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First, how would I know a person is unsaved?
Option 1: Assuming "unsaved" is a reference to a non-believer, I'm inclined to tell them to give God a try. "Pray with me know humbly asking God to show you he exists and faith in Him matters. Then, every day for the next 40 days, pray every morning asking God for His guidance and every evening thanking Him for what He's done - even if what He's done is unknown or unrecognized. If you like, I will meet with you every morning and evening to pray with you."
Most will not take us up on the offer. God has either not yet prepared them or they're not called, chosen, drawn (hauled), given, and elected.
Option 2: Assuming the question was initiated by the other person, I'm inclined to ask why the question is relevant or otherwise important to them. Luke 6:45 tells us that it is out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, so there is a reason the question is asked. Any answer that does not get to the impetus for the question will likely result in two people talking past one another. Prayerfully listening to God while asking the unsaved to tell you more is the most likely way of hearing from God the "heart issue" keeping them from God.
Remember: the gospel is supposed to bear fruit. Evangelism is supposed to bear fruit. Sometimes the fruit born is judgment, the just recompense for sin. The unsaved does not want to hear that, that information would be heart-hardening, and you will not be praying any "sinner's prayer" with that person. That does not change the fact that when they stand before God in the end they have heard the gospel and cannot deny having done so. Every person with which we share may be a person whose defense we've just removed. Of course, ignorance is no defense, but be sober minded about preaching. You may be witnessing their sentencing. Everyone loves John 3:16-17 but few pay attention to what follows.
John 3:18 NIV
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
No one is born believing.
They do not know therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and, apart from Christ, they won't believe you if you told them a dozen times.
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