28 How to Win the Skeptics and Doubters
An atheist is one who does not believe in the existence of
a supreme being called God. An infidel is one who denies
the deity of Jesus Christ. An agnostic is one who does not
know, hence repudiates all idea of God and a supreme being
by any name. A skeptic is a doubter on any phase of the
fundamentals concerning God and Christ and their work
among men. [...]
There are [...]THE LIGHT-HEADED, TRIFLING DISBELIEVER In dealing with a light-headed, trifling disbeliever there
are two methods which the worker may follow. He must
seek the wisdom of God for guidance as to which will be
more effective.[186]
HOW TO WIN SKEPTICS AND DOUBTERS 187
Shock him; strike him hard and fast with God's hammering
word; run a "fifth rib" thrust with the Sword of the Spirit,
which cuts, divides, burns, and break into pieces. Say to
him: "Your trouble is not your doubts but your sins. You
are living in secret and black sin, and you are unwilling
to give it up. [...]"
Put straight to his soul--
ROMANS 1:25, 28. ...
2 CORINTHIANS 4:3-4.In [...]
He got mad, [...]
188 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
It was not long until he was saved, [...]
But remember that this shock method is a dangerous one
to use. It is easy to make a mistake and do it in a wrong
spirit.
Another way of dealing with disbelievers of this type is
to convince them by the purity, genuineness, and strength
of your Christian life. [...]
"[...], and have done
that which is good in thy sight" (Isa. 38:3).
The logic of a [...]THE FAIR-MINDED, HONEST SKEPTIC The difficulties of honest skeptics arise, usually, out of a
failure or inability to believe in certain Christian funda-
mentals.1. They may not believe in the Bible as the inspired and
authoritative Word of God. [...]
HOW TO WIN SKEPTICS AND DOUBTERS 189
Show them what the Bible professes concerning its divine
authorship.
ISAIAH 40:8.
MATTHEW 5:18.
JOHN 10:35.
2 TIMOTHY 3:15-17. ...
2 PETER 1:21.Press on them--
JOHN 7:17.
2. They may not, or perhaps cannot, believe in the exist-
ence of an intelligent, moral being called God.
Show them where God classifies them.PSALM 14:1.
Show them that all the world's wonders in creation,
progress, and providence indicate an intelligent Creator and
Preserver. [...]
mechanisms for God. Read to them:PSALM 19:1-2.
ROMANS 1:19-22. ...
190 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
3. They may deny or doubt the deity of Jesus Christ. In
trying to prove Christ's deity, show them that--(1) The Bible ascribes to him names of God.
ACTS 10:36.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:8. ...(2) He receives the worship due only to God.
JOHN 5:22-23.
PHILIPPIANS 2:10. ...
HEBREWS 1:6.(3) He has the offices of God.
HEBREWS 1:3, 10. ...(4) He performs the deeds of God.
JOHN 1:1-4.
HOW TO WIN SKEPTICS AND DOUBTERS 191
(5) God's Word says:
ISAIAH 7:14.
ISAIAH 9:6-7.
MATTHEW 3:16-17.(6) His resurrection points to His deity.
ROMANS 1:3-4. ...
Press on them--
JOHN 7:17.4. They may not accept the doctrine of eternal punish-
ment.
Make them face God's Word on this doctrine. (See
the section on "Followers of Russell" in the preceding
chapter).
A man, a professed Christian, said to me: "I am thinking
of joining your church. Does a man have to believe in Hell
in order to be a Baptist?" My answer was: "Let me see.
Maybe your trouble is worse than that. You believe in
Heaven, do you?" "Yes," he said. [...]
192 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
you believe in Heaven?" [...]
from it. All the doctrines of the New Testament stand or
fall with Christ.
Push far into the souls of those who say they do not
believe in Hell--JOHN 5:24.
JOHN 7:17.
29 How to Win the Moralist
[...]
In dealing with them there are several ways of approach.
