God’s wonderful character.

a) God’s laws and blessings are intended to show us and warn us of God’s loving

ownership of us (Rom 2:4).

But Scripture says that men will not live for the glory of God (Rom 3:23) -- it is because of sin that people are uninterested and are unable to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.

b) God’s testimony of man’s condition reveals that all are in rebellion against

God’s moral government (Rom 8:5-7).

This means that none of us have treasured God the way we should. We have sought satisfaction in other things and treated them as more valuable than God (Eph 2:1-3).

2. Mankind is separated from God because of sin.

a) God has born witness to the consequences of sin (Rom 6:23).

Sin produces guilt, death, and separation from God (Rom 5:12). Sin results in separation of our souls from God forever (God is the only Source of light, life, goodness, and love).

b) God is just and righteous in shutting us out from the enjoyment of His glory

forever (Gal 3:10).

Hell is real; it is not a myth. Jesus addressed the subject of hell more than any other speaker in the Bible (Matt 10:28).

3. Man is in bondage to sin and cannot free himself.

a) God’s Word tells us that the human race is dead to the things of God (Col 2:13). Man’s will and choosing are enslaved to sin (Gal 3:22). Man’s thinking is darkened (Eph 4:18). Man is spiritually blind (2 Cor 4:4).

b) God’s Word tells us that sinners do not have the power to reverse their habitual

breaking of God’s laws (John 8:34).

We are sinners by birth, practice, and preference (Rom 3:10-18).

c) God’s Word tells us that man’s soul is eternal (Heb 9:27).

Physical death does not destroy the “real you.” Christ solemnly warned that those who refuse God’s provision for the salvation of their souls will experience eternal destruction (Matt 25:30; Mark 8:12).

d) God has given us His Word to show our sin and need of salvation (1 Jn 3:4-6). Unbelief in God’s authority is evident in the fact that humans do not take responsibility for their sin. They run their lives as if God does not matter. They attempt to live lives that are self-made, self-sufficient, and self-fulfilled. Only a correct diagnosis of man’s condition, found in the Scriptures, can point man to the divine cure (Rom 10:1-4; Gal 3:23, 24).

C. The Gospel is about Jesus Christ the Merciful Redeemer (Rom 1:1-7).

1. Christ took on human nature in order to deliver us from sin and restore us to God (Heb 2:8,9, 14-18).

a) Jesus Christ is the “God-man.” He is the only Mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5).

He alone can bring a soul to God for acceptance, favor, forgiveness, and adoption (Eph 1:4).

b) Christ’s obedience to the Father was an obedience to the point of death on a

cross (Phil 2:6-8).

Christ’s love for sinners is demonstrated by His willingness to die for us while we were yet enemies of God (Rom 5:8-11).

2. Christ is the Sin-bearer and Substitute for sinners (1 Pet 3:18).

a) The good news of the Gospel is that Christ died for sinners like us.

He offered Himself as the innocent substitutionary sacrifice for sin on behalf of all those who acknowledge their sin.

b) He took the guilt of sinners upon Himself – On the cross, He bore our guilt and endured God’s judgment against it (Is 53:6).

3. Christ’s payment for sin means that God can acquit sin and still be just (Rom 3:24-26).

a) Christ’s offer of Himself in our place at Calvary has fully satisfied the justice of God.

Christ’s death obtained eternal redemption (Heb 9:14, 15; 10:14; Jn 17:2).

b) Because of the redemption Christ accomplished, God freely justifies believing sinners.

When God justifies He declares a person righteous in His sight (2 Cor 5:21; Rom 4:5-8; 24, 25).

4. Christ has risen from the dead; the empty tomb is proof that Christ’s sacrifice for sinners was accepted by God on their behalf (Acts 17:31; 1 Cor 15:20).

a) Christ rose bodily from the dead.

His resurrection validates the saving power of His death and opens the gates of eternal life and joy.

b) Christ’s resurrection guarantees the resurrection of the believer (Jn 14:2, 3). By the Redeemer’s death and resurrection, the sinner may come home to God, where all deep and lasting satisfaction are found (Acts 3:19, 20 ff.; Titus 3:4-7).

