Christians: Can you answer this question for me (please read the details)?

Question

This is a question that I have been wondering about for quite some time.

Here is the situation...

Suppose you are witnessing to someone about the gospel. The person has NO knowledge of the Bible whatsoever and who has no idea of who Jesus Christ is.

My question is this...What passages of the Bible should you have the person read in order to come to a "saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?" Obviously, a person couldn't be saved by only reading John 11:35, "Jesus wept." And I don't think they could be saved by reading the Book of Numbers or Leviticus, et cetera.

I also think that only reading the verse that says, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved" would not be enough either. This is especially true if the person has absolutely no concept of who Jesus Christ is!

The Lord does not save anyone apart from the Word of God. So what, specifically(!) should a person read and embrace as truth in order to be saved?

Thanks for your help!

Answer 1

I too have run into this roadblock. I suppose first of all I would need to know whether it is a child, a foreigner, or someone who just has really succeeded in staying as far away from any kind of spirituality well enough that they have never heard of christ (which is a feat in and of itself! LOL....kidding). No, really..I belong to the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church and so have been in contact with a few Americans who have spent decades in Brazil where there are over 110 tribes who have never heard of the gospel, our Lord Christ, etc. You may want to purchase/rent a fairly new movie called End Of The Spear which is about specifically that: witnessing to a tribe of Brazilian natives where the lines of communication are limited at best. This tribe, the Waodani, are more vicious than the Aztecs, the Apaches, and half the gangs in Los Angeles put together! Really...they would kill each other off for a slight disagreement!! Yeah, they WERE nearly extinct at one point. Anyway, it was very hard in many cases to convey the simpler messages of love, trust, faith, etc to many South American and African tribes and still is.
I have heard, however, that some have used colors to convey the message of salvation so that red is the blood of christ, white is the purity or the salvation or absence of sins, and the black is the death of christ for us and also the empty tomb (dark, nothing in there...) in which Jesus was raised to life to prepare a place for us all and to give us hope. Another was to a cannibal tribe that would eat each other and so the missionaries could not even get across trust at first!!! They used the concept of leaning on someone and not moving away or letting them fall as a basis and went from there.
I realize this is a long answer to your question but there really is not any short way to do this. In a small phrase, my suggestion would be either to "Be patient with them," or "Don't stop trying." To use a book of the bible, the "Road of/to Romans" is a common one. This is primarily a few verses like 3:23-"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," verse 6:23-"for the wages of sin is death,but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord," verse 10:9&10-"that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." and then verse 10:13-"for 'Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" Now I realize the last two call to attention the thing you mentioned where it would not be enough and I agree. The 4 Gospels are best for explaining who Jesus was. I believe as do many others that John is the best one to begin with then Luke and then Acts to show what happened AFTER Jesus was raised from the dead since the Gospels kinda stop right after that point. Get a not-so-literal translation not only for them, but for you so you are not called upon to think of so many ways to 'paraphrase' or translate for them. The one I recommend most is the NLT or New Living Translation and next would be the NIV or New International Version. If it is for a child or teen, there is a version of the NIV called the TNIV (I think) that is the Teen NIV I think it is called. There are several websites that have free versions you can read or even download. I regret to say that I have just reinstalled my browser and have not yet updated my bookmarks/favorites or I would have several to give as examples. I believe one is gospel.com or close enough that if you Yahoo or Google searched it, you would find it. I hope this helps and I will pray that God gives you the right words to say by having His Holy Spirit guide you. May God bless you and you are storing up treasures in Heaven by witnessing...don't give up!!!

Answer 2

I think before quoting the Bible or telling a person to read certain scripture might be a little intimidating for them if they have never read any of it or have no idea who Jesus really is.
I think first start with your own testimony and how and why you have a personal relationship with the Lord. Tell what He has done in your life or someone you know. Tell of how you have seen God work in your life or the lives of others.
Inviting them to your church also would be a good place to start--for a typical service or even just a couple of social events going on--so they can see how people relate to each other there and to the Lord --and as it is in my church -- how you can have fun while worshipping and getting closer to God.
Seeing fellowship in action always gives a good feeling for someone new. Any kind of outreach event or project is great as well and maybe not as overwhelming for someone not used to going to a church service.
Answer any questions this person might have. When they feel comfortable enough-- then I think reading the Gospels-- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John is the best place to begin for an inquiring and possibly new believer.

