Wording of this Handout:
I have met many people who consider themselves to be "good" people. They tell me that they have never murdered anyone, or robbed a bank, or gone driving while drunk, or taken drugs. . . so why do Christians make such a big deal about sin?
To these people, if I have the chance, I lovingly, and patiently go through some of the Ten Commandments.
The first one is about putting God first. I ask the person if they have loved God will all their heart, mind, soul and strength, above all other people or things, and they usually say they haven't. I then move on to the next part of the first commandment and ask the person if they have loved their neighbor as much as they have loved themselves.
Gradually it dawns on the person that they have not obeyed God perfectly in any of His commandments.
Each commandment acts like a sharp knife, cutting away the nonsense around their heart. People eventually have to admit that they have not always honored their parents, or been honest or avoided being greedy, or not wanted things which others had . . . and then (hopefully) they see that they too are not good in their hearts.
The Law is like ten loaded cannons, all ready to fire. All Christians need to do is aim and fire to bring the sinner to a realization that they have no defense before God. When they fall, defeated before God, then bring to them the healing words of the gospel.
The Bible says "The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith". Galatians 3:24 (King James Version)