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Sixty-five common questions and
objections to the Christian Faith
(from, The Evidence Bible--Bridge-Logos
Publishers)
These are non-copyright.
- "Seeing is
believing. If I can't see it, I don't believe it exists."
- "I know that I am a
sinner, but I confess my sins to God each night. I tell Him that I am sorry
and that I won't sin again."
- "I have broken the
Ten Commandments, but I do good things for people."
- "I don't feel
guilty."
- "How do we present
the Gospel to those with whom we work?"
- "Christianity
oppresses women by making them submit to their husbands!"
- "Could you be wrong
in your claims about Judgment Day and the existence of Hell?"
- "How do you keep
the young earth theory consistent with astronomical data that says that
stars are millions of light years away, yet if they are that far away, how
do we see them? Shouldn't the light not yet have reached us?"
- "The fact that
there are so many versions proves that the Bible has mistakes. Which one is
right?"
- "The Bible has
changed down through the ages."
- "Didn't men write
the Bible?"
- "The church is
full of hypocrites."
- "How can people be
happy in Heaven, knowing that their unsaved loved ones are suffering in
Hell?"
- "God told Joshua
to kill every man, woman, and child. If that's your 'God of love,' I don't
want to have anything to do with Him!"
- "Do Christians
sin?"
- "Jesus died on the
Cross, therefore we are all forgiven every sin."
- "How can you know
that you are saved?"
- "Why are there so
many different religions?"
- "Are you saying
that Christians are better than non-Christians?"
- "I don't mind
going to Hell. All my friends will be there."
- "Why is there
suffering? That proves that there is no 'loving' God."
- "When Jesus was on
the Cross, He cried 'My God, why have you forsaken me?' This proves that He
was a fake. God forsook Him."
- "When you are
dead, you are dead."
- "Do you sin, as a
Christian?"
- "You are using
'scare tactics,' by talking about Hell and Judgment Day."
- "How do you
witness to an elderly person, or someone in whose home you are a
guest?"
- "Is 'Hell-fire'
preaching effective?"
- "God Sure Blew
it--Creation is a Mess!"
- "I used to be a
liar and a thief, but that was years ago. Now I try to be a good
person."
- "What about all
those people who have never heard the Gospel? Will they all go to Hell
because they haven't heard about Jesus Christ?"
- "I'm as good as
any Christian!"
- "How should I
witness to a Jew?"
- "How should I
witness to a homosexual?"
- "I've tried to
read the Bible, but I can't understand it."
- "Who made
God?"
- "Jesus didn't
condemn the woman who was caught in the act of adultery. He condemned those
who judged her by saying, 'Let him that is without sin cast the first
stone.' Therefore you shouldn't judge us."
- "Doesn't the fact
that the Bible says that 'God repented' show that He is capable of
sin?"
- "Is water baptism
essential to our salvation?"
- "Why is the God of
the Old Testament a God of wrath, while the God of the New Testament is a
God of mercy?"
- "I think you are
intolerant to say that Jesus is the only way to God!"
- "There is no
absolute truth. You cannot be sure of anything!"
- "The Bible says
'An eye for an eye.' It encourages us to take the law in our own hands by
revenging wrongdoing."
- "What do you do if
someone says that they have never lied, stolen, lusted, blasphemed-if they
completely deny having any sin at all?"
- "Judge not lest
you be judged. You, therefore have no right to judge me when it comes to my
sins!"
- "How do we reach
our neighbors with the Gospel?"
- "I hope I'm a
Christian."
- "Doesn't the 'Big
Bang' theory disprove Genesis?"
- "Is it possible
that Jesus fainted while He was on the Cross, and revived when He was in the
tomb?"
- "Where did Cain
get his wife?"
- "God made me like
this. Sin is His fault!"
- "I find it
difficult to have faith in God."
- "Religion has
caused more wars than anything else in history."
- "You shouldn't
talk about sin because Jesus didn't condemn anybody. He was always loving
and kind."
- "Where Do All The
Races Come From?"
- "My God would
never create Hell."
- "What about other
religions?"
- "I was once a
'born-again' Christian. Now I believe it's all rubbish!"
- "You are trying to
make us feel guilty by quoting the Ten Commandments."
- "I will wait until
I am old, then I will get right with God."
- "What do you say
if someone says, 'I've broken every one of the Ten Commandments'?"