Answer 3

Where in the Bible does it say that "The Lord does not save anyone apart from the word(Sacred Scripture or Sacred Tradition) of God" it says that "The Lord does not save anyone apart from the Word (Jesus) of God".

To confuse the two is to make an Idol of the Bible.



Now, aside from that, I would have the person study the Gospels as a whole and also at least the first part of Acts. No one verse is going to cut it. I would also witness to them through my actions, and by telling stories about the Saints, the Church, and things that have happened in my own life.

But in the end, the BIBLE doesn't save anyone, GOD does.

Answer 4

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whosoever shall believe in him shall have ever lasting life, this is the one verse that I have memorized. Even us so called non married, morally ??? can know and understand the bible because it is a great work of literature and it has a lot of wisdom in it, what we can't know is why others are often such hypocrits like the ones that put Jesus up on the cross if there was a Jesus or who that man or the other men that wrote this work really were and that is what it says in there as well do not argue about it because it detracts from the good works that it does. It also says who is least shall be most and who is most shall be least and it also says a bunch of other stuff. It says that God can use all kinds of tragedies and adversity for good in those that he chooses and those that believe. So I don't know.

Answer 5

Honestly, I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole. It's not because there isn't an answer or because you don't deserve one; it's because it's a highly sensitive and complicated topic in the wrong format for it. You can't really get into a discussion here - it's more like a shooting gallery in 20 words or less. Secondly, you come off as abrasive and confrontational rather than genuinely seeking answers. It shouldn't be surprising that people reacted defensively. Just because you're not getting the answers you want, the way you want, doesn't mean there's no validity to the faith - that it's "bullshit". I hope you get a chance to talk with someone knowledgable about this in real life. Peace. PS: And yes, the first answer to this post was gross.

Answer 6

I think the basic answer has been sufficiently given through the various answerers here.

So let me just add something: If the person asks a question that you don't know the answer to, then say that you don't know. It's better to be honest than wrong.

Also, do it in a spirit of love. Be considerate of the other person's feelings and thoughts. It may take a long time before they are able to agree with what you are trying to tell them.

Finally, as some have said, personal testimony is often incredibly powerful. Telling a true story about what God has done for you can be moving and heartfelt.

Now it's time for me to practice what I've suggested to you...!

God bless.

Answer 7

The words or the scriptures you choose are not important, we do not save anyone, the Holy Spirit does this and we are only commanded to preach the gospel. Let the way you live your life be the example that leads someone to search for Gods truth. The scripture does teach us to feed babes in Christ, milk and not the meat of the word. I believe this is only a teaching for people who are saved. However it does seem to make good sense for un-saved as well.
I usually show someone the Gospel of John first. Sometimes I just pray and then open my bible to whatever page and start reading from there. Gods Spirit causes people to repent, not the words we use or the scripture we select.
Just preach His Word and Pray and watch His Holy Spirit move mountains and obstacles in a unbelievers life.
God Bless You....Peace.

Answer 8

I don't think that showing them any passages is a good idea. i believe that relationships are the key to witnessing. Non Christians do not trust the bible they don't think think that it is any more special then any other holy book. I firmly that relationships are the key. Showing the bible in action so to speak is a lot more powerful then words on a page will ever be. Then get them to read one of the gospels

Answer 9

I would begin with reading from Galations, to me that is the basic ideas of Christianity and it is easy to undertand. Also the people you are witnessing to are more than likely your friends right? Use your life as an example of the love and grace of Christ and tell them all the wonderful things that have happened to you since you accepted Him. The fruit of your life will bear greater witness to Christs love than random verses in the beinning. Remember it is not your job to convict them into believing, that is for the Holy Spirit. It is your job to just shine the light and help those you run across.

Answer 10

Have you told this person about how you came to know Jesus? It's hard to tell someone about sin if they don't know what sin is either. Ask if you can tell them about the personal relationship you have with God and how it has helped you? You start small. Ask God for wisdom every step of the way. If you start with the Bible and they don't know that the Bible is the word of God they aren't going to understand why you are reading out of it. Jesus gives a very good example with the Samaritan woman. He gets to know her on a personal level and finds things they have in common before He ever even brings up sin.