5. Christ has ascended on high, He is Lord of all (Heb 10:12; 12:2).

a) Someday every knee will bow to Christ (Phil 2:9-11).

All authority has been given to Christ; He is King of kings and Lord of lords (Matt 28:18; Rev 17:14; 19:16).

b) Christ is the only One who can give saving mercy to the sinner – He is willing to do so, He bids sinners come (Matt 11:28, 29; Jn 6:37; 7:37).

D. The Gospel is about our Necessary Response to be united to Christ.

1. The glorious benefits of Christ’s death belong only to those who repent and trust Him (Mark 16:16).

a) The person who savingly believes trusts solely in Christ’s Person and finished

work on Calvary.

The believing sinner trusts in nothing he can do, only in the Savior (Acts 3:19; 16:31).

b) The person who savingly believes, transfers his trust away from self to Christ alone.

Saving faith is reliance upon Christ to be our necessary and sufficient payment for sin (Rom 10:13).

2. Faith and repentance toward God involves casting oneself upon Christ as the only hope for right-standing before God.

a) Christ alone is the One who pays for sin and provides power over sin (Rom

3:21-26).

The sinner who believes commits his life to Christ for obedience (Jn 3:36; 10:27).

b) Christ is willing to save even the worst sinner – He came to seek and to save that which was lost.

Saving sinners is the mission for which Christ came to earth (Luke 19:10). Your sin is not a barrier to salvation!

3. God commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30).

a) To repent is to agree with God that we have wronged Him and deserve judgment.

Repentance is not only a change of mind about our sin, it is a turning toward God in humble obedience (Ez 18:30-32; Luke 13:5).

b) To repent is to determine to turn from our rebellion in order to serve our Redeemer and Creator with our whole selves (and to be ruled by His Word). Repentance involves turning from the deceitful promises of sin so as to despise the sin and our sin natures (Matt 10:38, 39; 16:25, 26).

II. Preach the biblical Gospel; accept no substitutes!

A. The church today is afflicted by a gospel of “easy believism” (a ‘gospel’ which requires no repentance).

The words of Welsh pastor Howell Harris are even more true today than they were 200 years ago. Churches are filled with folks who have a détente with sin; they are at ease under its dominion. They won’t study the fruits of faith or make their election and calling sure; but turn the grace of God into licentiousness (Edward Morgan, The Life and Times of Howell Harris, Need of the Times Pub. 1998 rp, p. 71).

B. We have forgotten the necessity of deep conviction of sin.

1. God’s grace is free, but its bestowal has conditions which are set by the Holy Spirit; the Spirit prepares the sinner for grace by means of conviction (Jn 16:13). The burden of sin and wrath on the conscience is a function of divine grace BECAUSE Christ’s merit is only known to the poor soul in deep distress. Small conviction of sin will yield only slight views of Christ’s blood and merits.
2. There is a necessary ‘desperate-ness’ which accompanies true conviction of sin. It is only the destitute sinner who falls at the feet of Christ. Only those who been smitten with the death wound of damnation flee to the Savior, only those stripped of all self-righteousness cry to Christ for mercy.

3. The unsaved ‘religious’ man has yet to receive a death blow from the law of God. The law has never been manifested to him in its spirituality (Rom 7:14).

In other words, he has never been thoroughly slain by the law. If he had been he would be dead to the law as a source of life and would understand that he must find spiritual life in Another (Gal 2:19).

As a consequence of being yet alive to the law , the idol of self is set up in the heart against Christ in His offices. The false professor feels that he is a good Christian BEFORE he is thoroughly condemned by the law. Only when the law slays him will he be made to feel his utter need of faith in order to lay hold of Christ’s imputed righteousness (Edward Morgan, Life and Times, Howell Harris, p. 74).

Discussion: Make sure you understand the terms: ‘alive to the law’ and ‘dead to the law’ in reference to salvation. The sinner who is yet ‘alive to the law’ still has hope in his religious efforts; his personal reforms; and his works.

4. Only the Spirit’s convicting power can slay self-help.

The leprous doctrine of free will is destroyed in the heart of one who has had any spiritual dealing with Christ; for Christ is the One who in the exercise of His sovereignty applies His merits to the sinner (He reveals the Father, Matt 11:27 -- He is ‘the Mediator of a better covenant’ – Heb 8:6).

