Common Knowledge, Safety In Numbers, Confirmation Bias, Not Perfect, But Good Enough

4/28/19             Luis  (see HERE)

An interesting thing happened when I first began to share the Gospel almost ten years ago.  I found that the vast majority of people I met on the street are aware of what it says in Romans 3:23, which reads “for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.”  Many people knew the verse specifically, and almost all knew the idea at least generally and didn’t disagree with it.  The fact of our sin is common knowledge.

I had assumed knowledge of one’s sin would be cause for alarm.  But I soon realized there is a different way of looking at it.  To many people, this declaration of our sinfulness before God is actually good news, because they believe there is safety in numbers.  “If all people sin”, they reason, “then I’m not so bad in comparison.”  In fact, confirmation bias leads most people to believe they are one of the good guys.  Not perfect, but good enough, because there are plenty of people committing sins far worse than themselves.

The good news of the Gospel is that we have a Savior, but unfortunately very few people believe they need one, despite their sins.  This is why, in many of the gospel conversations I initiate on the streets, my focus isn’t on the good news of Jesus, but the bad news of our sin.  For example, in a recent 15 minute conversation with a young man named Luis, I knew that his friend was headed two blocks away to pick up some food, and that my time for conversation with Luis was limited.  I spent a few minutes learning about his beliefs and background, and almost all of the rest of the time trying to help him see the seriousness of his sin by making them personal, breaking them down one by one rather than just generally stating “all have sinned”.

I believe this is what Paul did in Romans 2, when he tried to show the religious Jews that they, too, sin just like the Gentiles: “You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?” 

In comparison with the Ten Commandments, Luis could see he will be guilty before God even if he thinks he is reasonably good in comparison with other men.  I hope and pray he can also see how much he needs the Savior as a result.

Thanks, Luis, for allowing me to record the conversation!  It’s at https://youtu.be/ehNKbSQl4ME