I have followed somewhat the following:1. Face them with God's general statements in the
Bible on the sin of self-righteousness and the futility of
trying to achieve righteousness by works.PROVERBS 16:2.
ISAIAH 53:5-6.[193]
194 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
ISAIAH 64:6.
LUKE 16:15.
ROMANS 3:19-20.
GALATIANS 2:16. ...
GALATIANS 3:10.
TITUS 3:5.2. Show them what God said of the self-righteous in the
Bible.
(1) Of Abraham.--[...]ROMANS 4:2-6.
HOW TO WIN THE MORALIST 195
(2) Of Nicodemus.
JOHN 3:1-7.(3) Of the Pharisees.
MATTHEW 5:20.
LUKE 18:10-14.(4) Of Cornelius.
ACTS 10:1-2,4,42-43.
196 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
(5) Of Saul of Tarsus.
PHILIPPIANS 3:4-11.These all had to believe in Christ and receive his righteous-
ness and turn away from their own as the basis for a hope
of salvation.3. Show them the terms of salvation laid down in the
Scriptures.
(1) Repentance toward God for their own personal
sins.JOHN 16:8-11.
ACTS 3:19.
ACTS 20:21. ...
HOW TO WIN THE MORALIST 197
(2) Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
JOHN 1:12-13.
JOHN 3:16,36.
JOHN 6:29.
HEBREWS 11:6.All this looks away from self and what it is or does, and
looks to Christ.4. Show them that a self-righteous claim for salvation
nullifies Christ's meritorious death for us and makes his
atonement the unnecessary crime of the ages.
ROMANS 11:6.
GALATIANS 2:21.
HEBREWS 10:28-29.5. Press on them--
JOHN 1:12-13.
JOHN 3:3.
198 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
EPHESIANS 2:8.
A charming young woman, reared in a Christian home,
heard me preach on repentance as the first step every sinner
must take toward God. I said no one could evade it, avoid
it, or escape it, nor could there be made any substitute for
repentance: not morality or baptism or money or service--
nothing. [...]
"Then," I said, "you are a sinner
deserving God's wrath and sin's eternal punishment," and
quoted:
JOHN 3:36.
JOHN 16:8-9.[...]
in this city." Immediately the light supernal broke in on her
repenting soul. The Saviour entered the open door of her
heart by faith and supped with her in a joyful season of
grace (Rev. 3:20).
30 How to Win the Pleasure-loving
Many people, [...] in the house of
my friends" (Zech. 13:6).
This pleasure-loving spirit is [...]
In many places religious leaders are yielding, modifying,
apologizing, and compromising, and thus making matters
perilous for souls and making it more difficult for the faith-[199]
200 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
ful to stand. We should put on the whole armor of God and
stand [...] "[...]" (Eph. 5:11).
In dealing with the pleasure-mad the following methods
may be helpful:1. Do not minimize the joy of sinful pleasure. [...]
2. Show them there is also great joy, a richer joy, a safer
joy, in Christianity. Show them that all sinful pleasure is de-
structive to mind, body, or soul, as the poisonous virus which
penetrates the vitalities and breaks down tissues of life;
that, on the other hand, the pleasures in Christ's salvation
and service are character-building and soul-strengthening.3. Show them how God condemns the walk in the world's
ways.
2 CORINTHIANS 6:14-18.
HOW TO WIN THE PLEASURE-LOVING 201
GALATIANS 5:17-21.
EPHESIANS 4:17-31.
1 JOHN 2:15-17.
202 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
4. Show them that they must choose between Christ and
these things. "[...]" (1 John 2:15). "[...]" (Isa.
55:7).5. Show them the better way of faith and service in
Christ's kingdom; and after they are saved, seek to give
them something in the [local] church to do. Have adequate social
life in the [local] church and offer all the pleasure you can, free
from the sin and taint of the world's standards.
[...]
David said: "[...]" (Psalm
84:10). We should patiently lead the young back from the
soiling pleasures of the world to the joys of Christ's service.
31 How to Meet the Lost Man's Difficulties
[...]
