Being good or being saved?

It doesn’t matter how many times you share the Gospel, you still need encouragement from time to time.

After over an hour-long conversation with a young Roman Catholic named Jimmy, we ended the conversation with a hug. It was obvious, though, as he walked away from that spiritually we were speaking different languages.

We talked about whether Jesus was the only way. He said yes, but kept saying that Jesus’ death made it possible for people who might never even hear about Him to be saved. In other words, if they lived good lives and followed their conscience that Christ could save them.

He kept saying that it is only by the grace of Christ that he will be able to not die shortly after committing a mortal sin, but then, when asked why Jesus didn’t help those who have died while committing a mortal sin, he said that it was probably their parents’ fault for teaching them poorly and, therefore, God would show them leniency.


It was very clear that though Jimmy had been catechized and that he had asked his priest many questions, in the end, he was pretty much a universalist like Pope Francis.

He explained that there were three ways to be saved. One way was through baptism, the other through doing your best with whatever information you have (which includes those who’ve never heard of Christ all the way down to evil people who just weren’t raised well and therefore are probably excused), and the other was through being killed or dying as a martyr (this was referring to people who die through any war and especially children who are innocent).

I was very direct with him, I told him that he was trusting in his works and was self-righteous, and I told him that if he didn’t trust in Christ alone for his salvation he was headed towards hell. We left with him thanking me for being direct with him and him leaving with one of my tracts. It was such an emotional conversation for me that I even hugged him before he left, and pretty much begged him to read the Bible.

As we watched him go away, my friend turned to me and said some very helpful words.

“He’s just blind.”

Experience in sharing the Gospel is important. Your theology of the Lord’s sovereignty in salvation is crucial. But even with those two things in place, it can still be downright discouraging to spend over an hour in conversation with someone, listening to them, answering their questions, and then watching them walk away, unchanged. Of course, they can be saved later on, perhaps even years later, but there is a shock that comes with clearly explaining the Gospel to someone and them walking away, rejecting it.

It is only amplified when it is someone you’ve known for more than 1 hour.

Perhaps there’s someone in your life you’ve shared the Gospel with time and time again. You’ve explained the Gospel so clearly. You have poured yourself out to them,  you’ve listened to them, and have answered their questions as best you can,  and yet they simply will not believe. You need to be reminded of the blindness of man.

They love their sin, they love to be the god of their own life, ultimately, they love being able to control their eternal destiny.

In other words, they are just blind (1 Cor. 2:14).

That is what makes Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisees after He had healed the blind man and saved him from his sin, so fascinating. They were the blind ones all along, and they would not admit their need for Christ to save them from their wickedness (John 9:40-41).

Be encouraged that it doesn’t depend on you to lead people to Christ. You are just a sower using the only Seed that can bring forth fruit, the Word of God. That is the only weapon at your disposal and God is the only one who can make it go deep into the heart of man and cause a man to be born again (Rom. 10:17).

You may be doing everything right, so to speak, but the fact remains that the Lord must open the eyes of the blind; no man can do it. So, as we labor in evangelism, we must be laboring in prayer for those to whom we speak (Col. 4:2).

As you continue to preach the Gospel to those around you, remember to always rely on the Word of God and pray that God would grant people repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth (2 Tim. 2:25). There’s only one Man who can open the eyes of the blind and that is Jesus Christ Himself (Psalm 146:8, John 9).

Author: Cripplegate