I told her the Gospel offers not just the possibility of eternal life in the future, but the certainty of eternal life now. Her response was that we have to follow the Bible's teachings to have eternal life. So I asked her had she always followed the Bible's teachings? She told me she tried to. I then asked if she had always tried to, and she got a bit squirmy at that, and said that God knows that we aren't perfect, but as long as we do try.
I pointed out to her that God does indeed know we aren't perfect, and what's more, He knows full well that we haven't always tried to be either. She seemed shocked by the implications of what I was saying, and she asked was I saying that all the good people in the world have no hope of being accepted by God then. I told her that according to the Bible there are no good people - we are all sinners. "Then no one has any hope", she said. "Exactly", I replied, "which is why I am not depending one bit on how good I am or on how hard I try. If that is what I were to present to God then I would be rejected. I am depending on the Lord Jesus Christ who took the punishment for my sins at Calvary."
She said that she certainly believed the sacrifice was Christ was essential, but we still had to live a good life and do good works. I recommended she read the book of Galatians, because it was precisely this error that Paul was refuting. If our acceptance before God depends either in whole or in part upon our performance then our performance has to be perfect because a perfect God can accept nothing less:
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them."
The sacrifice of Christ is not only essential for salvation but it is enough for salvation. At this point she asked if I see good works as unimportant then. I told her that no amount of good works atone for the bad, the Bible says
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
But it goes on to say:
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
I told her that when a sinner trusts Christ to save him, he is born again, he receives new life then and there, and just as breathing and feeding come naturally to a new born baby, so desiring the things God desires and loving the things God loves comes naturally to the person who has been born again.
This is what the Biblical Gospel offers. No religion, cult or sect can match it never mind better it. It is great to be saved.
