There are two kinds of people who live in sins. The first has no consciousness of sin. They are very careless and do not care that they are living in sins. The best way to deal with them is not to condemn but to point out the damage, pains, and consequences of sins. We can illustrate this to them with a real situation, showing them that the more they sin, the more damage they will suffer and the quicker they will die. Neither a gambler, a smoker, or a drinker can have a long life. Then we can bring them to the realization that after death there will still be a further consequence. Death is not the end of the consequences of sin. However, we should not talk too much about the future judgment; it is better to talk about the present life. In this way we will create the consciousness of sin within them.
The second kind of persons who live in sins is those who live in sins with the consciousness that they are sinful but do not have the strength to save themselves. They are convicted, but they do not know how to be saved and delivered. If we know how, it is very easy to help this kind of person. We simply point out to them that deliverance is not in ourselves but in Christ. In order to enjoy and partake of deliverance, we need to receive the redemption of Christ. Only Christ can deliver us from the bondage of sin; only Christ can free us. A person must realize that he is sinful and that Christ died for him on the cross. He needs to receive this redemption and stand on the ground of redemption; then he can claim and enjoy the deliverance of Christ. This is the principle of dealing with this kind of person.
It is also easy to help people who sense the vanity of life. The principle in dealing with this kind of person is to point out the reason for the sense of vanity. It is because the real fullness of human life is God Himself. From the very beginning man was made an empty vessel to contain God. As a container we need the content, and God is the content for man. If one does not have God, he is empty. This is the reason that people have the sense of vanity in their lives. God is the fullness, satisfaction, and very meaning of human life. To give a person this kind of instruction is effective. This is the principle, but how to use and develop it depends on us.
The fourth category of people is the moral people. Some brothers tell people that human morality does not matter, but a moral person will argue with this. It is foolish to tell unbelievers that morality does not mean anything. It is not easy to convince even a Christian that mere human morality means nothing. The best way is to admit that we need morality, but that morality is like the fruit of a tree; it comes out of a certain life. If we have this life, we have this kind of fruit, but if we do not have this life, how can we have the fruit? We may have some kind of fruit, but it is poor fruit. We admire that many people do have morality, but one must admit that this morality is not up to the highest standard because people do not have the life that is up to the highest standard. By speaking in this way we can point out that Christ is the highest life. If someone receives Christ, He will be his highest life, and he will bear the highest and best fruit. In this way, we can create in such a person a desire for the Lord. This is the principle of dealing with moral people, but we must learn how to use this principle in a very living and flexible way.
The fifth category of people is professing Christians. A professing Christian is a Christian in name who does not know if he is saved. In principle, we must find the way to help this kind of person to realize that he is saved, to have the assurance of God’s salvation. We should read some verses from the Scriptures to prove what a real believer is and to prove that a believer should have the assurance of salvation, knowing that his sins are forgiven and that Christ is his life. The principle is to help professing Christians to be clear about salvation.