What Plan Of Salvation Should I
WHAT PLAN OF SALVATION SHOULD I USE?
I use the “Romans Road,” which a lot of them use. My convictions are that a man can’t be saved until he’s lost. And so, when I deal with a fellow, I try to get him lost first. The first thing I show almost any man is Revelation chapter 20, verse 12. When I begin, I begin with judgment. I tell you why I do; I think a lot of decisions you get these days are shallow decisions, because the person you’re dealing with doesn’t realize that they deserve to go to hell, and they don’t see that Christ is the only way they can keep from going.
A lot of people these days receive Christ as kind of a “helper,” or kind of a “psychiatrist,” or “doctor,” or “financier,” and you have to receive Him as a Saviour.
So, when I’m dealing with a man, I usually give him this. Revelation 20:12, “I saw the dead small and great stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works….And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
I tell the fellow, “Now some day you’re going to die. You believe that, don’t you?”
And the man will usually say, “Yes.”
And I say, “Well, now, in the Bible, when you die, you’re going to face a judgment.” And then I say, “Now, picture this judgment.” And I give him Romans chapter 2, verse 16: “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.”
Then I ask the man, “If you were to die tonight, would you be prepared to have your secrets judged?”
And he’ll say something or other.
And then I say, “Well, the Bible says this…” And then I quote Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse 14: “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
And I never try to win a man to Christ until he admits (1) he’s going to die, (2) he’s going to face judgment, and (3) he cannot get by that judgment in his own righteousness. And, if a fellow doesn’t admit that, I don’t try to win him to Christ. I don’t believe that salvation is a thing that’s given to a man who still thinks he can get to heaven by his own works.
So I give him judgment. If he won’t confess, if he still thinks he can get by in his own righteousness, then given him some good, strong verses like “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6), or “There is none that doeth good, no, not one,” “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God,” “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable” (Romans 3), and try to convince him that he’s not good enough to make it.
But if he insists that he is, and will still listen to me, I turn him to two places in the Bible. I turn him to Luke 18 and Job 31. Luke 18 and Job 31 are the three best men in the Bible, and all three of them are lost. Job 31 and Luke 18. And I read him about these men, and then I ask the fellow, “Now, are you as good as this man? Or, could you say what this fellow says about himself?” And in Luke 18, I read him about the Pharisee, verses 11 and 12, and the rich young ruler, verses 18-20. And in Job 31, I take him through Job’s testimony, and God told Job that his righteousness could not save him, and God told Job, “Will you condemn me that you may be righteous?” And, in Job 31, that testimony of Job shows that Job was a better man than any man in the New Testament. Job was not only outwardly righteous, he was inwardly righteous. But he wasn’t right with God.
And I show the man that. Now, if the man admits that he can’t make it, and admits that he would be lost and deserves to go to hell, then and only then do I give him the plan of salvation. And when I give it to him, I usually give it to him this way:
First of all, I give him 1Peter chapter 3, verse 18. I read the fellow, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.” I tell the fellow, “Now, Christ died for our sins–the just for the unjust. Now, who is the unjust?”
And the fellow will say, “I don’t know. Something or some other,” etc.
I say, “No, read it again. Christ suffered the just for the unjust. Who’s the unjust?”
And, if the fellow won’t say it, then you say, “Well, it’s you and me. We’re unjust. Right?”
And the guy says, “Yes.”
And you say, “OK, Christ suffered the just for the unjust. He’s the just, we’re the unjust. Is that right?”
The guy says, “Right.”
I say, “OK, Christ died for your sins. Now, what your name?”
The fellow says (for example), “Bill Jones.”
I say, “OK, `God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ Let’s read together what God says about this and put your name in. I turn him to Isaiah 53, and I read, `He hath borne Bill Jones’ griefs, he hath carried Bill Jones’ sorrows, yet Bill Jones did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. He was wounded for Bill Jones’ transgressions, he was bruised for Bill Jones’ iniquities, the chastisement of Bill Jones was upon him, and with his stripes Bill Jones was healed.'”
I tell the fellow, “Christ died for you, and took the sins in your place.” Then I say, “God took your sins and laid them on Jesus. Are they on you, or are they on Jesus?”
When he says, “On Jesus,” then I say, “All right, if they’re on Jesus, then if you trust Him as your Saviour, you’ll be saved. Wouldn’t you like to receive Him?”
He may give some kind of an argument; you have to come around again and say, “All right, if you knew how to receive Him, would you like to receive Him.” Or, if he gives you some argument at that, you say, “Well, do you know how to receive Christ?” Nine out of ten of them will say, “No.”
And you say, “All right, I’ll show you how.” And then I turn to Romans, 10:9,10 and 10:13.
Now, that’s not the only way to do, but I believe in the old-fashioned way. I don’t believe a fellow can be saved until he’s lost, and I believe before redemption is ruin.