Engaging an Almost Christian

Kyle Austin • December 10, 2025

The importance of never assuming.

You can never assume anyone is saved! This may be one of our biggest problems in reaching Almost Christians. We assume they are good because they look and talk the part or because they say they are Christian. We have to stop assuming and do our part in discovering. It is our job to be sure. God says in 1 John 5:13, that a person can know 100% for sure that they are saved. Since that is the case, we have to make 100% sure people are saved. We can assume people right to Hell. We have to be sure. If someone says they are a Christian, they should have no problem telling us about how they became a Christian. We should have no problem asking them about how they came to know Jesus. For a true believer, this should never be a hard or awkward conversation. If it is, that is a big clue that they are an Almost Christian.

The importance of digging deeper to discover.

Discover their true testimony.

Our role as an evangelist is to diagnose where they truly are so we know where to go. Ask open-ended questions to discover what the person believes.

Questions to avoid asking:
Are you saved?
Are you going to Heaven when you die?
Are you a Christian?
Almost Christians will typically answer yes to these questions very quickly. This will stop the conversation and make it hard to go further.

Questions to ask:
Share with me your testimony. Who you were before you came to Jesus, how you came to know Jesus, and what He has done in your life since?
Tell me about the time when you got saved?
Share with me when you called on Jesus Christ to save you?
If you died today, where will you go?

Listen well to word choices to clue you in.

Listen to their responses well so you know where you need to go. Here are some responses that detect an Almost Christian:

Conversations about God, church, and faith are natural, but conversations about Jesus, salvation, and the gospel are awkward.
They talk all about God but little to nothing about Jesus.
They have always been a Christian. They have been a Christian for as long as they can remember.
They refer back to going to church, church membership, or baptism constantly.
They talk all about what they have done.
They talk about how they are a pretty good person or are not a bad person.
They refer back to their family, heritage, or upbringing as the bases for being a Christian.
They are never able to pinpoint a time or decision.

Ask probing discovery questions.

Take the question a step further. This step may be the most important part of witnessing to an Almost Christian. This step is what will help reveal whether they are a true Christian or an Almost Christian. This step is the difference between Heaven and Hell, between truly having a relationship with Jesus and just knowing of Him. Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and dig deeper to reveal the truth.

Whatever they respond with, you follow with:

What do you base that on?
How do you know that?
What makes you a Christian?
What gets a person to Heaven?
How does a person believe in Jesus?
What do you mean by that?

The importance of being patient.

For most people, coming to a true understanding of the Gospel may be a huge change in their belief system. It can be hard to change a belief, especially if it has been held for a long time and comes from people we love or trust. It can take people time to make this change. They may need time to internalize that what they have been taught or understood is not correct or fully true. There can be many layers of false beliefs that must be peeled back and removed. There can be the issue of what they believed came from people they trust and love, but it now means those people are wrong. It may take time to process and accept this before they are ready to believe in Jesus. For some, this can happen through one conversation, but for others, it may take multiple conversations and a longer period of time.

The importance of pinpointing a decision.

We need to help them understand what it means to be a Christian. There should be a time in their life that they can go back to. They might not remember an exact day or date that it occurred, but they can trace it back to a specific time in their life when they called on or believed in Jesus to be their Savior. If they cannot pinpoint a time, this may be revealing that there has never been one. Faith is a verb and is “venturing trust” in Jesus. As such, there should be a specific time when a person makes the decision to call on Jesus. If there has been one, then we can help them with assurance of their salvation and understanding what it means. We can help them understand how to communicate it clearly. If there has not been a time for them, we need to help them see their need for Jesus and how to call on Him.

The importance of getting them lost.

This is very important to get them further. Since they think they are good because they feel they are already a Christian, it is important to help them see that they are not. This will reveal their need to make a decision for Jesus. We will need to help them understand whatever it is they are identifying with that makes them a Christian is not truly sufficient. In this area, deal with people in love and compassion.

Get them lost to reveal their real need for Jesus Christ.

Use the law.
Help them see that being good enough is not enough. We are all guilty of breaking God’s Law. Help them to see why Jesus had to come and how we can receive the gift He offers to us.

Use the gift of eternal life.
Help them understand what the gift is all about and that it must be received. Share with them how a gift is freely given and the fact that it can’t be earned or bought, it can only be received.

Use the thief on the cross from Luke 23:32-43.
He is a powerful illustration that helps them to see that there is nothing else associated with being a Christian other than calling on Jesus Christ.

The importance of leading them to a point of decision for Jesus.

Often people will come to the realization that they have not taken the biblical step of calling on Jesus to save them. When they are ready, lead them to a point of decision to call on Jesus as their Savior. Help them to understand what they have done and that by calling or venturing trust in Jesus that is why they are saved.

Engage in confidence!

Almost Christianity is a prevalent version of Christianity and is extremely dangerous. The most important thing to remember is to never assume anyone is saved. It is our responsibility to get a clear testimony of when they called on Jesus.

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