5. “Nature can’t stand being stripped of all righteousness. Nature would rather despair; would rather choose Judas’ noose than go to Christ on His terms.’ “Be merciful to me the sinner” is the hardest prayer in the world. To confess Christ from the heart is above the power of flesh and blood. So much profession of salvation today is merely an accommodation, a lowering of the market to what the flesh is capable of; namely a form of religion in which men have never parted with self-righteousness. As a result, carnal professors are strangers to the blood of Christ .

Discussion: Does the conviction of sin produced by God’s Spirit include conviction of one’s own helplessness in the matter of complying with the terms of the Gospel?

C. The unregenerate person lies in a deep spiritual slumber of apathy. All his false hopes must be dashed; or he will never flee to Christ.

1. False professors are more naked, wretched, and poor than they can possibly imagine.

They have never seen their own moral bankruptcy and spiritual ruin. They seem ignorant of the fact that God only pities, forgives, and receives those who are poor in spirit, self-condemned, broken- hearted, and sincere (no man apart from the Spirit’s work can prepare himself in this way; it is the Spirit’s convicting work to harrow the heart until it is ‘mortally wounded’ by the Law).

Says Harris, no one ever came to liberty without feeling himself in bondage. No man ever believed without discovering through an evil heart of unbelief that believing is the hardest thing in the world. No one ever took up the cross in self-denial without perceiving hell, darkness, and wrath pursuing him until fleeing to Christ as his only refuge (ibid. pp. 257-258).

2. God’s way is radically different from the “auto-soterism” (self-salvation) inherent in modern evangelistic methods.

God comes down and confounds the language of Babel; He scatters every stick and stone and pile of mortar. He does not leave one stone upon another. He is a jealous God, and will have no partner in the way of salvation (J. C. Philpot, What is it that saves a soul?, Chapel Library, p. 13).

3. When the quickening power of God’s Spirit has passed upon a man’s conscience, he is brought to see himself to be morally and spiritually bankrupt. This inward sight of self cuts him off sooner or later from legal hopes (or works salvation). In many cases the work may begin in a way scarcely perceptible – but be sure of this, that the Lord will bring down the hearts of all His people “with labor; He will convince them of their lost state before Him and cast them as ruined wretches into the dust of death—without hope, strength, wisdom, help, or righteousness, except that which is given to them, as a free gift of distinguishing grace (Rom 5:6-11).

This work of grace in the conscience, pulling down all of man’s false refuges, stripping him of every lying hope, and thrusting him down into self-abasement and self-abhorrence, is indispensable to a true reception of Christ. No matter how informed his judgment is he will never receive Christ spiritually into his heart and affections, until he has been broken down by the hand of God in his soul to be a ruined wretch (J. C. Philpot, The Heavenly Birth and its Earthly Counterfeit, p. 4).

Discussion: What are some of the indications that the Spirit’s has been effectively working to strip the sinner of all self- righteousness and self-help?

D. Does the sinner have the power to regenerate himself by his decision?

1. “You must be born again” (Jn 3:7) is the great doctrine of man’s need for regeneration in order to enter the kingdom of God (i.e., miraculous new birth). But the modern gospel denies the very point that John 3 intends to teach. Simply stated, the error is this – that men are born again as a result of something they do .
2. “Decisional Regeneration” departs from Scripture because it attributes to man the ability to regenerate himself.

“Decisional Regeneration” in the Church must be exposed in order to save men from the damning delusion that because they have “decided,” they are going to heaven and are no longer under the wrath of God (James Adams, Decisional Regeneration, Chapel Library, p. 3).

3. We can and must tell men to turn from their sins and believe the Gospel, but in doing so we should realize that when a man does repent and believe, it is the result of God’s prior regenerative working within him.

If this were not the case, if man were capable of initiating his own salvation, then it would be impossible to escape the conclusion that men do not need regeneration at all, but possess in themselves an innate goodness which causes them to seek after God—but Scripture puts this to the lie (Rom 3:10-12) (Richard Ochs, Born-againism, Chapel Library).

