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Jesus said in John 6:44, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” A person is drawn to the Lord by the Holy Spirit. We cannot lead someone to Christ unless God’s Spirit is empowering our efforts.  The Holy Spirit draws us to Christ through the preaching of the gospel. Telling someone that God loves them is not telling them the gospel. If we want to lead someone to the Lord, we need to understand what the gospel is.  

     Many church services conclude with an altar call. The pastor will “invite” unbelievers to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It does not matter what the pastor spoke about, an altar call is given at the end of many services. And often, the gospel is not presented prior to these altar calls. The question is, what are these potential converts responding to, and what Jesus are they receiving? How can a person respond to the gospel if the gospel is not presented? Many of those who respond to these altar calls become “false converts”. These deceived individuals are sometimes reacting because of peer pressure. The false convert may be looking for a better life, happiness, peace of mind, or some other benefit. The false convert does not come to a Savior because they do not understand that they need to be saved.

     It is important that a person understands God’s plan of salvation before they are encouraged to make a decision for Christ. The nonbeliever should know who God is, who Jesus is, what the Lord has done, and why they need salvation. We can present 7 fundamental declarations found in scripture. These declarations present the gospel message, and they give the nonbeliever enough information to understand what they are committing to. The nonbeliever should know who God is.

Declaration 1 – There is 1 God

Deuteronomy 4:35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightiest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him.

Isaiah 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

     God is the Creator, Judge, and Overseer of all that is, but it is crucial that the unbeliever understand that there is only 1 God. There are not many gods, there is only 1 God. The unbeliever has no other god to appeal to for salvation. The Lord is the only Savior, and apart from him man has no hope.  

Declaration 2 – God is a Trinity

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

     The word “trinity” is not found in the Bible. The word trinity is a theological term that is used to express a biblical truth. There is 1 God, but he exists in three distinct personalities. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Son is also referred to as the Word. All through scripture we see the triune nature of God.

Declaration 3 – God created mankind

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

     Mankind was not created by chance. Many believe that mankind is the result of numerous converging factors that have no divine authorship. God created mankind, and he created us in his image. Man was created for a purpose, to glorify God.  Mankind is not the result of some cosmic accident. God created mankind, and God breathed spiritual life into his creation.

Declaration 4 – Mankind died spiritually

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

     God created Adam, and from Adam he created Eve. Both Adam and Eve disobeyed God. When this happened, mankind died spiritually. They lost their ability to “properly” fellowship with God, and they entered a state of spiritual death. Adam and Eve had children, and they passed their state of being spiritually dead to “all” of their descendants. Every person born was born spiritually dead and separated from God. This is why we are sinners. Humans are sinners by birth and by practice because they are born spiritually dead.  

     The penalty of sin is death. We are born under the wrath of God. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). God is the Eternal Judge, he must punish sin. It is part of the nature of God to destroy evil. Unless you are born again, you will answer for all of your sins.  

Declaration 5 – God became a man

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

     Jesus was and is God. He is the second person of the Trinity. It is not enough to believe that Jesus was simply a spiritually enlightened man. Jesus said in John 8:24, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. In John chapter 8, Jesus proclaimed that he was God. And our Lord stated that if we do not receive this truth, we cannot receive salvation.

     Jesus was born of a virgin, this was a supernatural act. He lived a perfect and sinless life. Because he did not have an earthly father, Jesus did not inherit a “sin nature”. Our Lord was perfect and without sin. And he is God.

Declaration 6 – Jesus death, burial, and resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again on the third day according to the scriptures:

Isaiah 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

     1 Corinthians 15:3-4 is the gospel message. The gospel is the saving message of God. Jesus was put to death on a cross. He was then buried. But he was raised from the dead after 3 days. God the Father poured out his wrath on our Lord. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Jesus took God’s wrath upon himself so that we would not have to face the wrath of God. Only God could do that. A mere human could not take the infinite wrath of God, for all of mankind, upon himself.

Declaration 7 – Jesus saves

Romans 10:8-10 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 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 10:8-10 is the saving response to the gospel. How are we saved? If we are drawn and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are saved by the belief in our heart and the confession of our mouth. When we believe the gospel and confess that Jesus is Savior and Lord, we are saved. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

     Christians should not create “false converts” by presenting a message to unbelievers that is not reflective of the gospel. The unbeliever needs to understand who God is, who Jesus is, and why they need to be saved. Learn to present these 7 declarations to equip yourself to lead many to Christ. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).