By Larry Rosenbaum
One of the temptations for those involved in evangelism ministry is to water down the gospel message. In doing so, they can generate excitement about their ministry by reporting about the hundreds or thousands that were saved. If we avoid talking about sin and repentance, if we tell people that Jesus is a quick fix for all their problems, we can get lots of people to raise their hands or sign decision cards.
However, when we try to follow-up on such “converts,” we find out that very few were really saved. Hundreds of people may have “prayed to receive Christ” during an outreach, yet often less than 10% will begin to attend church. Of these churchgoers, many want Jesus as their savior but are unwilling to obey Him as Lord. “The evangelist told me I only needed to invite Jesus to be my savior and I would be saved, why are you now telling me I must make Him lord?” Eventually, the church becomes full of such people who won’t witness or deny themselves for Jesus. Repeated exposure to a watered-down “gospel” has immunized millions against being infected with the true gospel.
The Function of God’s Law
Last year, I received a book that attempts to deal with this issue: Poured Out for a Thirsty World by Ray Comfort. In this book, Ray argues that the primary reason for the lack of genuine conversion in our evangelism is that we fail to lay the proper foundation in our gospel presentation. Before a person can fully appreciate the good news, he must first learn the bad news. He must see himself as a lost sinner deserving God’s judgment, like the publican who smote upon his breast, saying “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
According to Ray, the way an unsaved person will come to see his sinfulness is through proper use of the law. Here are some scriptures he uses: “I had not known sin but by the law; for I had not known coveting except the law had said, Thou shall not covet” Romans 7:7. “Sin worked death in me by that which is good (the law) that sin by the commandment might become exceedingly sinful” Romans 7:13. “Whatever things the law says, it says…so that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God…By the law is the knowledge of sin” Romans 3:19-20. “Wherefore, the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” Galatians 3:24.
While this approach to evangelism is rarely used today, it was commonly used by great evangelists in the past. John Wesley said, “Before I can preach love, mercy and grace, I must preach sin, Law, and judgment.” He wrote to a young friend, “Preach 90 percent Law and 10 percent grace.” Charles Spurgeon said, “They must be slain by the Law, before they can be made alive by the Gospel!” He wrote in one of his sermons: “All the Ten Commandments, like ten great cannons, are pointed at thee today, for you have broken all God’s statutes, and lived in daily neglect of all His commands….What will ye do when…the great books shall be opened, and all your sin and shame shall be punished?” Charles Finney, who had an 80% success rate for lasting conversions, wrote, “It is of great importance that the sinner should be made to feel his guilt, and not left to the impression that he is unfortunate. Do not be afraid, but show him the breadth of the Divine Law, and the exceeding strictness of its precepts. Make him see how it condemns his thoughts and life. By a convicted sinner, I mean one who feels himself condemned by the Law of God, as a guilty sinner.”
“Owing to the fact that the Law is rarely used in modern-day evangelism,” Ray writes, “many are frustrated to a point of making the Gospel `man-centered’ in an effort to attract converts….Instead of driving the fish to the nets using the Law, they are trying to attract them by holding us only the `good things’ of the Gospel. Let me give an example of an average altar call:
“`Come to Jesus; won’t you give your heart to Him? He loves you and died on the cross for you. He wants to give you love, joy and peace…He will make your life happy and give you what you’ve been looking for.’
“Instead of desperate sinners knocking on the door of Heaven, we paint a picture of Jesus pleading at the heart of the sinner, almost giving the impression that the sinner will be doing God a favor if he responds.” Those who respond to such a gospel presentation, Ray argues, will often be like the seed that falls on rocky ground in the Parable of the Sower. They are expecting Jesus to do all these good things for them, and when they face tribulation and persecution, they will often fall away disappointed, and be much harder to reach in the future. “I came to Jesus expecting him to improve my life, but things only got worse.”
In contrast, those who through use of the law (and conviction of the Holy Spirit) are made to see the full extent of their sinfulness and need for a savior will really appreciate what Jesus did for them. Jesus said, “to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little (Luke 7:47).” Those who come to Christ in true sorrow over their sinfulness will want to turn from those ways and obey the Lord. They are likely to continue to follow the Lord even in times of adversity.
Ray Comfort has recently moved to Southern California from New Zealand. He preaches weekly at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, a hangout for drug addicts and the homeless, giving out food and medical supplies to the people as well as proclaiming the gospel. When we proclaim a strong message about sin and judgment, it is important that we do so in a manner that is loving, gentle, and shows our brokenness over our own sins.
Ray has written 18 books on evangelism. He spoke at last year’s SOS-San Francisco outreach and I had the opportunity to spend some time with him and listen to him preach on the streets in Berkeley. Special tracts that use the law in evangelism are available from him. He also has several video and cassette teaching tapes, and he is available to teach evangelism seminars. For more information, write or call Ray Comfort, Box 1172, Bellflower, CA 90706, (213) 920-8431.
