I remember reading an article entitled “One Verse Evangelism.” The author suggested sticking to one verse, as reading many verses can be overwhelming and confusing.

I took a course on salvation from Dr. Charles Ryrie. At the start of one class, he said, “You’ve come to the scene of a car accident. You get out, and the bystanders tell you that a young man has less than a minute to live and is calling for a minister. Write down in twenty-five words or less what you would tell him he needs to do to be saved.”

As you might imagine, answers were all over the place.

The saving message boils down to three essential terms. I think these three terms are in every evangelistic passage in John or Acts and all statements of the saving message in the epistles.

Before you read further, please write down three words you consider essential in evangelism.

How do we decide what words are essential in evangelism?

Option 1. We put together our own evangelistic presentation. We combine Scriptures on topics we consider essential; then we pick three essential words from our presentation.

Option 2. We use a booklet or presentation that someone else developed. Then, we pick three keywords from it.

Very few people take the time to write their own gospel tract, though I recommend you do that. See here for a short YouTube video entitled “Write Your Own Evangelism Tract.” Most people use someone else’s tract. Then, if they wanted to find three keywords, they’d consult that tract.

May I suggest a Berean method (Acts 17:11)? I suggest you search the Scriptures and discover the saving message yourself. Then, pick three words from Scripture.

The three essential words are powerful. First, Jesus. There is no evangelistic presentation worth anything that leaves out Jesus. He is the Giver of salvation. Second, believe. Believe is the verb in evangelism. It is found 100 times in John’s Gospel, the only evangelistic book in the Bible. Third, life (or, salvation). Jesus promises life, that is, everlasting life, to the one who believes in Him.

I’d recommend any of the following verses that present these three words: John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; 11:25-27; 20:31; Acts 16:31; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8ⁱ.

Here is a three-word evangelistic presentation: Jesus saves believers.

Before I close, it is essential not to use words that distort the message. Don’t use words like repent, turn, commit, obey, or follow. And don’t use expressions like initial salvation, true faith, working faith, obedient faith, or genuine faith.

Keep grace in focus.
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ⁱ While Eph 2:8 does not specifically identify Jesus as the object of faith, verses 5-7 identify Him by name.