- "If the Jews are
God's 'chosen people,' why have they been so oppressed?"
- "Jesus wasn't
sinless-He became 'angry' when He cleared the temple."
- "There are
contradictions in the accounts of the resurrection."
- "Why are there so
many denominations?"
- "If God gives me
some 'sign,' then I will believe."
"Seeing is believing. If
I can't see it, I don't believe it exists." We believe in many things
that we can't see. Ask a skeptic if he has ever seen the wind? Has he seen
history? Has he ever seen his brain? We see the effects of the wind, but the
wind is invisible. We have records of history, but it is by "faith"
we believe that certain historical events happened. Television waves are
invisible, but an antenna and a receiver can detect their presence. The
unregenerate man has a "receiver." However, the receiver (his
spirit) is dead because of sin (see Ephesians 2:1). He needs to be plugged
into the life of God, and then he will come alive and be aware of the
invisible spiritual realm.
- "I know that I am a
sinner, but I confess my sins to God each night. I tell Him that I am sorry
and that I won't sin again." If you find yourself in court with a
$50,000 fine, will a judge let you go simple because you say that you are
sorry and that you won't commit the crime again? Of course not. You should be
sorry for breaking the law, and of course you shouldn't commit the crime
again. However, if someone stepped in and paid the $50,000 fine, then you
would be free to go from the demands of the law.
God will not forgive a sinner on the basis that he is sorry. Of course we
should be sorry for sin-we have a conscience to tell us that adultery, rape,
lust, murder, hatred, lying and stealing, etc., are wrong. And of course we
shouldn't sin again. God will, however, release us from the demands on eternal
justice on the basis that someone else paid our fine. Two thousand years ago
Jesus Christ paid in full for the sins of the world. His words on the Cross
were, "It is finished!" In other words, the debt has been paid in
full. All who repent and trust in Him receive remission of sins. Their case is
dismissed on the basis of His suffering death.
- "I have broken the Ten
Commandments, but I do good things for people." Hollywood Stars do
similar things. They commit adultery in their youth, and then become involved
in giving to AIDS research, etc., as they grow older. In their minds they
think that they are balancing the scales. They have done bad, and now they are
doing good. However, the Bible reveals that the motive of guilty sinners is
one of guilt (see Hebrews 9:14). They are attempting to bribe the Judge of the
Universe. However, the Judge in this case will not be corrupted. Good works
cannot earn mercy. That comes purely by the grace of God. He will only dismiss
our case on the grounds of our faith in Jesus.
- "I don't feel
guilty." People often don't feel guilty when they sin because they
have "seared" their conscience. They have removed the batteries from
the smoke detector of their conscience, so that they can sin without
interruption.
- "How do we present the
Gospel to those with whom we work?" People we work alongside are
almost like family. We don't want to offend them unnecessarily, because we
have to daily rub shoulders with them. We therefore need to be rich in good
works towards those we come in contact with on a daily basis. The Bible tells
us that this is a legitimate means of evangelism. Jesus said, "So let
your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify
your Father who is in Heaven." By "doing good you may put to silence
the ignorance of foolish men" (1 Peter 2:15). Sinners may disagree with
what you believe, but your good works makes them say, "I don't believe
what he believes, but he sure does. He certainly is sincere in his
faith." A gift left with a note on a fellow worker's desk can do more
good in some people's minds than a thousand eloquent sermons. We can show our
faith by our works. They may not like a tree of righteousness, but they cannot
help but like its fruit. Pray for an opportunity to share the Gospel, being
careful not to infringe on your boss's time.
- "Christianity oppresses
women by making them submit to their husbands!" The Bible does say,
"Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands. Husbands, love your wives
as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it." A man who
understands that Jesus Christ gave His life's blood for the Church will love
his wife with passion. He will honor her, respect her, protect, love and
cherish her as much as he does his own body. He will never say or do anything
to harm or demean her. It is in this atmosphere of love and security that a
godly wife willingly submits herself to the protective arms of her husband.
