STEP SIX – Obejections
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How do you know there is a God?
How can you believe in “miracles” in a world in which science has explained everything?
How can you believe in a “good” God when there is so much evil and suffering in the world?
What about people who never hear about Jesus? Will God judge them?
Why should I accept what the Bible has to say?
What about other religions?
When we share the gospel, we will frequently encounter objections that will challenge the validity of our message. Some people will raise these objections in sincerity and they are honestly grappling with the implications of the gospel message. Others will raise questions as a smoke-screen to divert the conversation.
We must attempt to address the issues underlying the questions. We must not only consider what they ask, but also why they ask it.
Always remember that God can and will use you no matter what you know. This is not an excuse for not learning how to share your faith, but we should always keep that in mind. Saying, “This is a great question, and I have not thought about it. Can I come back to you on this?” is not a wrong answer. Most people will accept your sincerity.
We do not necessarily have to know all the answers to the big questions before we attempt to share the gospel, but we can learn to answer objections effectively. Remember that you don’t argue someone into heaven. Our goal is to lead them to Christ and they must make a decision.
How do we respond to an objection?
If you know the answer to the question, you normally feel obliged to launch into an elaborate explanation, but this approach immediately puts you on the defensive. It also does not answer the underlying issue of the original question. The best way to approach a question is by responding to it with a good question.
“How can you be so narrow-minded to insist that Jesus is the only way to God? After all, there are many other religions whose followers seem just as sincere as Christians.”
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Here are some sample questions you might ask.
- “Tell me, what you do make of all the different religions?”
Let them respond. They may say that they believe that all religions are valid. Then you might ask,
- “You seem to be saying that all religions are true at the same time. How is that possible in light of the fact that these religions make contradictory claims? Islam, for example claims there is one God while Hindus maintain there are many gods.”
Let them respond. You might also ask,
- “Does the fact that there are many points of view mean that all of them must be right?”
Or, taking a different starting point you might ask,
- “Does the fact that something is narrow make it wrong?”
The reason you ask them questions, is so that they will be challenged to think and process along the way. It leads to discussion. It involves the other person in the discussion. And it helps us to get to the underlying issue (intellectual or emotional) that keeps them from coming to faith in Christ.
Objections
#1: “If you can’t see God, how can you believe in Him?”
Response:
“Have you ever seen gravity? How do you know it exists?” Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. In fact, there is no evidence to prove that there is no God—it is an argument from silence. We can however give some logical proof of His existence. “Would you be interested to know?”
Creation – every time you see a piece of machinery, you see an engine, a motorcycle, a car, even a bicycle, you know it has a creator.
Art – every time you see a piece of art, you know it has an artist.
Design – every time you see a wrist watch, you know it has a designer.
Order—every time you see order, like ten coke cans lined up on a counter, you know it has an “order-er.”
When we look around at the universe, what do we see? We see creation, art, design, and order. If everything else has a creator, artist, designer, and order-er behind it, isn’t it reasonable to expect that behind this incredibly intricate, complicated, and marvellous universe there is also a Creator, Artist, Designer, and Order-er behind it?
#2: “Christians are hypocrites.”
Response:
“Do you think Jesus was a hypocrite?” If so, please tell me why you say so? Jesus Himself challenged others to prove that he’s ever sinned. There always have been and will always be some hypocrites in the Church. Christians can represent Jesus poorly, but Jesus is not asking you to follow others. He asks you to follow Him.
#3: “How do you know the Bible is true?”
Response:
“If you knew the Bible was true, would you believe and follow it?” If man wrote it, surely we would find at least one historical mistake in the Bible. How do you explain it that there is not even one historical mistake?”
Out of all the 25,000 archaeological finds relating to the people, places, and events in the Bible, how many do you suppose have been found that disprove a detail of the biblical record? You’d expect that some would disprove something, right? How many have? None! In fact, every discovery just continues to prove the Bible is true.
Out of all the religious and spiritual guidebooks of history, the Bible stands out all by itself in this area. There is no other book like it in the history of mankind!
If there were a book that contained prophecies that did not come true, what would you say about the book and its author? They would be false, right? And what would be the value of such a book? Worthless—throw it in the trash.
From the Old Testament alone some 2,000 specific prophecies have been fulfilled already. And of the 333 prophecies specifically predicting the Messiah, all of those concerning his first coming have been fulfilled, and those remaining have to do with His second coming.
Fulfilled prophecy is not only proof for the veracity of the Bible, it is also proof for the existence of God. The only reasonable explanation is that the Bible is a supernatural book written under the supernatural direction of God Himself.
