Recently a couple of organizational leaders introduced me to Soularium cards. In a planetarium, we would see pictures of the planets; with Soularium cards, however, we use pictures to view into someone’s soul.  From using these cards recently, I’ve noticed that they are an excellent conversation starter for evangelism.  Clearly, if we as Christians are to fulfill the Great Commission given by Jesus Christ, then we must share the gospel with people.  Yet, finding ways to start a conversation with a stranger is often difficult, or at least awkward because we might feel (and look!) like a desperate used-car salesman.  This method, however, allows the other person to do most of the talking; then, once they’re finished answering the questions, I have found they tend to listen to me because I spent time listening to them.   In this YouTube video, notice the ease with which these guys start a conversation with a complete stranger.  My hope in sharing this video is to encourage you to use these cards to start evangelistic conversations.

Have you ever wondered why we can never just be good?  When we drive somewhere, we always speed, even just a little (yeah, we all do it).  When someone of authority tells us to do something, we don’t always want to do it, or we secretly grumble in our hearts.  The writers of the Bible have an answer as to why we can never just be good on our own.  In Genesis 3, Moses writes about an event called The Fall.  In this short article I want to describe The Fall and one of its effects.

What is the Fall?

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve decided to disobey God and thus fall from their originally good position.  In Genesis 1-2, God created Adam and Eve good.  Often when we call something “good,” we mean something is “tasty, pleasing,” and so forth.  When God, however, calls something “good,” then something reflects the goodness in His perfect character.  Yet, when tempted by the devil, Adam and Eve fell from their “good” status before God.  This event is what theologians have termed “The Fall.”  This Fall is why we never just be good.  The Fall is the root reason why we speed every time we drive.  The Fall is the reason why we don’t like other people telling us what to do.  The Fall is the reason for broken relationships.  The Fall is the reason for a self-love, cheating, stealing, and so forth.  The Fall is something with which we should be well acquainted because it effects affect us daily.

An Effect of the Fall: Unable and Unwilling to Be Obedient to Christ

A major effect of the Fall is that mankind is now unable and unwilling to be obedient to God who is most clearly revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ.  First, let’s consider our inability.  God is a perfectly righteous God.  That means that his every thought, desire, action, etc., is entirely perfect.  We, however, are entirely unrighteous.  Our thoughts are unrighteous; our desires are unrighteous; our actions are unrighteous.  Our unrighteousness is the problem.  Recently I attended a camp with my youth group in which the first day was focused on the word “stained.”  Their point was that sin has stained us to the point that we are entirely unable to clean it.  That’s precisely our predicament.  We are stained with unrighteousness in the sight of God.  For someone to be obedient to God in Christ they must be righteous—one flows from the other.  Yet, we are entirely unable to attain this righteousness.  Let’s consider our own lives.  Think of all the times just today that we have messed up—getting ready in the morning, driving to work, and so forth.  We can do nothing perfectly as God requires (Matt 5:48).

Second, let’s consider our unwillingness.  Frankly, we don’t want to be obedient to Christ.  We simply want to live our lives how we want with no one else telling us what to do.  Nickelback wrote a song with lyrics that echo our desires. Notice how he wants to avoid restrictions on his life (in the underlined lines):

I’m through with standing in line

To clubs we’ll never get in

It’s like the bottom of the ninth

And I’m never gonna win

This life hasn’t turned out

Quite the way I want it to be

I want a brand new house

On an episode of Cribs

And a bathroom I can play baseball in

And a king size tub big enough

For ten plus me

Nickelback is clear—he wants what he wants with no one else telling him what to do.  Because of the Fall, now all of us have this same attitude towards God.  We want to do what we want, no matter what God wants from us.

The Fall has left us in a terrible situation: we are both unable and unwilling to be obedient to God in Christ.  Certainly, we are not all as bad as we could be.  Nevertheless, we are still in a sad position.  While Christ offers us salvation from this sad predicament, for now let’s consider fully how bad we are apart from Christ.

In our day many religions and religious leaders claim that spiritual life can be found from many different places.  While many may claim to know the true source, it is still true that spiritual life can be found only in trusting in the person and work of Jesus Christ.  The Apostle John wrote in 1 John 1:1-4:

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life–and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us–what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.  These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

In these verses John reveals in whom spiritual life is found: Jesus Christ.  In no other person may life be found.  Perhaps all reading this blog agree with this truth claim – why should we need a reminder?

The fact is that while we may claim to believe this fact, perhaps most us deny it by our lifestyles.  That is, we never share the gospel with unbelievers, never serve the poor, never take time to fellowship with other believers, and never spend time examining on our souls to determine whether or not we actually have spiritual life within ourselves.  If Jesus is the only way, our lives ought to reveal the significance of this truth claim.  Perhaps those reading this article could leave comments suggesting how we can change our lifestyles if we have fallen into denying this truth by our lives.  I know that the more I study about Jesus being the only source from which we can have spiritual life, the more I am personally convicted of my neglect to live like this fact is true.