She does this not because he is better than she is, rather, simply because
this is God's order for His creation. A lion rests while his mate prepares his
food. He lies under the shade of a tree and now and then roars to let everyone
know that he is king of the jungle. The world stands in awe at this order in
nature, but refuses to acknowledge that the same One who ordered nature,
orders mankind. A godless world rejects the God-given formula to make marriage
work. It thinks it knows best, and suffers the heart-breaking consequences of
destroyed marriages and ruined lives. The Christian ideal of marriage is not
one of an authoritarian and chauvinist male, holding his cringing wife in
submission like an obedient dog. It's the very opposite. While most of the
great religions treat women as inferior beings to men, the Bible gives them a
place of dignity, honor, and unspeakable worth, expressed so evidently in
Proverbs chapter 31.
- "Could you be wrong in
your claims about Judgment Day and the existence of Hell?" The answer
to this question is that the existence of Hell and the surety of the Judgment
are not the claims of fallible man. The Bible is the source of the claim, and
it is utterly infallible.
- "How do you keep the
young earth theory consistent with astronomical data that says that stars are
millions of light years away, yet if they are that far away, how do we see
them? Shouldn't the light not yet have reached us?" No doubt God made
Adam as a fully-grown man-perhaps with the appearance of being 30 years old,
even though he was only a few minutes old. That would probably be the case
with all of His creation, including trees (with their annual "age"
rings), mature-looking birds, stars, etc.
- "The fact that there are
so many versions proves that the Bible has mistakes. Which one is right?"
True, there are many different versions of the Bible. There are versions in
Chinese for the Chinese. There are versions in Russian, for the Russian
people. There are actually thousands of versions of the Bible--some are in
modern languages, some in foreign languages and some are in old English. Few,
in the printing age, can claim that they don't have access to the Scriptures
in their own language.
- "The Bible has changed
down through the ages."No it hasn't. God has preserved His Word.
Anyone can now obtain access to computer programs that give the original
Hebrew and Greek words, and the only "changes" that have been made,
have been made for clarity. For example, the old English says, "Unless ye
repent, ye shall perish," while a contemporary version may say something
like "Unless you repent, you shall perish."
- "Didn't men write the
Bible?" Absolutely. When you write a letter, do you write the letter,
or does the pen? Obviously you do. The pen is merely the instrument you use.
God used men as instruments to write His "letter" to humanity. They
ranged from kings to common fishermen, but the 66 books of the Bible were all
given by inspiration of God. Proof that this Book is supernatural can been
seen with a quick study of its prophecies.
- "The church is full of
hypocrites." Hypocrites may show up at a church building every
Sunday, but there are no hypocrites in the Church (Christ's body). Hypocrite
comes from the Greek word for "actor," or pretender. Hypocrisy is
"the practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does
not hold." The Church is made up of true believers; hypocrites are
"pretenders" who sit among God's people. God knows those who love
Him, and the Bible warns that He will sort out the true from the false on the
Day of Judgment.
- "How can people be happy
in Heaven, knowing that their unsaved loved ones are suffering in Hell?"
Those who ask question such as these fall into the category of those who asked
Jesus a similar question. They said that a certain woman had seven consecutive
husbands, whose wife will she therefore be in Heaven (Mark 12:23)? Jesus
answered them by saying that they neither knew the Scriptures nor the power of
God. The unregenerate mind has no concept of God's mind or His infinite power.
If God can speak the sun into existence; if He can see every thought of every
human heart at the same time; if He can create the human eye with its
137,000,000 light-sensitive cells, then He can handle the minor details of our
eternal salvation.
- "God told Joshua to kill
every man, woman, and child. If that's your 'God of love,' I don't want to
have anything to do with Him!" God didn't confine His wrath to the
Canaanites. He proclaimed the death sentence upon the whole of humanity. We
will all die because we have broken God's Law. Every one of us is waiting on
death's row. Instead of standing in moral judgment over Almighty God, come
down from your throne and judge yourself according to the Law of God. You will
find that you have a multitude of sins and you therefore are not in a position
to point your holier-than-thou finger at another sinner, let alone a holy God.
- "Do Christians sin?"
"The great foundational truth respecting the believer in relationship to
his sins is the fact that his salvation comprehends the forgiveness of all his
trespasses past, present and future so far as condemnation is concerned (see
Romans 8:1, Colossians 2:13; John 3:18; John 5:24). Since Christ has
vicariously borne all sin and since the believer's standing in Christ is
complete, he is perfected forever in Christ. When a believer sins, he is
subjected to chastisement from the Father, but never to condemnation with the
world (see 1 Corinthians 11:31,32). By confession the Christian is forgiven
and restored to fellowship (see 1 John 1:9). It needs to be remembered that
were it not for Christ's finished work on the Cross and His present
intercession in Heaven, the least sin would result in his banishment from
God's presence and eternal ruin." (Unger's Bible Dictionary, Moody Press,
p. 377).