4. The purity of the Gospel is of extreme importance because it alone is the power of God unto Salvation (Rom 1:16-17).

Charles Hodge points out the danger of teaching decisional regeneration: No more soul-destroying doctrine could well be devised than the doctrine that sinners can regenerate themselves, and repent and believe just when they please… As it is a truth both of Scripture and of experience that the un-renewed man can do nothing of himself to secure his salvation, it is essential that he should be brought to a practical conviction of that truth.

When thus convicted, and not before, he seeks help from the only source whence it can be obtained” (Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Grand Rapids 1970, Vol. 2, p. 277).

5. Evangelistic methods employed in Evangelical Christianity have given rise to a policy of equating salvation with a profession of faith in Christ.

The result is church roles filled with carnal professors whose daily lives are a contradiction of true piety (Gary Hendrix, Professing Christians Warned).

When folks are counseled to pray a certain prayer and then pronounced “saved,” it commonly results in the impression that the individual has been “regenerated” through a decision.

Regeneration is reduced to a procedure which man performs. How differently did Jesus Christ deal with sinners. He dealt with every individual on a personal basis; not by a stereo-typed presentation (James Adams, pp. 4-5).

Discussion: When the rich young ruler came to Christ to inquire about eternal life, how did Jesus deal with him—how did Jesus ‘take away’ the man’s false hope of salvation?

6. Looking unto Jesus is the vivified soul’s response to a crucified and risen Savior. Let us not forget that repentance is a consequent of faith in God’s free love to sinners; we are not saved FOR believing; faith is not a work.

Do not make a savior out of your faith. We might well ask, “Is your hope of glory laid by the hand of Christ or by your own hand? Who began religion in you?” (Wilcox, Christ is All, pp. 13-17).

7. Christ is only put on when our own covering is totally unraveled. No one really believes until he is an undone sinner—the hardest thing in the world is to take Christ lone for righteousness. To believe, one must have a clear view of conviction of sin, of the merits of Christ’s blood, and Christ’s willingness to save one merely as a sinner.

This is more difficult than to make a world; nature cannot attain to it. It is Christ’s work to make you believe. Saving faith is a gift. Unbelief sets up guilt of conscience above Christ and His merits. Unbelief fixates upon complaints against the self— whereas faith looks away from self to Christ (ibid.).

8. Because of satanic blindness to the Gospel of grace (2 Cor 4:3, 4), unregenerate man cannot comprehend the true basis of salvation, and is therefore ever prone to do the best he knows how. This is to attempt to work out his own standing before God by his own efforts.

It is the natural tendency to do something of merit; whether standing in an evangelistic meeting, or walking an aisle. He may be persuaded to do the above when he has no conception of standing by faith on the Rock of Jesus Christ. He may abandon natural timidity by walking an aisle when he knows nothing of abandoning his satanic tendency to self-help, and resting by faith on that which Christ has done for him (Iain Murray, The Invitation System, Banner of Truth, pp. 22-23).

Discussion Questions:

1. The Protestant Reformers described faith as having three essential elements. Name and describe those three elements.

2. Define justification by faith.
3. What is a forensic act? Why is justification forensic, or ‘legal’ in nature?
4. Which N.T. verses indicate that justification is a one-time, once-for-all act?
5. Define repentance.
6. What N.T. verses demonstrate that repentance is more than merely a change of mind?
7. What N.T. verses demonstrate repentance is a gift from God, and not merely a human work?
8. Define regeneration.
9. From the Scriptures demonstrate that regeneration is a complete act, rather than an ongoing process.

10. Which person of the Trinity is directly responsible for regeneration?
11. Explain the difference between justification (a forensic or legal declaration) and regeneration (an ontological act or change in one’s being). Give examples.

III. Memorize a Gospel Outline that includes the necessity of

repentance.

A. God is Creator; He is the loving Ruler of the world. He made us rulers of the world under Him.

1. God is ‘in charge’ of the world; because He is a perfectly righteous ruler, He always does what is best for His subjects (Two Ways to Live, www.mathiasmedia.com.au/2wtl/).

“You are worthy our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Rev 4:11).

2. God rules the world because He made the world out of nothing.

He formed it like a potter who shapes clay. He filled the world with beauty, order, and amazing detail. He is Owner of all that He has made.