Here are some of the prevalent difficulties and suggested
ways of meeting them:
1. "I am too great a sinner; my heart is too hard." The
devil often puts these words into the minds of seekers and
makes a real barrier of them.
(1) Tell them of Paul's case (1 Tim. 1:15). He was the
chief of sinners, and yet God saved him.
(2) Tell them of the thief on the cross, who was a criminal
and a condemned sinner, and yet Christ spoke words of life
to him (Luke 23:39-43).
(3) Tell them of the harlot at Jacob's well, whom he saved
and sent away as an evangel of light (John 4).
(4) Tell them of the jailer at Philippi, who cruelly treated
Paul, and how God saved him (Acts 16:22-33).
(5) Tell them of the great crowd of Christ's crucifiers who,
in repentance, were saved on the day of Pentecost (Acts
16:22-23, 37-41).
(6) Tell them of David's double crime of murder and
adultery and how, on his repentance and confession, God
forgave him (Psalm 51).[203]
204 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
(7) Show God's promises of pardon and salvation covering
every case, it matters not how hard.
PSALM 32:5.
ISAIAH 1:18.
EZEKIEL 36:26-27.
MATTHEW 9:12-13.
LUKE 19:10.
JOHN 6:37.
ROMANS 1:16.
ROMANS 5:6-10.
HEBREWS 7:25.
REVELATION 22:17.
THE LOST MAN'S DIFFICULTY 205
Press on them Christ's words: "Him [...] " (John 6:37). "Whosoever will,
let him take [...]" (Rev. 22:17).
2. "I am not good enough to be a Christian." "I cannot live
the Christian life."Let not [...](1) Show the man who wants to be good enough before
he comes to Christ that Jesus died to provide a way for the
ungodly and for sinners. "While we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us" (Rom. 5:8). "When we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom.
5:6). "[...]," said Jesus, "[...]
(Luke 15:20-24). Tell
him [...] (Luke
18:10-14). Christ offers to make us good enough by his
righteousness, which is imputed to us when we accept him
(Rom. 4:4-6, 15, 20-22).
(2) The man who says he cannot stem the tide and live
the Christian life, fearing he will fall, needs to have explained
to him the plan of salvation: that he becomes by faith a child
of God and possesses eternal life and that God is able to
keep his children.
ISAIAH 41:13.
JOHN 10:28-29.
206 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
2 TIMOTHY 1:12.
HEBREWS 7:25.
1 PETER 1:5. ...
JUDE 24.God's uttermost is greater than the devil's last limit of
power. "And [...]" (Matt. 28:
18). "He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee" (Heb. 13:5).ISAIAH 40:29-31.
1 CORINTHIANS 10:13.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:9-10.3. "I cannot break with my sins."
This is the cry of a soul in the despairing grip of some
great sin, as whiskey, gambling, adultery, or swearing. He
needs help from God and His Word. Tell him four things:
THE LOST MAN'S DIFFICULTY 207
(1) Giving up his sins is an absolute necessity, or his soul
will be forever lost in hell.LUKE 13:3.
ROMANS 6:23.
GALATIANS 6:7-8.
REVELATION 21:8.(2) He has been trying to give up his sins in his own
strength, when he should do it in the power of Christ.JOHN 8:36.
PHILIPPIANS 4:13.
PHILIPPIANS 4:19.
HEBREWS 7:25.(3) Christ has saved murderers, adulterers, thieves, and
all sorts of sinners, and what Christ has done he can do again
(John 4; 6:37). Jesus has never failed a penitent, trusting
soul.(4) The chance to win over the worst sin lies in his own
affections. If he will start to give up and break with them in
his own desires and love, God's power will flood his soul in
delivering and keeping strength.ROMANS 6:12-14.
208 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
4. "The Christian life is too hard; there is too much to give
up; I know I have failed at it."The many seeming failures among Christians are due to
two general causes: Either the person was not genuinely
saved, or he failed in his Christian duties after he was saved.