- "Jesus died on the Cross,
therefore we are all forgiven every sin." The forgiveness that is in
Jesus Christ is conditional upon "repentance towards God, and faith
towards our Lord Jesus Christ." No one has biblical grounds to continue
in sin, assuming that they are safe because Jesus died on the Cross.
- "How can you know that
you are saved?" A two-year-old boy was once staring at a heater,
fascinated by its bright orange glow. His father saw him and warned,
"Don't touch that heater son. It may look pretty, but it's hot." The
little boy believed him, and moved away from the heater. Some time later, when
his father had left the room he thought to himself, "I wonder if it
really is hot." He then reached out to touch it and see for himself. The
second his flesh burned, he stopped believing it was hot. He now knew it was
hot! He had moved out of the realm of belief into the realm of experience!
Many Christians believed in God's existence before their conversion. However,
when they obeyed the Word of God, turned from their sins and embraced Jesus
Christ, they stopped believing. The moment they reached out and touched the
heater bar of God's mercy, they moved out of belief into the realm of
experience. This experience is so radical, Jesus referred to it as being
"born again." The Apostle Paul said if you are "in Christ"
you are a brand new creature. When Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, he
said, "My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith
should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God" (1
Corinthians 2:4-5). What Paul was saying was, "I deliberately didn't talk
you into your faith, but I let God's power transform you." He didn't
reach them through an intellectual assent, but through the realm of personal
experience.
Suppose two men walked into the room just after that child had burned his hand
on the heater. One was a heater manufacturer and the other a skin specialist.
Both assured that boy that he couldn't possibly have been burned. But all the
experts, theories, equations and arguments in the world will not dissuade that
boy, because of his experience.
Those who have been transformed by God's power need never fear scientific nor
any other argument, because the man with an experience is not at the mercy of
a man with an argument. "For our Gospel did not come to you in word only,
but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance…" (1
Thessalonians 1:5).
- "Why are there so many
different religions?" It has been well said that "religion"
is man's way of trying to deal with his guilt. Different religions have
different ways of attempting to rid themselves of sin and its consequences.
They fast, pray, deny themselves legitimate pleasures or chasten themselves,
often to a point of inflicting pain. This happens because they have a
conception of what they think God (or "the gods") is like. They then
go about to establish their own righteousness, being "ignorant of the
righteousness which is of God." The "Good News" of the
Christian faith is that no one need suffer the pains of religious works. His
blood can cleanse our conscience from the "dead works" of religion
(Hebrews 9:14). Jesus took our punishment upon Himself, and He is the only One
who can save them from sin and death. See Acts 4:12.
- "Are you saying that
Christians are better than non-Christians?" The Christian is no
better than a non-Christian, but he is infinitely better off. It is like two
men on a plane. One is wearing a parachute and the other is not. One is not
better than the other, but the man with the parachute on is certainly better
off than the man who is not wearing a parachute. The difference will be seen
when they jump. Jesus warned that if we "jump" into death without
Him, we would perish.
Our great problem is a law that is even harsher than the law of gravity. It is
the Law of an infinitely holy and just Creator. The Scriptures warn us,
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God."
They tell us that we are His enemy.
- "I don't mind going to
Hell. All my friends will be there." Those who say such things don't
believe in the biblical concept of Hell. This is simply because their
understanding of the nature of God is erroneous. The slow-witted criminal
thinks that the electric chair is a place to put up his feet for a while and
relax. It may be wise therefore to speak with him for a few moments about the
reasonableness of a place called "Hell." Reason with him by saying,
"If a judge in Florida turns a blind eye to the unlawful dealings of the
Mafia; if he sees their murderous acts and deliberately turns the other way,
is he a good or bad judge? He's obviously corrupt, and should be brought to
justice himself. If he is a good judge, he will do everything within his power
to bring those murderers to justice. He should make sure that they are justly
punished.
If Almighty God sees a man rape and strangle to death your sister or mother,
do you think He should look the other way, or bring that murderer to justice?
