If There Is No Change, You're Still In Your Sins

Dear Pastor Lawyer,

What is the difference between Reformed Evangelism and non-Reformed evangelism?

Thanks, Betty

Dear Betty,

I guess I don't really know the difference between Reformed and non-Reformed evangelism. My views on it haven't changed much since becoming Reformed, but maybe I'm just ignorant too.
I do think most of the Church, especially American church, has it wrong when they talk about evangelism.

When I was in seminary, the goal in my evangelism class was to share the gospel with someone to the point where they were asked to make a choice between Jesus and Hell. If we got them to that point, we were free and could say, “Well at least they don’t have an excuse and I'm off the hook for having talked with them.” I didn't do very well in that class because I didn't believe that was what evangelism is about.

I believe there are very few Christians who are gifted in “cold turkey” evangelism. I’ve seen very little fruit from beach, door to door, or any other kind of contact evangelism, at least in terms of people coming to the Lord. I’m pretty skeptical about evangelistic crusades and revivals because they seldom produce any lasting fruit. A lot of people make commitments, but a year later these same people are very difficult to find.

There have been a lot of studies on the lack of fruit given this kind if evangelism and it is pretty consistent that the fruit is not only not good, it is actually bad. It is one thing if a person isn’t actually saved at a revival, but it is another thing that he thinks he was saved and wasn’t really. It inoculates him against the real Gospel and can be very difficult to help him see his real need for Christ after that sort of experience.

I think the reasons for this false salvation are pretty clear. It is because of a false Gospel and a false motivation for sharing the Gospel. For example, most presentations of the Gospel do not have the Gospel in them. Again, I thought this before I became Reformed so that has nothing to do with it. The Gospel is only good news to someone who is in desperate trouble with God. But a person who believes that God loves them and offers a wonderful plan for his life is not a person who is feeling terrible for having offended the Lord of Glory (most start this way). So what is he going to be saved from? In the end it is a very man centered message. Men are saved because they are wonderful and special.

Also, in my experience and observations over the years has led me to the conclusion that most people come to the Lord over a long period of time with close contact with a Christian or group of Christians. Christianity seems to be more caught than taught. It is a relational thing. Of course God’s Spirit convicting of sin is always necessary, but coupled with loving saints who Christ’s life in front of them is normally necessary as well. Don’t forget the proclamation of the Gospel. Men are in rebellion against God, are in deep trouble, and desperately need salvation. The Spirit confirms that this is true because the person feels terrible for his sin. God provided a substitute for us, by killing his Son in our place. Someone died for me and my sin. When the terror of a sinful life comes together with the offer of help from God the person lays aside his old life, dies in Christ, grabs a hold of God’s gracious offering, and God gives him a new life. When this happens to a person, he has been saved, and we know that he has been saved because his life will change. His life will change because he is not only saved from sin, but he is also saved to a right relationship with God. Jesus rose from the dead to give life to those who die with him. If a person has died because of his sin, God will give him new life because of Jesus’ resurrection. If there is no change, no matter what else has gone on, he is not saved yet. He is still in his sins. And we need to be very careful about proclaiming to the person that he has been saved just because he prayed the prayer, or signed the card or whatever.

I hope this helps.