(1) In dealing with the person who seems to have failed
as a Christian, find out just where he stands--saved and
neglectful, or mistaken about his salvation.
(2) If he is saved, tell him to look to Christ for strength,
to pray, study the Bible, and go to work for Christ, and his
failure will be turned into victory.
(3) If he is unsaved, show him that Christ does not ask
him to give up anything but that which, if kept, will injure
and finally ruin him. Whatever he asks us to surrender, it is
for our good to surrender it.
PSALM 84:11.Tell him that when he gives up his sins in his deepest soul,
then God's ways are easy and pleasant.
PROVERBS 3:17.
MATTHEW 11:30.Tell him it is sin's ways that are hard.
PROVERBS 13:15.
ISAIAH 57:21.Remind him that God offers good things as compensations
for all he loses in giving up sin.
ROMANS 8:32.
THE LOST MAN'S DIFFICULTY 209
PHILIPPIANS 3:7-8.
He will get Christ, eternal life, joy in service, and Heaven.
5. "I will lose my business and friends and be ridiculed
and persecuted."This fear influences many uninformed, timid souls. Show
them that--
(1) They put a poor value on their souls. Their eternal
welfare is far more important than their temporal affairs.
MATTHEW 16:26.(2) If business injures their souls' interests, they ought
to give it up; and if friendships hang on such a basis, they
are not worth having.
PSALM 1:1-2.
PROVERBS 13:20.
PROVERBS 29:25.
JAMES 4:4.(3) Ridicule and persecution have their compensations.
MATTHEW 5:11-12.
MARK 10:29-30.
210 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
ROMANS 8:18.
2 TIMOTHY 2:12.
1 PETER 2:20-21.6. "I do not feel like it."
This is one of the devil's most skilful deceptions. [...]
In dealing with such cases [...]
If he has "feeling" enough to give up his sins, that is all
God requires. [...]REVELATION 3:20.
Use these verses and explain them to him:
ISAIAH 55:7.
THE LOST MAN'S DIFFICULTY 211
JOHN 1:12.
JOHN 3:36.
EPHESIANS 1:13.
1 PETER 1:8. ...Do not undervalue the necessity for true repentance or fail
to distinguish between the feelings before and after conver-
sion. [...]7. "There is so much inconsistency and hypocrisy among
church members."This is one of the most common excuses among unsaved
people.
The charge is often sadly true. [...] (Zech.
13:6). "...Judas, [...]
Jesus" (Acts 1:16). [...]
It will help to say to him:
212 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
(1) Do not look to men for standards of life, but to Christ.
HEBREWS 12:2. ...
Christ is our model in life and our standard of righteous-
ness at the judgment.ACTS 17:30-31.
(2) That many church members are not genuinely saved.
[...] Their lives
show that they are counterfeits, and we must not let their
mistakes damn us.
(3) That we do not always know other men's difficulties
and troubles. We probably could do no better if we had
their loads and burdens.
(4) That men, though saved, are not perfect. They still
have their carnal minds, tempers, and passions; and if they
do not keep up the fight and keep close to God in prayer,
Bible study, worship, and work, their lives will not bear
the proper testimony.
(5) That many are saved but do not show it much. They
do not grow in strength of Christian character. Their works
will be burned up, but [...] (1 Cor. 3:
15). [...]
(6) That he must stand alone on his own record, not
another's, at the judgment.
THE LOST MAN'S DIFFICULTY 213
(7) What God says about those who judge others and do
the same things.ROMANS 14:12.
MATTHEW 7:1-5.
ROMANS 2:1-6.(8) That there are inconsistencies and hypocrisies out of
the [local] church--in business, society, professional life, everywhere
--and that his logic applied elsewhere in life would keep him
out of business and society.
(9) That there are many fine, strong, consecrated, and
true-living Christians. [...]
(10) That he cannot be saved by the sins of other men.
He is to be saved by the power of God in Christ Jesus. It
is Christ's righteousness imputed to us which is the basis of
214 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
our hope, not the unrighteousness of weak and frail men.
