Salting the Oats

You are witnessing to a guy who has a million and one reasons why he doesn't believe the Bible. He thinks there is a God, but that Jesus isn't the only way to Heaven. He thinks Christians are narrow minded and arrogant. He tells you he loves God, prays everyday, and doesn't need Jesus or the Bible to have a relationship with God. What do you do? You've shown him scientific and historical evidence to show him how accurate the Bible is. You show evidence for the resurrection and the deity of Christ. You tell him about the manuscript evidence, proving the authenticity and accuracy of the Bible. Still, he doesn't believe the Bible is God's Word, nor that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. You're stuck. Ever been there with this guy? Many of us have. So what do you do?? Is there anything else you can do?

Come to the old west with me for a moment and meet a stubborn horse named Buck. You know that Buck is dehydrated. He is in desperate need of water. Buck is about to be led across the desert and it's 120 degrees in the shade. Your job is to get Buck to drink, and drink deep. The problem is that Buck isn't interested in the water. He's not budging. You've brought him to the water, but can't make him drink. You try talking but he doesn't understand your language. You show him pictures of horse anatomy, proving that his body requires water and then lift the water to his mouth. Buck's lips are locked shut. You try to pour it down his nostrils--anything to make him drink. Buck isn't happy with you at all. Now you've annoyed him and he even tries to take a bite out of your finger. What do you do? Here's an old cowboy trick to persuade a horse to drink. You may not be able to make a horse drink, but you can salt his oats.

You notice Buck is hungry for food. You bring him a bucket of oats and pour salt on them. As Buck eats, his mouth begins to go dry. He is now thirsting. You give him 10 whole buckets of oats and now he is desperate for water. You grab his reins and take him to the edge of the desert and show him how far he will have to ride without water. Buck's eyes widen, the long bridge of his nose channels the sweat steaming from his forehead. Suddenly, Buck breaks loose from you, runs to the water, and drinks deeply. You didn't make Buck drink. You can't make Buck drink. You simply made him thirst, and his own good senses drove him to that which would save his life.

Back to your unsaved friend. You may not be able to make him believe in Jesus, but you can make him thirst for a Savior. Remember what Jesus said? "Blessed are they which hunger and thirst for righteousness." (Matt. 5:6) Is you unsaved friend currently thirsting for righteousness? Of course not, the only think he thirsts for is his own pleasure and comfort. So how do you make him thirst for the Savior? Salt his oats. Give him the Ten Commandments (God's standard of righteousness) and watch his mouth go dry. He will begin to thirst. Give him all Ten Commandments of God's Law and let him feel the desperation of being caught dead with the mercy of God on Judgment Day. Now take him to the edge of the desert. Remind him that he will die one day and stand before a God of Justice and Holiness. He doesn't believe you? That doesn't matter. Tell him anyway, because he will face God whether he believes in Him or not. Trust the salt. He can't get away from his thirst. If you can't see the sweat on his face, know that God is working through his conscience. He now knows he has to make a decision. He can either remain stubborn and ignore his conscience, rejecting the Bible's warning of God's Day of Judgment and His offer of forgiveness through faith in Christ, or he can let down his pride, listen to his good senses, and drink deeply of the waters of forgiveness and eternal life. The choice is still his, but now you've upped the stakes. You didn't make him drink; you simply used the God-given Moral Law to cause him to thirst for righteousness which makes a man desperate for a Savior.

In essence, you've given him no choice. Now that he knows he's broken God's Laws (which are written on his heart--Rom. 2:15), his good senses should tell him that he has made himself an enemy of God, and is in desperate need of His forgiveness. What can he do? Where else can he go but to the love and mercy of God? Deep down, he knows his good works won't erase his crimes--God won't be bribed by good deeds any more than a good human judge. He knows he's guilty. His new age philosophy might have given him some good Zen in this life, but now he can see that they won't help him on Judgment Day when all his sin comes out as evidence of his guilt. The Bible says he has only one hope. "There is one God and one mediator between God and man--the man Christ Jesus." (1 Tim. 2:5) Only Jesus Christ can help him. Why? Because God, the offended party, in his great love for us, became a man and paid the price for us sinners. Buddha didn't. Joseph Smith didn't. Neither did Mary Baker Eddie, the Pope, or anyone else. God isn't unclear about this. "Neither is their salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) "He that believes in the Son has everlasting life. But he that does not believe in the Son does not have life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:38)

So if you love your stubborn friend, don't give up on him. His problem isn't a lack of evidence to prove the Bible; it's that he's not thirsty enough. Get a firm hold of the Ten Commandments and learn (through The Way of the Master Basic Training Course or the Basic Kit) how to make him thirsty for the Savior.

"People will never set their faces decidedly towards heaven, and live like pilgrims, until they really feel that they are in danger of hell . . . Let us expound and beat out the Ten Commandments, and show the length, and breadth, and depth, and height of their requirements. This is the way of our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount [Matthew 5:30]. We cannot do better than follow His plan. We may depend on it: men will never come to Jesus, and stay with Jesus, and live for Jesus, unless they really know why they are to come, and what is their need. Those whom the Spirit draws to Jesus are those whom the Spirit has convinced of sin." J. C. Ryle, Holiness