If He looks the other way, He's corrupt and should be brought to justice
Himself. It makes sense then-that if God is good, He will therefore do
everything in His power to make sure that justice is done. The Bible tells us
that He will punish murderers, and the place of punishment-the prison God will
send them to is-a place called 'Hell.'
God should punish murderers and rapists. However, God is so good, he will also
punish thieves, liars, adulterers, fornicators, and blasphemers. He will even
punish those who desired to murder and rape but never had the opportunity. He
warns that if we hate someone, we commit murder in our hearts. If we lust, we
commit adultery in the heart, etc."
Then ask him if he would sell an eye for a million dollars. Would he sell both
for ten million? No one in his right mind would. Our eyes are precious to us.
How much more then is our soul (our life) worth? Gently tell him that if your
eyes meet his on Judgment Day, and he is still in his sins, you are free from
his blood, because you haven't held back from telling him the truth of the
Gospel . . . the whole counsel of God.
- "Why is there suffering?
That proves that there is no 'loving' God." Study the soil for a
moment. It naturally produces weeds. Nobody plants them; nobody waters them.
They even stubbornly push through cracks of a dry sidewalk. Millions of
useless weeds sprout like there's no tomorrow, strangling our crops and
ruining our lawns. Pull them out by the roots, and there will be more
tomorrow. They are nothing but a curse!
Look at how much of the earth is uninhabitable. There are millions upon
millions of square miles of nothing but barren deserts in Africa and in
different parts of the world. Most of Australia is desert. There is nothing
but miles and miles of useless desolate land.
Not only that, but the earth is constantly shaken with massive earthquakes.
Its shores are lashed with hurricanes, tornadoes rip through creation with
incredible fury. Floods of biblical proportions soak the land, and terrible
droughts parch the soil. Sharks, tigers, lions, snakes, spiders and
disease-ridden mosquitoes attack humanity and suck its life's blood. The
earth's inhabitants are afflicted with disease, pain, suffering and death.
Think of how many people are plagued with cancer, Alzheimer's, Multiple
Sclerosis, heart disease, emphysema, Parkinson's disease and a mass of other
debilitating diseases. Think of all the kids with leukemia, or people born
with crippling diseases or without the mental capability to even feed
themselves. All these things should convince thinking minds that something is
radically wrong. Did God blow it when He created humanity? What sort of tyrant
must our Creator be if this was His master plan?
Sadly, many use the issue of suffering as an excuse to reject any thought of
God, when its existence is the very reason we should accept Him. Suffering
stands as terrible testimony to the truth of the explanation given by the Word
of God.
But how can we know that the Bible is true? Simply by studying the prophecies
of Matthew 24, Luke 21, and 2 Timothy 3. A few minutes of openhearted
inspection will convince any honest skeptic that this is no ordinary book. It
is the supernatural testament of our Creator as to why there is suffering . .
. and what we can do about it.
The Bible tells us that God cursed the earth because of Adam's transgression.
Weeds are a curse. So is disease. Sin and suffering cannot be separated. The
Scriptures inform us that we live in a fallen creation. In the beginning, God
created man perfect and he lived in a perfect world, without suffering. It was
Heaven on earth. When sin came into the world, death and misery came with it.
Those who understand the message of Holy Scripture eagerly await a new Heaven
and a new earth "wherein dwells righteousness." In that coming
Kingdom there will be no more pain, suffering, disease or death. We are told
that no eye has ever seen, nor has any ear heard, neither has any man's mind
ever imagined the wonderful things that God has in store for those that love
Him. Think for a moment of what it would be like if food grew with the fervor
of weeds. Think how wonderful it would be if the deserts became incredibly
fertile, if creation stopped devouring humanity. Imagine if the weather worked
for us instead of against us, if disease completely disappeared, if pain was a
thing of the past . . . if death was no more.
There is a wise saying: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably
is." That is solid advice for when you are dealing with sinful mankind.
But the promise of a new Heaven and a new earth come from a faithful Creator,
and there is no greater insult to God than not to believe His promises. When a
nation repents and finds peace with God through trusting in the Savior, God
promises to forgive their sins and heal their land.
The dilemma is that we are like a small child whose insatiable appetite for
chocolate has caused his face to break out. He looks in the mirror and sees a
sight that makes him depressed. His face is nothing but ugly sores. But
instead of stopping eating his beloved chocolate, he takes solace by stuffing
more into his mouth. Yet, his very joy is actually the cause of his suffering.
