The gospel and a swim
From ScottW: I went to the YMCA around lunch on Thursday of this week for a swim. As I was in the hot tub, I met a 62 year old man named Richard. After we chatted for about 5 minutes about his life I asked him if I could ask him an interesting question. He said sure and I asked him what he thought about the afterlife? He said he believed the Bible and that there was an afterlife. But, when I questioned him about how one gains entrance into heaven he said, “you have to accept the Lord and DO THE BEST YOU CAN after that.” Sounded like works righteousness to me to I asked him if he thought he was doing good enough and if he was a good person. He said he was until I used the Law to show him that in reality he was a lying, thieving, adulterer at heart and therefore he was not good at all. He admitted he would be guilty and that guilty people would end up in Hell. I then preached the gospel explaining the “legal transaction” and “the great exchange” which took place on the cross (I did this even though he knew that Jesus had died for him and the world). I then explained how to get Jesus’ blood applied to his account through repentance and faith alone in Christ as opposed to trusting in his own goodness or religious works. I ended by asking him if he ever heard of the term born again Christian. He said he had but I explained it a bit and said this happens when one “repents and trusts alone in the Saviour”. We shook hands and he thanked me for talking with him and then we both went for a swim in the pool. I prayed for his soul as I swam.
