I am a good person. Doesn't that count for something?

This is a profound question. Being a good person is important. It does count. It makes you a nicer person to be around. It makes you a faithful spouse, a kind parent, a diligent employee, a great neighbor. However, when the question is asked in reference to God and connecting with God other factors must be considered.

If you believe you can connect with God by being good then you must answer the question "How good is good enough?" Search the Bible, travel the world, inquire of rabbi's , pastors, theologians, teachers & priests, you will find nowhere and no one to inform you of how good you have to be to connect with God. We can never know when we have done enough good things. Most world religions view connecting with God as something you earn, something you do. Christianity offers a different perspective. The Bible tells us we can never do enough to earn our way to God for "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23.

Think about it this way. Imagine that everyone who lives in California lined up down the coast of California for a contest to see who could swim all the way to the Hawaiian Islands. At the sound of the gun, everyone jumped into the ocean. Some really good swimmers would go quite far, others would get tired after only a short distance, and still others would barely make if off the shore. But one thing is for certain: the end result is the same for everyone — not one person would be able to swim the entire distance to Hawaii. Everyone would drown. No matter the amount of training or research an individual did everyone would fall short. In a similar way, the distance, due to sin, between God and every one of us is huge. Some of us may appear to be better off than others, maybe having done less "wrong things", but in reality we all have missed the mark and no one will measure up to God's standard except Jesus Christ. No matter where we are on the "do good" scale, we all need a rescuer, a lifeline. That lifeline is Jesus Christ. He offers forgiveness of our sins and the gift of eternal life if we believe in him. There is nothing for us "to do" to earn our salvation, Christ has already "done" it.

Romans 5:28

But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Ephesians 2: 8-9

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

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What is the best way to witness to a good friend who is very cold to spiritual things, but thinks they are a Christian because they have been baptized and confirmed?

I appreciate this question. If your friend is "cold" toward spiritual things, it might be helpful to simply share in a natural conversation something that God is doing in your life. Talk about a struggle He helped you overcome, or a disappointment He helped you accept, or success He helped you achieve. Be yourself. Be real. Let God's light shine through you. Don't try to use some formula or Gospel presentation to force a conversation, just share what God is doing in your life.

If your friend still fails to respond, you might say something like this: "As you can tell, my faith is very important to me; but it seems to turn you off. Can you share why this seems to be true?"

Silently pray as you listen. Look for common ground on which you can build. By listening you will better understand your friend's beliefs and what specific obstacles need to be dispelled for them to move toward Christ. Try to avoid placing your friend on the defensive because then the conversation defaults into a debate. You might ask in a non-defensive way: "Why were you baptized?" "What does baptism mean to you?" "When were you confirmed?" "Do you believe you have to be confirmed to be a Christian, Why?" "What makes someone a Christian?" "Do you believe these two acts guarantee your entrance into heaven?" Listen intently and without distraction to the answers. As you ask questions and enter the dialogue you can decide your response and in so doing remember what Paul tells us in Colossians 4:6 — "let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person."
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How can people not believe when there's so much evidence?

I appreciate the feelings behind this question. When you have experienced something as wonderful as God's love and forgiveness and presence, it's hard to understand why others are reticent to join you in that relationship with God. The evidence for God seems overwhelming.

But even when Jesus came and lived on earth, some people still rejected him. Paul in Romans 1:18 tells us that some suppress the truth of God's existence because of their sinful ways. Paul continues in verse 21 to say that even though some know about God, they do not honor Him or give thanks to Him. In the book of Mark, chapter 4, Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower (vs. 1-20) and the Soils and the Parable of the Seed (vs. 26-29). We see a couple of truths from his teaching. First, the truth of the gospel will not take root in all people's lives. Jesus gives some examples here in this parable of why that might be so (hard heart, hardship/persecution, things of the world are more important than God). Second, in the parable of the seed we learn that God is the one who causes "the seed", His truth to take root in a person's life.

