How to Respond When Someone Says "I'm a Good Person" - Biblical Evangelism Guide

The Heart Behind Biblical Evangelism

Listen, before we dive into answering objections, let me tell you something straight: it's absolutely reasonable and expected that we serve the Lord. He's 100% worthy - 100 times 100 percent worthy to be served! We should serve Him with a glad heart. Witnessing to the lost shouldn't be a burden, although dealing with people can be burdensome at times. But dealing with the Lord? That's never burdensome. We should be happy to serve Him because He is worthy of our praise.

The Most Common Objection: "I'm a Good Person"

The Problem: You'll hear this more than anything else when witnessing. Someone will say, "Can I give you some good news about Jesus?" and they'll respond, "No - I'm good, thank you."

The Biblical Solution: Take them straight to two passages - Ephesians 2 and Titus 3.

Ask them: "You've got a minute? Can I show you what the Bible says? Just one minute and two verses."

Ephesians 2:8-9 - Salvation by Grace

Let them see this for themselves: "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."

Ask them directly: "According to God, do your good works save you?" What does it say? No! It can't because it's not of works.

Then ask them: "Why isn't it of works?" Because "lest any man should boast." If salvation was of works, you'd see the manifestation of pride even more than we do today. People would say, "Well, I did better than this guy." That's how it would play out. It's not of works because we would just boast our way into heaven.

Titus 3:5-7 - Not by Our Righteousness

Move them to Titus 3:5: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Notice how we are not saved by good works. We are not justified by good works. We are saved according to his mercy and justified by grace!

The Second Major Objection: "If God is So Loving, Why Would He Send Anyone to Hell?"

The Problem is with the Question: First, you can't define love as non-confrontational. Second, you can't define God as unloving because He sends people to hell.

The Better Question: Since God is love (because the Bible says God is love), why do some people go to hell?

Romans 1:18-20 - Holding Truth in Unrighteousness

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."

Don't allow lost people to get away with putting God on trial by asking this question. Do your best to allow the Bible to put them on trial. Why do people end up in hell? Because they hold the truth in unrighteousness.

Turn it around, by asking them: "Why are you holding the truth in unrighteousness?"

The Universal Knowledge of God

Verse 19 tells us that everyone starts with a knowledge of God. Everybody knows there is a God - they just don't want to give glory to God. So instead, they'll hold the truth in unrighteousness.

"I Just Feel That God Will Forgive Me - After All, God Is Loving"

The Heart Issue: You can't trust your own heart or feelings.

Jeremiah 17:9 - The Deceitful Heart

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Proverbs 14:12 - The Way That Seems Right

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

You can think and feel and have all the emotions you want, but God's Word doesn't care how you feel emotionally. God said He's the way, and He's going to try your heart - and it's wicked. You need a payment for your sin.

The "I Don't Have Time" Objection

The Deception: One of the greatest deceptions Satan has cast upon this world is that people think they've got enough time.

Isaiah 55:6 - Seek While He May Be Found

"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near."

Proverbs 27:1 - Don't Boast of Tomorrow

"Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."

Show them this verse when they say they don't have time. Better be careful - tomorrow might not come.

Luke 12:19-20 - The Rich Fool

The rich man said to his soul, "Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee."

Riches keep a lot of people out of the Kingdom of God because they're entirely distracted by physical things and never take time to consider seeking the Lord while He may be found.

The Baptism Confusion: Acts 2:38

Some people get confused about baptism and salvation. "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins."

The Key: Repentance is the key to remission. Baptism reflects what has been done in your heart. It's like someone in jail - if you ask what they're in jail for and they say murder, you know they're in jail because they murdered. That's the same type of phraseology happening here.

Peter's telling them: "You've repented from your heart, and because your sins have been remitted through repentance, now get down here and let's get in some water."

The Church Attendance Objection

The Problem: "I go to church" or "I haven't been in church in so long" - as if that's going to get you in or keep you out.

The Example of Nicodemus - John 3:1-3

Nicodemus was the greatest church member you could find - a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews. But Jesus told him: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Luke 5:31-32 - Jesus Came for Sinners

"And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

If you're professing church membership to show your righteousness before God, He's looking for a sinner - someone who's going to say, "I'm a sinner, I'm not righteous."

The Bottom Line

Religion enslaves, but Jesus always saves. This idea of formalism, this idea of traditions to get you to heaven - we don't believe in that. You're following the traditions of men to try to merit righteousness before God.

A lost person needs to be reminded: we're not trying to turn you into a hypocrite who keeps traditions of men while forgetting what God tells us about true salvation. You must be born again.

🎧 📖 Want to hear the complete message with all the biblical depth and passionate delivery? This blog post only scratches the surface of this powerful expository preaching on biblical evangelism. Listen to the entire verse-by-verse bible teaching sermon for the full impact of these life-changing truths. [Click here to listen to the complete message] - you won't want to miss this essential training for every believer called to share the Gospel!