The whole face of the earth is nothing but ugly sores of suffering. Everywhere
we look, we see unspeakable pain. But instead of believing God's explanation
and asking Him to forgive us and change our appetite, we run deeper into sin's
sweet embrace. There we find solace in its temporal pleasures; thus
intensifying our pain, both in this life, and in the life to come.
- "When Jesus was on the
Cross, He cried 'My God, why have you forsaken me?' This proves that He was a
fake. God forsook Him." When Jesus was on the Cross, the sin of the
entire world was laid upon Him. His words were fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
Psalm 22:1 says, "My God, my God, why have thou forsaken me?" Then
the Scriptures give us insight as to why God forsook Jesus on the Cross.
"…But thou are holy…" (v. 3). A holy Creator cannot have
fellowship with sin.
- "When you are dead, you
are dead." What if you are wrong? What if God, Jesus, the prophets,
the Jews, and Christians are right and you are wrong? If there is no
afterlife, no Judgment Day, no Heaven and no Hell, then God is unjust and each
of the above are guilty of being false witness. It means that Almighty God
couldn't care less about the fact that a man rapes a woman, then cuts her
throat and is never brought to justice. If you are right, and there is no
ultimate justice, you won't even have the joy of saying, "I told you
so." However, if you are wrong, you will lose your soul and end up
eternally damned. You are playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded gun.
- "Do you sin, as a
Christian?" If a Christian sins, it is against his will. He falls
rather than dives into sin. He resists rather than embraces it. Any dead fish
can float down stream. It takes a live one to swim against the flow. .
- "You are using 'scare
tactics,' by talking about Hell and Judgment Day." In the late 1980s,
the U.S. aired TV advertisements that asked, "What goes through the mind
of a driver who is not wearing a seat belt in a head-on collision?" Then
they showed a crash dummy having its head crushed by a steering wheel in a
collision, and said, "The steering wheel!" Those were scare tactics,
but no one complained because they were legitimate scare tactics. That's what
happens in a head-on collision if you are foolish enough not to put on a seat
belt.
To warn of Hell is fearful, but it is absolutely legitimate, because the Bible
says that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
- "How do you witness to an
elderly person, or someone in whose home you are a guest?" For most
of us, it is far easier to witness to a stranger than to someone you know and
respect. An effective way to soften the message without compromise is to speak
in the "first person" or in testimonial form. Say something like,
"I didn't realize that the Bible warns that every idle word that I have
spoken, I have to give an account of on Judgment Day. I thought that as long
as I believed in God and tried to live a good life, I would go to Heaven when
I died. I was so wrong. Jesus said that if I as much as looked with lust, I
had committed adultery in my heart, and that there was nothing I could do to
wash away my sins. I knew that if God judged me by the Ten Commandments on
Judgment Day, I would end up guilty, and go to Hell. It was when I
acknowledged my sins that I began to understand why Jesus died. It was to take
the punishment for my sins, and the sins of the world, etc." Then,
depending on the person's openness, you may ask, "How do you think you
will do on Judgment Day, if God judges you by the Ten Commandments?"
- "Is 'Hell-fire' preaching
effective?" Preaching the reality of Hell, without using the Law to
bring the knowledge of sin, can do a great deal of damage to the cause of the
Gospel. A sinner cannot conceive of the thought that God would send anyone to
Hell, as long as he is deceived into thinking that God's standard of
righteousness is the same as his. Paul "reasoned" with Felix of
temperance, righteousness and judgment to come. This is the righteousness that
is of the Law and judgment by the Law. Felix "trembled" because he
suddenly understood that his intemperance made him a guilty sinner in the
sight of a holy God. The reality of Hell suddenly became reasonable to him
when the Law was used to bring the knowledge of sin.
Imagine if the police suddenly burst into your home, arrested you, and angrily
said, "You are going away for a long time!" Such conduct would
probably leave you bewildered and angry. What they have done seems
unreasonable.
However, if the law burst into your home and instead told you specifically why
you were in trouble by saying, "We have discovered 10,000 marijuana
plants growing in your back yard. You are going away for a long time!" at
least you would understand why you are in trouble. Knowledge of the law you
had transgressed furnished you with that understanding. It makes judgment
reasonable. Hell-fire preaching without use of the Law to show the sinner why
God is angry with him will more than likely leave him bewildered and angry-for
what he considers unreasonable punishment.