8. "I have unforgiveness in my heart; I have been wronged
and cannot forgive."Unforgiveness as an excuse is one of the devil's big
obstacles in the way of some souls. It steels and hardens the
heart and makes it difficult for grace to enter.
(1) Tell the person who gives you this as his reason for
not accepting Christ that unforgiveness is one of the worst
sins. It hardens the heart, brings unhappiness, and carries
with it a constant peril of something worse. It may lead
to anger and often to murder, to family and community
tragedies. He ought to give it up because of its perils and
dangers to his own life and happiness.
(2) Tell him he must give it up or face God's wrath and
the consequences of unforgiveness at the judgment. God
will not forgive him unless he forgives. "But if ye forgive
not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive
your trespasses" (Matt. 6:15).
MATTHEW 18:21-22.Read to him the parable of the unjust steward in Mat-
thew 18:23-35.
(3) Show what wrongs he has done to God in rejecting
and crucifying Christ, disobeying his law, putting his holy
blood under his feet, doing despite to the Spirit, and sinning
constantly in the face of God's mercy, love, and blessings.
EPHESIANS 4:32.(4) Tell him he can forgive in Christ's strength if he will
only give up his stubborn will and way.
GALATIANS 5:22-23.
THE LOST MAN'S DIFFICULTY 215
PHILIPPIANS 4:13.
9. "I have crossed the deadline, and there is no hope for
me."Some discouraged people lose heart and think that they
have "sinned away their day of grace." It is a dreadful sin
to continue to reject Christ, to refuse offered mercy and
continuously shut the door of the heart in the face of God's
Spirit seeking to save. It does callous the soul, sear the
conscience, harden the heart, and constantly make more
difficult one's chance to be saved. Answer such a person:(1) That God is long-suffering and full of mercy.
PSALM 86:5.
PSALM 130:7.
ISAIAH 55:6-7.
2 PETER 3:9.His love is an everlasting love, and he will go to infinite
limits to save a soul.(2) That God promises to receive all who come to him, all
who call on him, and that he invites whosoever will to come.JOHN 6:37.
ROMANS 10:13.
REVELATION 22:17.
216 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
(3) That he saved souls which had put him off long and
were confirmed sinners: Nicodemus, [...]
ner; Paul, [...]; the woman with
seven devils; the Gadarene with a legion of devils; the thief
on the cross who accepted his last chance. [...]
Stress God's love for him and [...]
Read to him Deuteronomy 4:30-31.10. "I have committed the unpardonable sin."
Many weary souls mistakenly think they have committed
the unpardonable sin. [...] This sin is stated
in--MATTHEW 12:31-32.
1 JOHN 5:16.It is very clear that this sin, for which there is no pardon
in this world or the world to come, is attributing to the devil
THE LOST MAN'S DIFFICULTY 217
the work known to be done by the Holy Spirit. [...]
How can one tell whether or not he has committed it and
God's Spirit has left him to his doom?
(1) When one has sinned against the Spirit in this fash-
ion, he will have no desire to be a Christian; no spiritual
impression will ever again come to his soul.
JOHN 6:44.As long as he has the faintest desire to be a Christian, God
had not left him.(2) In case he has committed the unpardonable sin, he
will be given over wholly to the devil, and his heart will be
as hard as steel. Not all who have cold and hard hearts
have committed this sin, but that is one of its marks.
Remind him that God goes to the limit for souls.JOHN 6:37.
ACTS 13:38-39.
ROMANS 10:13.
1 TIMOTHY 1:15-16.
HEBREWS 7:25.
218 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
REVELATION 22:17.
11. "I want to be saved but can't believe."
Many souls, when they are near the Saviour, will say, "I
can't believe." [...]
In dealing with such a
person, first find out just what his trouble is. It may be a
confusion of mind about whom and what to believe.
(1) Show him how worthy Christ is of his richest faith
and confidence. [...]
