Adventures in Witnessing Vol.3 - The Good Person Test

Are you a good person? 
Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, But who can find a faithful man? Proverbs 20:6

In the last Adventures in Witnessing we looked at the usefulness of Gospel tracts. Now let's look at the Good Person Test.

People need to know they’re lost before they can be saved, they need to see their sin problem so they will understand their need for a savior. Just like Proverbs 20:6 states, most men will proclaim their own goodness, they believe that they're a good person and that’s all God requires. As Way of the Master ministries demonstrates so well, taking someone through just a few of the Ten Commandments quickly reveals their position before a Holy God.

Here’s a summary of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus chapter 20.

 1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
 2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image (idols).
 3. You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain.
 4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
 5. Honor your father and your mother.
 6. You shall not murder.
 7. You shall not commit adultery.
 8. You shall not steal.
 9. You shall not bear false witness.
10. You shall not covet.

God's law acts as a mirror reflecting His standards back to us.

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; Psalms 19:7 

By His own example Jesus shows us how useful the law is when speaking to others about spiritual matters.  

 And a certain ruler asked Him, saying, Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me good? None is good except One, God. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother. And he said, I have kept all these from my youth up. And when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, Yet you lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, follow Me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful, for he was very rich. Luke 18:18-23

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:27-28


So how do we use the Law when witnessing? Just give someone the Good Person Test.
Here's an example:

Do you consider yourself a good person? "Yes" (Most people will answer "Yes")
Have you ever told a lie? "Yes" 
What do you call someone who tells lies? "A liar"
Have you ever stolen anything, no matter how big or small? "Yes" 
What do you call someone who steals? "A thief" 
Have you ever looked at a woman with lust? "Yes"
Jesus said if you look at a woman to lust for her you have committed adultery in your heart.
Have you ever hated someone? "Yes"
According to God hatred is the same as murder. By your own admission you are a liar, thief, adulterer and murderer at heart and that’s just a few of God’s commandments. If God judged you right now would you be innocent or guilty for breaking His laws? "I guess guilty"
Would you go to heaven or hell? "I guess hell"
Does that concern you? "Yes"
Do you know what God did so you don’t have to go to hell? "No" 
God sent His son Jesus to come and die on the cross to pay the price for your sins. He was raised from the dead on the third day so that who ever believes in Him will have eternal life with God and escape hell. 

The most common objection when asked if they would go to heaven or hell for breaking God’s law is that they would still go to heaven because nobody is perfect and God forgives. Here’s a good place to explain God’s justice. We expect earthly judges to be upright and prompt when executing judgment on law breakers so why should we expect anything less than perfect justice from God. A good question to ask is, “Do judges let criminals off the hook just because they say their sorry?” No, and God doesn’t either. Explain that forgiveness is available but only to those who have put their faith in what Jesus has done on the cross. He paid the price and gave His life as a ransom.  

We see in Romans 3:19-20, that the Law of God brings the knowledge of sin, reveals guilt and stops the mouth of a sinner. Using the Good Person Test is a powerful way to bypass intellectual arguments and go directly to a persons conscience. When you give this test, often you will see someone's demeanor change. I've seen people literally stop talking during this test as they fell under conviction. One man said to me, "I'll just stop talking now." On one occasion, the hands of the gentleman I was speaking with started shaking as we went through just a few of the commandments. 

This technique is Biblical and an extremely helpful way to reach the lost. Click on the link below to see video clips of this in action.  

Living Waters - Witnessing Clips