Q: When I witness to non-believers I go through some of the 10 commandments to see if the non-believer is a `good person`. A typical question would be `How many lies have you told?` Response would be `many`. So then I would ask,`What do you call someone who tells lies?` Response `A liar`....So my question is,`If someone does something good regardless of the lies or sins that person committed, does it make that person `good`?` I having some trouble with that logic. I see many Christians witness this way including myself and I want [to] understand the logic behind calling someone who lies a liar and then declaring them a bad person in God`s eyes but yet that person could have done something good and so with that logic I have to declare that person good. Feel free to rephrase the question. I hope you understood.
A: The use of the law, when talking to an unbeliever, is not necessarily to show them they are a "bad" person. The law is to show them they are dead in their sins so they will turn to Christ for salvation. "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24)." Declaring whether someone is good or bad is a human standard too often reliant on the subjective nature of those doing the judging. For instance you used someone lying as an example of them being a bad person. However, lying isn't always bad. Take the example of Rahab, the prostitute. When the king of Jericho told her to bring out the spies Joshua had sent, she replied, "when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went (Joshua 2:5)." Her lying was commended by God to the point where the author of Hebrews listed her among those being recognized for their faith (Hebrews 11:31). I mention Rahab not to condone lying, but to show that our behavior isn't necessarily the key to how God views us. Most unbelievers do not see themselves as sinful because each person does what is right in their own eyes. And if they aren't robbing, stealing, killing, are paying their taxes, doing right by their family and friends, etc., they don't see themselves as sinful, much less in need of a Savior.
In God's eyes it isn't a question of whether people are good or bad, but whether they are dead in sin or alive in Christ. Jesus was greeted by a man who called Him, "Good Teacher." Jesus responded to the man with, "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone (Mark 10:18)." In that context it is easy to see that no man or woman is good from God's standpoint. The book of Romans sums it up this way, "All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one (Romans 3:12)." Regardless of whether we are a believer or an unbeliever we all sin. Thus, by human standards, we are either bad all the time or we bounce from good to bad dependent on what we do in a particular moment in time. The fact is that all mankind comes into this world dead to God in sin and in need of His life. "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22)." When you use the 10 commandments with an unbeliever, hopefully, they will see that when they match their lives up against God's standards they fail miserably. The only conclusion they can come to is what must they do next? That is when you can share the Gospel with them.
God is not judging the world on the basis of what we do. He is judging the world on the basis of who we are. You, obviously, are aware that Christians still sin and, therefore, could be labeled as being bad. Thus, you are confused about revealing to an unbeliever they are "bad" because of their sin when Christians could be considered just as "bad" because of ours. The difference is that we are aware we are sinners and have turned to Christ for salvation. When God looks at Christians He doesn't see us as good or bad, but He sees us as totally righteous children of God because of our faith in Christ. "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes (Romans 10:4)." If you are in Christ, then the law has done its work in your life. Just like a mirror shows us how dirty we are so we can clean ourselves, the law reveals our sin so we can turn to Christ and be cleansed of our sins and receive His life. "Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law (Galatians 3:25)." A Christian lives by faith in Christ to lead them and guide them from within through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The goal of matching the deeds of an unbeliever up against the standards of God's law is to show them their condition of spiritual death in hopes they will turn to, and accept, God's one and only provision of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus Christ. "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48)." God demands perfection not our best efforts. Most unbelievers think themselves to be basically good. But, basically good is not good enough. It may score them points in the eyes of their fellow man, but it won't save them from the wrath of God. Most unbelievers compare themselves to other people. Thus, depending on who they compare themselves against, they most often conclude that they are okay. And then they project that onto God assuming He must see them the way they see themselves. However, the law is God's contribution to mankind's best efforts to try and be like Him. If we want to be like God, apart from Christ, we must completely obey His commandments, without fault, our entire lives. The only conclusion we can reach is that we cannot do it. And that is exactly what God wants us to conclude. But, in His love, God gave the solution, Jesus Christ.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life (Romans 5:8-10)!" Keep preaching the law to unbelievers. Properly used, it will show an unbeliever just how unlike God they are in hopes that they will turn to Christ by faith. Remember, anything good you do is Christ doing it through you. And any bad you do has been forgiven forever at the Cross by the death of Jesus Christ. Amen!
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