3. God created people with a mind, soul, and body who would answer to their Creator and find purpose and joy in Him.

God appointed humanity to care for the world He made and to enjoy its beauty and bounty. Mankind’s stewardship of the world was intended to be under God’s authority—we are to honor Him by obeying His directions.

4. This sounds very ideal—God in heaven—people ruling His creation according to His directions—and a world that is right. But obviously there is much that is not right with us and the world (Two Ways to Live). What has gone wrong?

B. We all reject the Ruler—God—by trying to direct our lives without Him.

1. We fail to rule society, the world, and ourselves according to God’s directions. The sad truth is that from the beginning men and women have rejected God by doing things their own way. “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks after God. All have turned away” (Rom 3:10-12).
2. In rejecting God’s loving rule over us, we have made a mess of our lives, of society, and the world. The suffering, injustice, and selfishness we see around us all goes back to our basic rebellion against God (Two Ways to Live). The ‘Big Lie’ is selfish independence—that mankind can live independently of God. Actually each human being is entirely dependent on God for breath, food, shelter, and physical and mental abilities (“A New Life,” in C. John Miller, Powerful Evangelism for the Powerless, p. 148).

3. People are self-centered; not God-centered. This means that by nature you are spiritually dead and deceived. “You were dead through your trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1). People show this by being unthankful to God, perverted, greedy, jealous, bitter, proud, mean, devious, and foolish (see Rom 1:21-31).

4. Our self-trust, self-boasting, self-analysis, and self-seeking flow from the ‘Big Lie’ that we can live independently of God. Self-centered man is separated from a holy God by three big barriers:

• A bad record—“All have sinned. . .” (Rom 3:23)
• A bad heart—“From the heart of man come evil thoughts. . .” (Matt 15:19)
• A bad master—“Whoever commits sin is a slave. . .” (Jn 8:34)

What will God do about this rebellion?

C. God won’t let us rebel forever. God’s punishment for rebellion is death and judgment.

1. God calls us into account for our actions. The sentence God passes on us is entirely just—it gives us what we have asked for by our rebellion. By our attempts to live independently of God we have said, “Go away, I don’t want you telling me what to do. Leave me alone” (Two Ways to Live). “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Heb 9:27).
2. This is a terrible thing to fall under the sentence of God’s judgment. God’s judgment on rebels is to withdraw from them, to cut them off from Himself—permanently. And, since God is the source of all life, light, love, good, and blessedness; being cut off from Him means death and hell (ibid.). “The wages of sin is death...” (Rom 3:23a).

3. In our alienation from God in this life, we may feel unsatisfied and we may have an accusing conscience which generates fear, guilt, and depression. But in the existence to come there will be loss of all friendship and earthly joys forever (Matt 8:12; Luke 16:19-31). There will be frightful pains of body and conscience forever (Mark 9:48) (C. John Miller, p. 149).

God’s justice sounds hard; but God has intervened to deal with our guilt and rebellion.

D. Because of His love, God sent His Son into the world; the man Jesus Christ.

1. Because of His great love and generosity, God did not leave us to suffer the consequences of our foolish rebellion. He sent His only begotten Son; the Lord Jesus Christ to take our punishment and to bring forgiveness (Two Ways to Live). “Christ died for our sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Pet 3:18).
2. Unlike us, Jesus didn’t rebel against God; Jesus always lived under God’s rule. He always did what God said—so He did not deserve death and punishment. Yet Jesus did die a cruel death on a cross. The Bible tells us that Jesus died as a substitute for rebels like us. The debt we owed to God—Jesus paid by dying in our place. He took the full force of God’s justice on Himself that forgiveness might be available to us

(ibid.). “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21).

E. God raised Jesus to life again and appointed Him Ruler of the world.

1. Jesus has conquered death; He now gives new life; and He will return as Judge. God accepted Jesus’ death as payment in full for our sins, and raised Him from the dead. As God’s ruler, Jesus has also been appointed God’s judge of the world (ibid.). “He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained” (Acts 17:31a; Jn 5:22-23).
2. Jesus offers a new life—both now and eternally. Our sins can be forgiven through Christ’s death and we can be delivered from rebellion and brought into friendship with God. The pardon that Christ brings to those who trust Him assures believers that when He returns, He will accept us into His eternal home. “In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead” (1 Pet 1:3).

