I used to live in a community where there were a lot of scientists. It seemed like almost everyone had a Ph.D. I would often ask people about their work but when they tried to explain it one of two things usually happened. Either they would lose me in a long monologue filled with technical jargon and confusing detail or else they would give a one-word answer as if to say, ‘You’re not going to understand this and I’m tired of trying to explain myself to people.’

I fear that the same thing happens when we have opportunities to share our faith. We either over-complicate the message or give up because we don’t feel qualified to explain it. How unfortunate it would be for the people you care about not to ever hear the good news of salvation because you were never able to explain it simply. With a little preparation, I’m convinced that anyone can share the good news. Specifically, I think there are eleven verses that every Christian should learn to share their faith.

To communicate the gospel, we need to tell people about four things: God, sin, salvation, and faith. Like my scientist friends, there may be a thousand and one other things you want to mention, but less is more. The details can come in other conversations.

1. God

We want people to know that there’s a good, loving God who wants a relationship with them. The Bible is filled with verses that speak of His great love and, in a sense, any of them will do. The following verse stresses God’s faithfulness and love without also introducing how He forgives sin. That can be helpful because many people assume God’s forgiveness and so it can help to save talking about that until after we’ve described the basis of God’s forgiveness in the third point, below.

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations

2. Sin

It’s important that people see sin as humanity’s fundamental problem. There is sometimes a limited view of sin. We can see other people’s sins more clearly than our own. Where there is an admission of sin, it needs to be accompanied by an understanding of its consequences, bringing death and separation from God. The following verses can help in clarifying these truths.

Romans 3:23 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Romans 6:23 the wages of sin is death

Isaiah 59:2 your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear

3. Salvation

As we describe God’s solution for sin, it’s important that we stress the sense in which Jesus died for us and in our place, innocent and yet taking the punishment of a condemned sinner. Either of the following verses explain just that.

Romans 5:8 God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 Peter 3:18 Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God

4. Faith

Most people assume that Christianity gives a list of rules for people to keep in order to earn salvation. It’s crucial to explain that God forgives us on the basis of faith in Jesus alone, but biblical faith involves turning from sin and trusting Jesus as Saviour and the new Lord of your life. The following verses help in doing that.

Romans 10:9-10 if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

By learning the ten verses that I’ve listed above, you put yourself in a position to let God’s Word speak for itself in the four most important areas of the gospel. In some conversations, you may only be able to speak about faith, or deal with sin or salvation, but having the verses ready equips you to be clear and concise.

While a conversation covering some or all of these ten verses is ideal, sometimes there’s not time for that. On those occasions where I’ve had to be simpler and more brief, I’ve explained God-Sin-Salvation-Faith with a single verse. And if you’ve never memorized a verse from the Bible, I’d urge you to start with this one. It’s one of the best one-line summaries of the gospel that there is.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Commit these verses to memory and ask God for opportunities to share them. God’s Word is powerful and the Scriptures help people to distinguish between your opinions and what God has actually said.

In awe of Him,

Paul

P.S. For some examples of simple gospel presentations, check out the following links:

• Bridge to Life

• Knowing God Personally

• The Romans Road