#4: How can Jesus be the only way to God?
Response:
“If Jesus is not the only way to God, what did other religions do to get rid of the sin problem?” No man can pay for his own sins, except being punished for it. Only Jesus can forgive our sins, because He paid the penalty for our sins. None of the other major religions of the world can contend that their founder or leader paid for their sins.
Jesus also claimed to be God. No other religious leader has ever done so. His claims are either true or false. How do we know then that his claims are true? He predicted His own death and that He will rise from the third day.
The resurrection is one of the best attested facts of ancient history. Any reasonable and honest person who cares to investigate it will come to the same conclusion, that Jesus Christ did indeed rise from the grave. This is proof of His claims for divinity.
#5: How can there be a God with so much evil out there?
Response:
“Where do you think evil comes from?”, “Do you think God is powerful enough to stop evil?”, “Do you think God is good?”,
Origin of evil—man’s choice-God created a perfect world . . .
Nature of God—He forgives, I John 1:9—He uses tragedy to bring us to Himself, C.S. Lewis, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to arouse a deaf world.”
End of it all—Bible teaches that God will one day put an end to all evil, and pain and death. “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
As Christians we have this hope of Heaven and eternity. Share how it has made a tremendous difference in your life and that you know for sure that when you die you are going to spend eternity in Heaven. Ask the person, “May I ask you a question? Do you have this hope? Do you know for certain that when you die you are going to Heaven, or is that something you would say you’re still working on?”
#6: How could a loving God send people to Hell?
Response:
“Do you think it is unloving for a Judge to send murderers to jail?”, “Do you know what God did for you to avoid going to Hell?”
Origin of hell—never intended for people. Created for Satan and his demons. Jesus said, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25:41). Man chooses to sin and ignore God. The penalty is death (eternal separation from God) and, yes, Hell. But God doesn’t send anyone to Hell, we choose it by refusing or ignoring God in attitude and action.
Nature of God—“God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). He is so loving that He sent His own Son to die and pay the penalty for our sin so that we could avoid Hell and have the assurance of Heaven. No one in Hell will be able to blame God. He doesn’t send people there, it’s our own choice. We must choose to repent, to stop ignoring God in attitude and action, accepting His salvation and yielding to His leadership.
End of it all—Bible teaches that God will one day put an end to all evil, pain, and death. “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
As Christian , we need not worry about Hell. The Bible says, “these things have been written . . . so that you may know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). I have complete confidence that when I die, I’m going to Heaven. May I ask you a question?
#7: What about those who have never heard of Jesus?
Response:
“Will people go to Hell because they never heard of Jesus, or will they go to Hell because they sinned?” Hell is not the penalty for ignorance, but for sin. God will not send anyone to Hell for their ignorance. It is sin that condemns us and sentences us to eternal separation from God.
The Bible actually says that no one is ignorant when it comes to God (Romans 1:19-21).
Everyone in the world has heard the voice of God through creation (Romans 1).
Every person has a conscience that will accuse or excuse him on the day when God judges the secrets of their hearts. Your conscience tells you what is right and what is wrong. (Romans 2).
No one can hide behind the claims of ignorance.
God uses the light of Creation and light of Conscience to get the attention of every person on the face of the earth. We are judged according to the way we respond to the light we have been given, not on the basis of something we have never heard.
Not everyone in the world has the light of Christ (heard about Jesus). The only way to receive grace and mercy instead of simply justice is to receive the light of Christ. This is where we as Christians come in. It’s our responsibility to share the light of Christ with others. We need to share the Gospel with those who have never heard or who have never really listened.
“If you’re truly concerned about the person in Africa who hasn’t heard, why don’t you just come to Christ and then go tell them about Him yourself?”
Ask anyone, anywhere in the world if they have ever done something they believed to be wrong. Know what they will say? “Ha, ha, ha, of course, everybody has.” We all know we have done things wrong. If all men condemn themselves, why should they be surprised if God also condemns them?
THE ULTIMATE ISSUE is not the hypocrites in the church? It’s not the heathen in Africa, or the problem of evil or of Hell. It’s not the reliability of the Bible. These are intellectual hang-ups that many people seem to have. We can help them with those things. But ultimately the issue is not merely intellectual. It doesn’t have to do with the head only. It has to do with the heart. That is where the Holy Spirit works to bring a person to repentance. The ultimate issue for every man and woman is a spiritual one, because what is demanded of us is a decision of the will, of the heart. We need to do what the Lord would have us do . . . then leave the results to Him.