Expert: Cooper P. Abrams III - 8/7/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi, how can i convert people to Christianity, what does God expect me to do? should i do it through internet, or  write something then print alot of papers and out them on stores on cars, or what should i do and how?

ANSWER: Hi Ramiro,
Thank you for writing and your concern for others salvation.   First let me say that the goal of Christians in witnessing is to win the unsaved to a saving belief in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for their salvation.   We are not winning them to Christianity, per se, but to a belief and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.   The reason I mention this is because the term “Christianity” is a broad term and would include many who really do not believe or follow the Bible. For example there are false religions and cults who are considered a part of Christianity.   I think I know that you mean to win them to Jesus Christ, but just wanted to make that clear.      

  God says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”   (Proverbs 11:30)
  It is very difficult in a short e-mail to answer your question because winning people to Jesus Christ is involved and has many variables.   You and I cannot save anyone, but we can show them what God has said in His word the Bible that explains how a person is saved.  Being saved means they realize there are sinners and stand guilty before God. They must understand and accept that they cannot pay for their sins themselves, but any work, ritual, church membership, baptism.  In other words a lost person cannot merit or earn their salvation.   
   So, how can they be saved?  The unsaved must then in repentance, which means they have a change of mind, and now knowing they are guilty before God because of their sins, believe God who says Jesus Christ went to the cross and He, being our righteous and holy God, suffered and died for our sins.  He alone could and did pay the penalty for our sins.   
  In believing, God we turn to Him seeking His forgiveness for our sins and to receive eternal life. We explain and teach the Gospel which is the Good News that Jesus Christ came to earth to save sinners, and that He suffered and died paying our sin debt. (Romans 15:1-4)

  “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”  (1 Timothy 1:15)

  “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  (Romans 10:9-10)

  A Christians who seeks to win others to Christ, but read and explain God’s word to the unsaved.   As one is witnessing to another the Holy Spirit brings conviction to unsaved person’s heart and draws them to believe and accept God truth and Jesus Christ as their Savior.   However, God does not force anyone to believe and a person may reject God’s word and Jesus Christ as their Savior.    The fact is that more people reject the Jesus Christ than accept Him as their Savior, but that should never deter us.

  It is important that when we witness we prepare ourselves as best we can and that means having a full understanding of the Gospel.   I have an article at that gives a clear explanation of God's plan of salvation.  Please go to: http://bible-truth.org/gospel.html .

  We can do all kinds of witnessing including personal witnessing one on one to individuals, we can write letters, articles, use the internet, blogs, and other means of communications.  We are fortunate today to have so many ways to reach a wide audience of people.   

  I also have an article on soul winning at http://bible-truth.org/NewConvert6.html which should be helpful to you.  It deals with some of the practical elements of soul winnings.   

  There is a good article by Dr. John R. Rice at http://www.soulwinning.info/articles/how_to.htm titled How to Win a Soul to Christ.

    I am not able in this short e-mail cover the subject fully, but I hope I have pointed you in the right direction.   If I can be of further help please write.   cpabrams3@gmail.com.

Cooper Abrams
Romans 12:1-2
http://bible-truth.org







---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thanks for the answer, im a new christian myself, so when we accept jesus as our personal lord and savior when we die we go to heaven? if yes, what about our sins that we are going to commit? shoudent we have to pay for our sins?

Answer
Hi Ramiro,
   Yes, once a person believes and accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior, the receive eternal life and when they die they will absolutely go to heaven.   Jesus said, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."   (John 3:16)

   Although saved Christians still have a what is called the old or carnal nature and will at times sin.   But once saved all the believer's sins, past, present and future are forgiven by the Lord.  However, we will because of our old nature we will at times sin.  The Bible says,

   1 John 1:8, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." It is important to understand that God, through the Apostle John, wrote this to saved born again Christians. The next verse gives us how we are to deal with sin that we commit.

    Verse 9, says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

    Thus, when a Christian sins, God tells him to immediately confess the sin to God and ask for forgiveness. God says he has already forgiven all our sins when He saves us, but by confessing our sins, when we commit them, God helps us to put sin out of our lives and overcome them. The process of confessing our sins to God shows we acknowledge our wrong doing and God works in our lives to keep us from committing the sin again.

    This does not mean that God condones sin in a believer's life.

    Romans 6:2-6 explains this: "God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin."

      Surely, God is telling the believer that he should live for Christ and not allow sin in his life.

       1 John 1:6 says, "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth." In other words, when a believer sins his relationship or fellowship with God is weaken or broken. It is like a son or daughter who disobeys their parents. If a child sins against his parents it does not change the fact that he/she is still a child of their parents. You are the son of your parents and that cannot be changed. In the same way when a person believes and received Jesus Christ as their Savior they become a child of God. They are born into the family of God forever. When God saves a person he gives them "eternal" or "everlasting" life ( John 3:16, 36). Thus the saved person remains eternally a child of God and will go to heaven when they die.

     However, as stated above we can and will sin. 1 Cor. 10:13 tells us, "There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man:, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

     God is saying when a Christian is tempted to sin, that at the same time God helps him and provides a way that the believer need not to sin. However, there are times of weakness that we willingly go head and sin anyway.

     In James 1:14, God again is talking to Christians and says, "But every man is tempted, when is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death." Clearly, God is saying that a Christian can sin if he yields to his lust. But God, the Holy Spirit is there in the believer's life giving him the means to overcome temptation so he does not have to sin.

     Every Christian when be is saved gets a new nature (2 Cor. 5:17). Getting this new nature is what Jesus was talking about in John 3:3. This new nature is the nature of God, and comes when the Holy Spirit of God indwells us at the time of our salvation. This new nature, which is the nature of God, makes us not want to sin. It draws us to God and makes us want to live godly righteous lives. It also gives us the ability to resist sin and live for God.

     Thus, a believer has two natures. They have the old carnal nature they were born with (Romans 6:6) that all men have and when they were saved they received the new nature that only born again Christians have.

     Note how Paul talks about this conflict that a believer has in his life between the new nature of God and the old sinful nature.

     "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7:18-25)

     Do you see the problem? Christians have two natures and they are at war with each other. The one we yield to is the one that controls us. But the answer is to give in to God's nature by obedience to God. As we obey God and fight sin we overcome it and sin less and less.

     I have gone to some detail about this because so many have misunderstood the Bible and thus are teaching people false things. 1 John 1:8,10 clearly says this: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. . .If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

     The true believer hates sin and realized how destructive it is in his life and in the world. Further he understands that Jesus Christ had to suffer for every sin that you and I commit. Thus the one who has truly accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior will fight sin daily and if he fails confess it to the Lord, asking for forgiveness and strength to overcome all sin in their life.

     If you have further questions or comments please write.  Thank you for your good question.   I pray that you will continue to learn God's word and grow strong in your faith and life for the Lord.
Cooper Abrams
Romans 12:1-2
http://bible-truth.org