3. God’s gift of new life in Christ removes the barriers which separate us from God (a bad record, a bad heart, a bad master).

In Christ the believer has:

• A perfect record—“Christ . . . is made our righteousness” (1 Cor 1:30).
• A new heart—“A new heart I will give you” (Ez 36:25-26).
• A new master—“My yoke is easy” (Matt 11:28-30).

4. Jesus said of the new life He offers: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He that believes in Me… from within him shall flow rivers of living water” (Jn 7:38-39). In this new life God Himself comes to live within us by His Spirit. We experience the joy of a new relationship with God. God’s Holy Spirit gives you the ‘fruit’ of “love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22). God’s Holy Spirit gives you power to overcome feelings of loneliness, stress, fear of people and the future (1 Jn 4:18). He gives the power to break habits like selfishness, depression, uncontrolled anger, sexual lust, overeating, and substance abuse (C. John Miller, pp. 147-148).

F. God’s gracious offer of new life in Christ is the choice we all face.

That means that there are two ways to live:

1. Our way 2. God’s new way
Reject God as Ruler Submit to Jesus as our Ruler
Try to run our life our way Rely on Christ and His sacrifice for us

Result: Result:
Condemned by God Forgiven and accepted by God
Face death and eternal judgment Given the gift of eternal life

3. Which of these two ways represents the way you want to live?

The two ways could not be more different. For those who persist in rejecting God as Ruler; there will be the consequences of life without peace now; and the dreadful prospect of eternal separation from God after we die. But for those who realize their situation is hopeless outside of Christ; there is new life in Jesus. He pardons our sin by the power of His death and resurrection. He places His own Spirit in our hearts and grants us a new life that stretches into eternity. We are transferred from rebels to members of God’s own family. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (Jn 3:36).

4. How may I come to Christ for a new life?

Turn in sorrow from your sins. (Repentance is not our suffering or our good works to earn salvation, but a turning from our sins to the living God through Christ Jesus.) “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him turn to the Lord, that He may have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Is 55:7)

Trust in Christ Jesus alone. “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved….” (Acts 16:31). (Trusting is accepting, receiving, and resting on Christ alone as the Savior from our sins.)

IV. The unbeliever’s method of knowing is what makes him a fool.

(The unbeliever’s method of knowing according to God’s Word) (Romans 1: 18-22).

G. Believer and unbeliever stand on opposite sides of a bottomless chasm. On the biblical side, the Word of Christ is our method of knowing. On the unbeliever’s side, autonomous self is the method of knowing.

H. There are questions that are designed to bring a person’s worldview to the surface so that it may be discussed.

Once a person ‘owns’ his erroneous worldview—then there is a prime opportunity to present the Gospel as the exact opposite of what he believes! It is this contrast (antithesis) of truth against error which is useful in confronting the sinner with the claims of the Creator upon him.

NOTE: how Pastor Tim Keller uses the parable of the Prodigal Son to teach an evangelistic approach he calls: “Three Ways to Live.”

III. Worldview Questions form a starting point for dialogue Worldview questions form a diagnostic for erroneous worldviews.

A. The biblical events of creation, Fall, and redemption, form a diagnostic test to examine every worldview.

Here are four ultimate questions to test a person’s worldview:

1. Where did we come from? (Who made you and me?)

The Almighty Creator made the universe out of nothing. He upholds it; He has a perfect plan and purpose for it which He is executing with faithfulness, goodness, and wisdom.

2. Who are we? (What is the value and purpose of a human being?)

We are created in God’s image to know God. He made us in His likeness so that we might have fellowship with Him. Our worth, dignity, and purpose are bound up in the fact that we are created in the image of God. God has an absolute claim upon us and a perfect ‘blueprint’ (directions) for us.

3. What has gone wrong with the world?

When our first parents broke faith with God sin entered as a destructive principle; it caused idolatry, death, suffering, ignorance, fear, and separation from God. Sin is behind war, injustice, oppression, and greed.

