by David J. Stewart
The hardest part about getting people saved is getting them lost. The Bible says
in Proverb 26:12 that there's more hope for a fool than for a conceited person.
A conceited person is sinfully proud in their false religion, unwilling to
humble themselves to the Word of God. The fool simply needs to get saved.
However, the conceited person needs to first acknowledge the errors of their
ways before they can get saved. A conceited person does not see their need for a
Savior.
It's not hard to get an unsaved person saved who truly believes they are headed for the Lake of Fire in their sins. The problem is that most people are arrogant in their false religion, stubborn against the truth and unwilling to admit that they're wrong. Most people are religious and think they'll get to Heaven through their own self-righteous works. They have been woefully deceived by Satan into believing that they can save themselves, or that the Vatican or some religious organization can save them.
The hardest part about getting people saved is first getting them lost. Few people realize their lost condition. I don't know too many people who brag that they're going to Hell, although there are plenty of unbelievers who do mock God. All we can do is present the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ to sinners and let the Holy Spirit do His work of conviction. Romans 1:16 tells us that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. It is not by eloquent words or cunning wisdom that men are won to Jesus Christ, but by the simplicity of the Gospel. We are SINNERS and Jesus is the SAVIOR.
I have witnessed to innumerable people throughout my life. I've rarely met someone who knew they were lost and yet refused to get saved. Most people thought they were going to Heaven some other way than by what the Scriptures teach. Most people think they'll make it to Heaven by putting forth their best effort to please God. Most people have churchianity without Christianity. They have religion without truth.
It's not too difficult to convince someone who believes they're going to Hell forever to get saved. But it is extremely difficult to convince someone that they have been deceived by a false religion. Human nature is naturally stubborn, sinfully arrogant and unwilling to admit when wrong. This is why Jesus said that a man must become as a little child to enter into Heaven. A person must humble them self to obey the Gospel, found in the Scriptures. The Vatican cannot save anyone. The priest cannot save anyone. The baptistery cannot save anyone. Only Jesus Christ, Who has the nail scared hands and feet, can save.
There's a lot of false teaching by televangelists, which fails to shows religious people that they are lost in their self-righteousness. Most people are conceited, falsely thinking they are saved, when they are not. It's important when we witness to people to show them from the Bible that their good works are filth to God (Isaiah 64:6). Good works cannot save (Romans 1:20; Ephesians 2:8-9). We are saved by Jesus' righteousness (Matthew 6:33; 2nd Corinthians 5:21).
