Evangelism 101

Have you ever tried to witness to your friend about Christ, and in doing so, they respond, "well I'm really not such a bad person"? Yes, it is very difficult to convince a good, morally upstanding person of their need for Christ and his salvation. But today's reading in John 16 will help. The next time you share Christ with someone and point out that we are all sinners (Rom.3:23), and they respond by saying, "I'm not that bad...I don't smoke or drink or kill or steal...etc.", point them to John 16:7-11. Jesus told the disciples, and us, that it was to our advantage that He return back to Heaven. Why? So that the Holy Spirit would come. And when He comes, He will convict. That word can also be translated 'convince'. You see, it's not up to you and me to convince someone of their need of salvation. It's up to the Holy Spirit.
So, here's what you do. Point out John 16:8-9 to your friend. Point out to your friend that the Holy Spirit will convict them of their sin, and notice it is 'sin' singular, not plural. And what is this singular sin? V.9 tells you: That they do not BELIEVE in Jesus Christ. The one sin that keeps a man out of heaven is unbelief. The Holy Spirit doesn't convict people of smoking, drinking, swearing, partying etc. The first and foremost sin that the Holy Spirit convicts of is unbelief in Jesus who died for our sins. 'Sins' plural are symptoms of 'sin' singular = unbelief. And of course unbelief in Jesus proves their unbelief that they are sinners by nature.
And of course you can follow up with John 3:16-18. We often quote John 3:16, but we don't go far enough. John 3:18 says, "He who believes in Him (Jesus) is not condemned, but he who DOES NOT BELIEVE is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Our job is to share this great and profound truth. And it's the Holy Spirit's job to convince them of it. May God use you as His mouth piece today.