4. What can we do to fix it?

God has a perfect plan to restore man to his created purpose of knowing God, loving Him, worshipping, obeying Him, and serving Him. The only begotten Son of God came to earth 2000 years ago to explain God to man; and to lay down His life in crucifixion as a perfect sacrifice and substitute. Only by Christ’s death is sin put away and forgiven. And only by Christ’s death are men and women forgiven and restored to their created purpose to enjoy fellowship with God.

B. After asking the four questions above, I ask,

“Has anyone has ever shared with you the Christian worldview? May I? Then let’s step into Christian worldview for a moment. Wouldn’t it be valuable to know where God’s Word differs from your views?

IV. Christian worldview is the only ‘key’ that fits the lock of human experience. False worldviews don’t match human experience.

A. When the unbeliever hears the Word, God’s truth corresponds to the sinner’s experience.

1. We already know from Scripture that the sinner’s professed belief does not match his actual experience. Only in Christian worldview does the data match experience. This is the exciting thing about this worldview evangelism—you see correspondence going on between the Word of God and what the unbeliever already knows about God.
2. In other words, you can be assured that the truth of God’s Word is corresponding with what God has written on every man’s heart and conscience (creation and conscience speak of God!). John Calvin referred to this inescapable knowledge of God (written on the conscience and in creation) as the sense of deity.

B. The knowledge of God placed in every man is inescapable.

1. The Christian apologist can go forth with the confidence that every unbeliever already knows certain inescapable things about God (He is Creator; He is good; He will judge all men). Christians have the confidence from Scripture that every unbeliever lives in an inescapable “sea of divine revelation.” According to Psalm 19, every man is surrounded by the “sermons” God has placed within the wonders of creation.
2. According to Roman 1:18-23, there are certain attributes of God known to every human being. We proceed in our evangelistic efforts with the biblical assurance that every natural man possesses the above inescapable sense of deity (Rom 1:19-21). We conduct our evangelistic efforts with the confidence that the Word of God perfectly corresponds with the moral truth which God has written on the conscience of every man.

3. When an unbeliever hears the Word of God; a work of correspondence takes place. The Word of God meets him at his suppression. It shows the law of God written in his heart. It shines light on his defiled conscience. It confronts him with the Creator he already knows.

Discussion: The ‘book’ of God’s general revelation (creation and conscience) is authoritative. By this ‘book’ without words, every man is held guilty for suppressing the knowledge of God. How does this embolden our witness?

C. In Paul’s apologetic he pressed the contrast between truth and error; he stressed the depth of the chasm between God’s truth and his listeners’ views.

1. In our apologetic strategy, we raise, and then answer ultimate questions. Christian worldview answers every ultimate question.

(These core, or ‘ultimate questions’ are:

• Where did we come from
• why are we here
• what is a human
• is God knowable
• why is there death and suffering
• what happens after death
• what is man’s destiny? etc.)

2. By using this apologetic methodology of raising and answering ultimate questions, the unbeliever is brought face to face with the God of Scripture who is Creator, Upholder, Owner, Lawgiver, Redeemer, and Judge.
3. Let’s remember, the world is adrift on a shoreless sea of relativism.

People have no certainty regarding their origin, purpose, and destiny. Therefore they live in an atmosphere of fear, doubt, uncertainty, anxiety, moral relativism, spiritual darkness, and foolish speculation. As Christ’s representatives, we proclaim the truth as He did—as God’s infallible, authoritative revelation (Jn 8:31-47).

4. When Christ came to earth, He answered every ultimate question!

He is the Truth incarnate; He is the believer’s certainty and philosophy of origins, purpose, and destiny (Col 2:2-3, 8).

D. The assumption of human independence from God (autonomy) drives erroneous worldviews.

1. Anti-theistic speculation is by no means a benign action; it draws down the wrath of God (Rom 1:18-23).

Unbelievers reject the Gospel not due to rational thought; but under the influence of non-rational factors. The ultimate commitments of their hearts to self and sin find expression in their suppression of the knowledge of God.

2. The unbeliever’s worldview is made up of non-rational core assumptions which are designed to evade God’s claims upon the creature.

The unbeliever has chosen a worldview made up of irrational assumptions—but we must know why. Fallen man has done so in an attempt to maintain his imagined independence from God. His core commitment to a lie in order to keep his distance from God and live with his back to God.