Articles
The Sinners And The Satisfied
God's line of distinction for those in this world may be seen as a choice of either righteous or unrighteous, godly or ungodly, believer or unbeliever, and saved or lost. One cannot be both, in each of those contrasting descriptions, and we will be classified as one or the other by Him now, and in the final Judgment.
Another way of looking at the descriptions can be seen in the inspired written words of the Bible, where Jesus described His followers as “not of the world” (John 15:19), while Paul reminds us that before we were disciples, we all “once walked according to the course of this world,…fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (Eph. 2:2, 3); we cannot be both 'of the world' and 'not of the world,' though men certainly do try to convince themselves they can.
So, in our efforts to reach those still in the world — those 'of the world' — we might note a couple of descriptive terms that help us to understand the attitude of those who have not come to Christ: the sinners and the satisfied. Now, what is meant by these two descriptive terms, and how can we know who might be one or the other — and what difference does it make? We will answer those questions today as we consider how we might best reach those who are the unrighteous, the ungodly, the unbeliever, and the lost.
The Sinners. Whether men like to admit it or not, those who are still in the world are sinners, for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). The wise writer noted long before this, “there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin” (Eccl. 7:20). While some may argue they are a 'good' person, God tells us, “There is none who does good, no, not one” (Rom. 3:12). Truly, this world is in need of a Savior, despite our self-proclaimed goodness.
Obviously, all who are outside of Christ fit into this category, but there is a difference between those who are in sin and know it and are trying to find a way to be forgiven, and those who are in sin and have no desire to cease their sinful behavior. One is a sinner and doesn't want to be known for that, and the other is a sinner and revels in that description, trying to see just how deeply he may go in pursuing “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). One is a sinner in search of salvation and the other is a sinner in search of more sin.
When we encounter one who is a sinner [the one whose life is seeking pleasure], the challenge is to get them to see the reality of their condition. If they know of God and Christ and the story of Judgment and heaven and hell, it may be that they confront this with denial of one or more of those facts. Many deny the existence of God (cf. Psa. 14:1), but many more deny either the existence and reality of the man called Jesus, or denial that He was anything more than just a 'good man.' Some believe in God, but deny we will be held accountable by Him one day, thinking God “will not require an account” (Psa. 10:13), but still others say, “Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?” (Job 21:15). That is a legitimate question, but the answer is given clearly and powerfully throughout the context of Scripture, where God reveals Himself, His character, His power, and His promises.
It is likely that we will have to start outside the Bible to show the existence of God through His creation (cf. Rom. 1:20), and there is abundant evidence to show that when one does not enter into the study with a closed mind and preconceived conclusions. Once it is established God exists, we turn to the Bible to show what God has revealed; any claim that the Bible was written by 'mere men' can be easily disproved by its content, where numerous prophecies were fulfilled, though spoken hundreds of years before they came to pass. Disputes about the Bible's credibility and purity [it hasn't been changed] should be challenged, with any claims of pollution or changes backed up with evidence, and not to be accepted just because they repeat someone else's false claim. One who claims the Bible text has been changed must furnish the proof, else the claim is invalid.
If we ever get to the point where the text of the Bible is accepted, then we must show them the reality of sin's spread to all men, but must also show them how sin is defined (1 John 3:4; 1 John 5:17), the expectation of those who sin (Rom. 6:23), and the certainty of Judgment (2 Cor. 5:10). If they reject all this, it will not change the fact of God's existence, or the reality of sin and the final Judgment. Their choice will be their fate.
The Satisfied. Another individual who lives outside of Christ is the one who is in sin, but thinks they are actually okay as they are. This isn't to say they are happy to be a sinner; they don't think they are a sinner! It may be the one who thinks he or she is a 'good' person and with an expectation of heaven because, well, they haven't killed anyone, they don't rob banks for a living, and they mostly pay their taxes and try [mostly] to obey the laws of the land.
Then there are those who are outside of Christ, but follow some sort of religious teaching, thinking they are actually right with God. They have not ever obeyed God's commands given in the Bible that says what one must do to be saved (Mark 16:16; Col. 2:11-13), but they think they are saved anyway. When we open our Bibles and show them what the Scripture says, they may appeal to what their pastor told them, what their parents taught and believed, or simply what they have believed all their lives. No amount of Scripture will change their minds because they are satisfied.
The challenge here will be to get them to see that it doesn't matter what anyone says, but what the Bible actually teaches. Unfortunately, some are so satisfied with their current beliefs, they are not even interested in studying or even opening their Bibles to see what the Bible actually says; they are satisfied and want to stay that way. Opening up the Bible or studying to see what it actually teaches would be upsetting and make them uncomfortable if they discovered that what they had been taught or what they had believed was not found in the Bible.
Some in this position are like those who have been sold a bad insurance policy; you can talk to them until you run out of breath, but they insist the policy is good because the agent told them it was a good policy, or it was sold to them by a family friend — and they just know that family friend would never tell them a lie or sell them something that was not what it was purported to be! You can even get the policy and show them line by line what it actually says, and they will refuse to believe it. It will not be until they need the policy's supposed benefits that they find out the truth, but then it will be too late.
Likewise, those who are satisfied with what they believe, or what they have been taught, and are uninterested in studying or investigating to see what the Bible actually teaches will be in for a sad surprise when they stand before Christ their Judge in the end. They will claim obedience and service, but He will say to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matt. 7:21-23).
Now, let's open our Bibles. — Steven Harper