Here are three things to consider while living & proclaiming your faith in the world:

1. Persevere in presenting Christ to others. Don't be surprised when people reject the truth. But remember no one can ever be beyond the reach of God. We believe in the sovereignty of His grace.
2. Be patient. God draws people to Himself in His own time. By and large the work of evangelizing demands more patience, more reserves of persevering love and care than most of us Christians have. The idea that a single evangelistic sermon or a single spiritual conversation ought to suffice for conversion is not realistic (though possible). If you do encounter an individual who crosses the line of faith through a single encounter it is likely that his/her heart has already been prepared by the work of another (one sows and another reaps - John 4:37).
3. Be prayerful. Prayer is a confession of our dependence upon God. We acknowledge God's sovereign grace and we affirm that we alone are incapable of saving souls. What then should we pray? That the Holy Spirit will open the hearts of those who don't know Christ and that the power and the authority of the Holy Spirit rest upon us as we live and proclaim our faith in the world.

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Relating to the Muslim faith? Biblically?

I commend you for wanting to relate to our Muslim friends. They need to hear about Christ just as all people do; for there is no other name under heaven by which we may be saved than the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). You may be surprised to find that you have more in common with a typical Muslim than you might with your own post modern culture. Muslims will not debate the existence of God with you. They believe God intervenes in the affairs of men through his prophets. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus, and others, are believed to be Prophets sent by God. Mohammed, they believe is the final Prophet and his revelation supersedes the others.

So there is a good bridge to sharing Christ with Muslims. They believe he was a Prophet, born of a virgin, and that he performed miracles because the Quran teaches this. While the Epistles may not be of immediate interest to a Muslim; stories of the Prophet Jesus' words and powerful deeds from the gospels may be a good point of discussion.

There are a few stumbling blocks when sharing Christ with Muslims as well.

The authenticity of the Bible. Muslims believe that the Old Testament (the Torah) and the New Testament (the Injeel) were the Word of God but have been corrupted over time. One way to respond to this is to test the logic of God allowing his word to be corrupted. If the Bible is the Word of God and God allowed it to be corrupted then how can you be sure that the Quran is not corrupted?

Since the Quran confirms that the Bible is the Word of God. It might be useful to share some thoughts the Bible has about itself.

Matthew 5:18

(Christ speaking) "...until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."

Matthew 24:35

(Christ speaking) "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Word will not pass away."

Isaiah 40:8

"but the Word of the Lord abides forever."

2 Peter 1 :21

"...for no prophecy was ever make by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God"

The Son of God. This is an offensive proposition to Muslims. However, some of the problem is because the idea of a son automatically carries a sexual connotation to a Muslim that need not be conveyed. You can convey that Jesus is the Son of God in that he came from God. In Arabic, the phrase 'Son of' might be used to express where someone is from. As someone from Detroit might be called a Son of Detroit, Jesus is the Son of God. In the same way Christ is the Son of God in that he came from the Spirit of God.

Death on the Cross. Muslims, possibly out of respect for Jesus, find it hard to believe that God would allow his Prophet to be killed in such a way. Instead, they assert that God switched Jesus with another man (possibly Judas) while on the cross. However, the issue comes down to the holiness of God. A Muslim would agree that God is perfectly holy and perfectly just, not just very holy or very just. Being perfect, God could not allow sin in his presence. Since all men sin, God could not allow any men in his presence - "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. " Rom 3:23. If God is perfectly just than he cannot just weigh the good things you do against the bad things you do. No court would be just if they forgive a murder because the murderer did not murder on other occasions. Unable to pay the price for our own sins ("payoff of sin is death" — Rom 6:23), God instead pays the price for us. He promised to deliver us in the Old Testament and it would not be in the character of God to promise to redeem us and not follow through with his promise. His perfect justice is only matched by his perfect love.

Most of all, it is important to remember that it is not an argument that you are trying to win. A Muslim will be more impressed by your willingness to discuss these matters in a Spirit of love, genuine concern, and gentleness than your ability to lay out a good argument. "...but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence." 1 Peter 3:15
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