(2) Show him that it is not belief in himself, but in Christ
as a personal Saviour that he needs. Christ's strength is
sufficient; his merit is all God asks.
(3) Ask him to answer these questions:Do you believe God has saved others?
Do you believe He wants to save you?
Do you believe He can save you?
Do you believe He will save you?
Will you trust Him to save you?(4) Show him that God's command is to believe. God's
promises are based on personal trust, and all the sinner's
future is involved in his faith in Christ.JOHN 1:12.
JOHN 3:16.
JOHN 5:24.
THE LOST MAN'S DIFFICULTY 219
ROMANS 5:1.
12. "I cannot repent."
The person who says he cannot repent may not understand
repentance, or he may be hiding an unwillingness to give up
some sin. Show him that a willing spirit will have much to
do with his faith and repentance.PSALM 110:3.
JOHN 7:17.13. "I cannot understand--, I cannot accept--"
(1) "The Bible is not divine, and its authority is not bind-
ing on me."a. Ask the person who says the Bible is not divine to
explain its power over the world--its marvelous history, its
fulfilment of prophecy, its unity, its mighty saving message,
and the civilization it produces--if it is not divinely inspired.
b. Show what it says about its origin in--1 THESSALONIANS 2:13.
2 TIMOTHY 3:16.
2 PETER 1:20-21. ...(2) "The Bible has [supposed] inconsistencies and contradictions in
it."Usually the person who says that the Bible contains incon-
sistencies and contradictions does so out of ignorance, and
220 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
an examination will show his inability to point out these
"errors". Press him to prove his statement, and you will em-
barrass him.
Give him what God says about the critics and those who
understand not.
ISAIAH 55:8-9.
DANIEL 12:10.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:14.
2 PETER 2:12.
2 PETER 3:16-18. ...Use and press on him--
PSALM 119:18.
JOHN 7:17.
1 CORINTHIANS 1:18,23-24.
JAMES 1:5.
THE LOST MAN'S DIFFICULTY 221
(3) "I cannot understand the atonement or the necessity
for Christ's death."Tell him [...]
He does not have [...]
Show him God's question:ROMANS 9:20-24.
Go carefully through Romans 5 with him. Light may come
into his heart.(4) "I do not believe in Hell--the doctrine of eternal
punishment."
The rejection of the idea of eternal punishment is a
common difficulty with certain people who have been under
the influences of "Russellism," "Eddyism," and other strange
222 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
and misleading cults. It is not of much avail to discuss this
difficulty with one who does not believe in the deity of Christ
and the binding authority of the Scriptures. Eternal
punishment is a doctrine of divine revelation. The argu-
ments from sin and its punishment here in this world have
some weight, but unless [...]
The Holy Scriptures are perfectly explicit and very plain
on this unspeakably meaningful doctrine. The Old Testa-
ment has many references to eternal punishment which you
can point out to the person who says he does not believe in
it, such as:JOB 21:29-30.
PSALM 9:17.
PROVERBS 15:11.
ISAIAH 14:9.
EZEKIEL 31:16.
DANIEL 12:2.The New Testament is full of this doctrine, there being
more than 225 verses bearing in one way or another on it,
such as:
THE LOST MAN'S DIFFICULTY 223
MATTHEW 5:22.
MATTHEW 10:28.
MATTHEW 11:23.
MATTHEW 25:31-34,46.
JOHN 3:36.
2 THESSALONIANS 1:7-10. ...
2 PETER 2:9.
REVELATION 20:14-15.
REVELATION 21:8.
224 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
Read to him also Luke 16:19-31.
