Evangelism using the Bridge Illustration
This article is about the bridge illustration, which can be shown to people interested in hearing the Good News, or the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Normally the 4 pictures are shown in a very simple stick man style. These 4 pictures tell the essence of the Good News & can literally be drawn on a napkin.
I have drawn more elaborate versions, but the message is the same: God loves all mankind; Sin separates us all from Him; Jesus came to earth to die in our place & that act opens the way for us to cross over from sin to eternal life; now we just have to believe & we will be saved.
1) God’s Love:
‘So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.’
Genesis 1:27 (ANIV)
‘I [Jesus Christ] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ‘
John 10:10b (ANIV)
2) Man’s Problem:
‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’
Romans 3:23 (ANIV)
‘For the wages of sin is death’
Romans 6:23 (ANIV)
‘Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment’
Hebrews 9:27 (ANIV)
3) God’s Remedy:
‘For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.’
1 Peter 3:18 (ANIV)
‘But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’
Romans 5:8 (ANIV)
4) Man’s Response:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:16-17 (ANIV)
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”
John 5:24 (ANIV)
Links to other articles:
Click here to see this scene in Gospel Illustrations, with notes & purchase options.
So what does all this mean?
Illustration 1 shows the world as God originally created it, with man & woman in close relationship both with each other, & with God Himself. We were given freedom of choice, so that we were truly free to love God, or not. Only in this way could we (& God!) be sure that our decision to love God, or to love at all, was truly our own.
Free will, or choice is the greatest gift God has ever given us.
Illustration 2 shows the effect of Adam & Eve’s wrong choice. In choosing to disobey God & eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. they sinned: sin entered the world. The effect of that was cut man & woman off spiritually from God. Hence I have drawn the deep lava-filled chasm, with the word “Sin” in it. The chasm is so wide that mankind can never get across to the other side, where God is.
Illustration 3 shows the cross of Jesus, providing a bridge across the lava/sin chasm, & you can see the man & woman climbing across. This is a literal picture of what Jesus life, death & resurrection achieved for us: a bridge that spans the sin of our world; the sin which separates us from God.
No amount of working, or striving, of trying to be good, can bridge the gulf between us (fallen mankind) & God. We simply can not cross from our side of the chasm to God’s side.
The Good News is that Jesus Christ took all of our sin upon himself, as he hung on the cross. By accepting Jesus Christ as your personal saviour, you are effectively nailing your own sin to Christ’s cross. And His righteousness (or right standing before God) is transferred to you. When you accept Jesus as your personal saviour, you too are able to cross the sin chasm & gain access to God once more. You become like Adam & Eve before the fall.
Illustration 4 shows the 2 people having cross the bridge of Jesus wooden cross, & they are re-united with God the Father. Jesus himself said, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24 (ANIV) it is that simple: all we have to do to cross the sin chasm is to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord & Saviour. How do I know that this is true?… because it says so in the Bible:
‘That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” ‘Romans 10:9-11 (ANIV)
If you want to read more about this subject, just click on “Statement of Beliefs” under the “Information” button above, where The Roman Road (another illustration of the Gospel) is explained.
Links to other articles:
Click here to see this scene in Gospel Illustrations, with notes & purchase options.
