New News

12/7/2013              Carlos              about 30

If we believers were given the Holy Spirit when we came to faith in Christ, (2 Cor. 5:5) what did we have before conversion?  What do non-believers have to help guide them into right behavior and ultimately a right relationship with God?  One could point to the influence of godly parents, but what about those who grow up in a non-religious household?  I talked to a man named Carlos, who has had no religious background and no knowledge of biblical truths, yet he had a strong sense of his own sin.  However according to Romans 3, ““There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”  How is it, then, that Carlos, for example, clearly demonstrates that he knows right from wrong, that he somehow has a “referee” who holds him accountable?  I believe that in the video one can see that  “…the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.”  (Romans 2:15)  Carlos knows he has a conscience, and he knows he hasn’t been faithfully obeying it.  He says he doesn’t believe in God, but he knows if God exists he will be guilty standing before Him.  I probably should have been more clear about the specifics of the law, such as going over the Ten Commandments with Carlos, but it was clear the law was already doing its job: “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God… through the law we become conscious of our sin.”  (Romans 3) The New Testament pattern of evangelism is “law to the proud, grace to the humble”.  I saw in Carlos a humility that I believe is unusual.  What he was lacking, as he put it several times, was the basic information of the Gospel, which I had the privilege of sharing.  I didn’t want to overwhelm him with new information, but his continual questions showed he was comprehending what I was saying.  After reviewing the video, I think I should have been clearer about calling him to repentance and faith in Jesus.           VIDEO - Carlos - "New News"