Show him that the Scripture passages above and many
others, containing the words of Job, David, Isaiah, Daniel,
Matthew, John, Peter, Paul, and Jesus Christ--all with the
imprint of God's Holy Spirit--make clear the following tragic
facts about the future destiny of unbelieving and sinning
men and women:
a. That there is a spiritual state or place made and re-
served by a merciful and just God for all who reject his love
and mercy, as expressed in Jesus Christ, and who persist in
refusing his grace; and that condition when once entered
into is endless. The terms describing its duration are the
same as those describing the length of life of the souls of
the redeemed.
b. That this place was made for the devil and his
angels and all who have the mark of "the beast," and who
follow Satan instead of Christ.
c. That the sin of unbelief is sufficient of itself to doom
men forever in Hell.JOHN 3:18,36.
REVELATION 21:18.d. That when once in Hell, there is no opportunity to
change. Their destiny is eternally settled. "A great gulf"
intervenes between the damned and the redeemed (Luke
16:22-31; Heb. 9:27).
THE LOST MAN'S DIFFICULTY 225
e. That in this condition the soul is conscious and has
its faculties--can see, cry, remember, reason, feel thirst, and
call for mercy--and shows an interest in the eternal welfare of
loved ones left in the earth (Luke 16:22-31).
f. That the bodies of the lost sinners will be raised from
the dead unto damnation (Dan. 12:2).
g. That Satan and his angels are doing their utmost to
carry every possible soul down to Hell.
ISAIAH 14:9.
GALATIANS 5:17.
EPHESIANS 6:11-12.
1 PETER 5:8.Show him that men go to Hell because they do not repent
and believe (John 3:18,36; Rev. 2:18).
Thus make him face God's Word in the most earnest
spirit. Deal with him, not in controversy, but in love and
the power of the Holy Spirit.14. "Not tonight; I will wait."
Many postpone salvation for various reasons [excuses]. Some put
[...]
(1) On all such press God's teachings on the perils and
risks involved in procrastination.
226 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
a. The peril of God's wrath.--He is a God of wrath, and
His wrath hangs in awful, impending danger over every lost
sinner every hour of life.JOB 21:20.
JOB 36:18.
PSALM 58:9.
ISAIAH 13:9.
MATTHEW 3:7.
JOHN 3:36.
ROMANS 1:18.
REVELATION 6:15-17.
REVELATION 15:1; 16:19.b. The peril of the withdrawal of His Holy Spirit, who
alone can bring salvation from Christ.--He may leave him
without hope.
THE LOST MAN'S DIFFICULTY 227
GENESIS 6:3.
c. The peril of a drifting and hardened heart.
HEBREWS 2:1.
HEBREWS 3:7-8. ...d. The peril of death.--It may take him unawares and
unprepared at any time.
PROVERBS 27:1.
PROVERBS 29:1.
EZEKIEL 33:11.
AMOS 4:12.e. The peril of ignoring feeling and desire.--When the
Spirit of God works a desire in the heart, men should then
yield to God. The desire may not last but may pass forever.ACTS 24:24-25.
ACTS 26:28,29.(2) Urge him to seek God now, for His promises to the
sinner are all in the present tense.
228 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
MATTHEW 6:33.
LUKE 12:19-20.
JOHN 12:35.
2 CORINTHIANS 6:2.
JAMES 4:13-14.(3) Remind him of the suddenness of Christ's return for
judgment. Every man should be ready for His coming.DEUTERONOMY 32:35.
MATTHEW 25:10-12.
ACTS 17:30-31.Now is God's time to save. "Seek ye the LORD while he may
be found" (Isa. 55:6).
All these difficulties, and any others which the soul-winner
finds in his experience with the lost, can be met in a patient,
THE LOST MAN'S DIFFICULTY 229
persistent spirit of prayer and love and in the power of the
Holy Spirit, if he but turn the light of God's Word on their
hearts. It is the sword of the Spirit and "is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing
[...] of the thoughts and
intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12). It is God's fire and
hammer with which to burn and break hearts.
32 How to Deal with Those Under Conviction
The Holy Spirit works conviction in the hearts of men
through the Word of God and through Christian testimony
(John 16:8-11). When a man is under conviction of sin,
he feels [...]
Those under conviction must be dealt with wisely and
earnestly.1. Point them to the Lamb of God, who takes away their
sins.
