Bob, questions, answers, and salvation

Wednesday night, Bob came to the last night of our meetings by himself. I was surprised to see him. Afterwards, he stayed to talk with me. He wanted to talk about business - he requested my help in making a sale to a foreigner - and then transitioned to talking about the sermon that he heard on Monday.

He claimed that he had many questions about the sermon and about the Bible that he wanted answered. I let him talk for about 15 or 20 minutes. I think he is under conviction and claiming that he does not have anyone to answer his questions (he says my language skills are too poor) gives him an excuse for not believing. I listened to him patiently. When I break came, I replied that I did not think that the reason for his disbelief was a lack of knowledge. I told him directly that he simply refuses to submit himself to God. He then went on to say that his pride and self-confidence is very important. He said that it would be very sinful for him to say that he believed, to be baptized, and then to return to his old, sinful ways. I agreed with him and told him that what he needs is repentance. To not only regret his sin but to turn from it. Then his objection was that he fears that true belief would change his life. I told him the answer was simple, "Trust the Lord."

Keep praying for Bob. He is obviously under a considerable amount of conviction from the Holy Spirit. I believe that is why he talks about having questions. It is his way of hiding from the truth. The truth is that he knows about the true God and is rejecting His authority because he does not want to repent. His problem is partly pride and partly fear; but his pride and fear will lead him straight to hell. On one hand, I find his objections to be almost laughable because I know how faithful God is. On the other hand I pity him because he is storing up God's wrath for himself. If he does not repent, one day he will receive the just penalty for his sin. It is a scary thought.