(1) Christ as God's sacrifice and priest.--Show the one
under conviction that Christ died in his place under God's[230]
THOSE UNDER CONVICTION 231
law ("the soul that sinneth, it shall die"), that He paid the
full penalty and price for his soul, and that he replaces his
sins with His own righteousness and merit in God's sight
(Gal. 2:16; Rom. 4:5-6).ISAIAH 53:5-7,10-12.
JOHN 1:29.
GALATIANS 1:4. ...
GALATIANS 6:14.(2) Christ as risen, regnant Lord and Master, able to
save and keep saved.JOHN 5:24.
JOHN 6:37.
JOHN 10:28.
232 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
JOHN 11:26.
JOHN 14:19.
ACTS 2:36.
ROMANS 1:16-17.
ROMANS 10:9. ...
HEBREWS 7:25.
1 PETER 1:5. ...
JUDE 24.2. Lead them to a personal acceptance of Christ as their
own Saviour.
(1) They must forsake, in their hearts' affection, sin
in all forms known to them.ISAIAH 55:6-7.
EZEKIEL 33:11.
MATTHEW 3:2. ...
THOSE UNDER CONVICTION 233
LUKE 13:3.
ACTS 3:19.(2) They must accept Christ in their inmost souls by
faith, believe in him with their hearts.JOHN 1:12.
JOHN 3:16,18,36.
JOHN 5:24.
ACTS 10:43.
ACTS 13:39.
ROMANS 5:1-2.
ROMANS 10:8-10.
EPHESIANS 2:8-9.
234 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
REVELATION 3:20.
Make it clear that it is not by works of righteousness, not
by moral fitness or merit, not by ordinance of any kind, not
by church membership, not by subscribing to a creed or the
performance of any patriotic, meritorious, or praiseworthy
deed, that they are to be saved; but only by the merit,
righteousness, blood, life, and power of Jesus Christ as
God's crucified, risen, and reigning Son. Show them that
they cannot merit salvation, they cannot buy it with money,
good deeds, penance, or self-sacrifice of any sort. They
obtain its grace only by prayer, repentance, and faith in
Jesus Christ.3. Show them the meaning of this salvation resulting from
their penitent trust in Christ.
(1) It is spiritual and has to do with the soul and heart
(John 3:3-13; Rom. 10:9-10).
(2) It is a regeneration, a quickening, a re-creation from
God, changing the heart-life, the psychic nature; an imparta-
tion of the divine nature, resulting in a new creature.JOHN 1:12-13.
JOHN 3:3-7.
ROMANS 5:10.
THOSE UNDER CONVICTION 235
GALATIANS 6:15.
EPHESIANS 2:4-5, 10.
EPHESIANS 4:22-24. ...
COLOSSIANS 2:13-15.
TITUS 3:4-7.
JAMES 1:18.
1 PETER 1:22-23.
2 PETER 1:4. ...(3) It is the possession of eternal life.
JOHN 3:36.
236 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
JOHN 5:24.
And no power on earth or in Hell can take this life away
from them.JOHN 10:27-29.
ROMANS 8:35-39.
1 PETER 1:3-5.
JUDE 24.(4) It carries with it tremendous and meaningful privi-
leges, opportunities, and responsibilities.a. Sonship with God.
JOHN 1:12-13.
ROMANS 8:14-16.
THOSE UNDER CONVICTION 237
2 CORINTHIANS 6:18. ...
REVELATION 21:7.b. Brothership and heirship with Jesus Christ.
JOHN 17:10.
ROMANS 8:17, 32. ...
PHILIPPIANS 4:19.c. Vital union and fellowship with God's people.
JOHN 17:21-23. ...
ROMANS 12:5.
GALATIANS 3:28.
EPHESIANS 5:30-32.d. Access to the Father's heart and bounty.
ROMANS 8:28.
238 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
COLOSSIANS 1:27. ...
COLOSSIANS 2:2-3. ...
COLOSSIANS 3:24. ...