- "God Sure Blew
it--Creation is a Mess!" Three million people die of mosquito bites
each year. Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes slaughter tens of
thousands. We have devastating droughts, multitudes crippled with arthritis,
children dying of Leukemia, masses of other cancerous diseases, endless
suffering, unspeakable pain and death. What sort of tyrant would create us and
then give us all this grief? Then again, could it be that "Mother
Nature" has a Senior Partner-Father God? Which puts us in an interesting
dilemma: If God is an "all-loving" father figure, as we are often
told that He is, we seem to be left with three choices. One: God blew it when
He made everything (He's creative but incompetent). Two: God is a tyrant, who
gets His kicks from seeing kids die of Leukemia. Three: Something between God
and man is radically wrong. There's our choice…and you don't have to be a
rocket scientist to lean towards number three. Something between man and God
is radically wrong. The Bible tells us what it is. There is a war going on. We
are told that mankind is an enemy of God in his mind through wicked works.
That's not too hard to see. He is forever committing murder, rape, lying, and
stealing (watch the TV news tonight to confirm that fact). He uses God's Name
as a curse word, while "Mother Nature" gets the glory for His
creation (unless there's a horrible disaster. Then man calls that "an act
of God").
An applicable acronym for "war" is "We Are Right." That's
why any country goes to war, because it has the conviction that it is in the
right. A few moments of going through God's Law shows us who is right and who
is wrong. We, not God, are the guilty party. If we want His blessing back on
our nation, we must make peace with Him, and that can only happen through
faith in Jesus Christ.
- "I used to be a liar and
a thief, but that was years ago. Now I try to be a good person." Time
doesn't forgive sin. If a man commits murder on Monday, but on Tuesday he is
kind to others, he is still a murderer. If a man lies and steals, unless he
comes to the Savior, his sins remain with him until he stands before God in
Judgment.
- "What about all those
people who have never heard the Gospel? Will they all go to Hell because they
haven't heard about Jesus Christ?" No one will go to Hell because
they haven't heard of Jesus Christ. The heathen will go to Hell for murder,
rape, adultery, lust, theft, lying, etc. Sin is not failing to hear the
Gospel, "sin is transgression of the Law" (1 John 3:4). If we really
care about them, we will become missionaries and take the good news of God's
forgiveness in Christ to them.
- "I'm as good as any
Christian!" A Christian isn't better than a non-Christian. He's just
better off. A person who has to jump out of a plane and is wearing a parachute
is no better than a person without a parachute. He's just better off.
- "How should I witness to
a Jew?" Sadly, many of today's Jews profess godliness but don't
embrace the Scriptures as we presume they do. Therefore, it is often difficult
to reason with them about Jesus being the Messiah. This is why it is
imperative to ask a Jew if he has kept the Law of Moses-to "shut"
him up under the Law and strip him of his self-righteousness. The Law will
show him his need of a Savior, and become a "schoolmaster" to bring
him to Christ, as happened to Paul, Nicodemus, Nathaniel and the Jews on the
Day of Pentecost. They had the advantage of the Law. It was the Law that
brought 3,000 to the foot of the Cross on that day. It was a
"schoolmaster" to bring them to Christ (Galatians 3:24). Without it
they would not have known that they had sinned (Romans 7:7), and would not
have therefore, seen their need of the Savior.
- "How should I witness to
a homosexual?" Rather than offend homosexuals by directly confronting
the issue of their sinful lifestyle, modern evangelism often tries to soften
the approach by saying that "God hates the sin, but loves the
sinner." This isn't a new concept. Charles Finney said, "God is not
angry merely against the sin abstracted from the sinner, but against the
sinner himself. Some persons have labored hard to set up this ridiculous and
absurd abstraction, and would fain make it appear that God is angry at sin,
yet not at the sinner. He hates the theft, but loves the thief. "He
abhors adultery, but is pleased with the adulterer." Now this is supreme
nonsense. The sin has no moral character apart from the sinner. The act is
nothing apart from the actor. The very thing that God hates and disapproves is
not the mere event-the thing done in distinction from the doer; but it is the
doer himself. It grieves and displeases Him that a rational moral agent, under
His government, should array himself against his own God and Father, against
all that is right and just in the universe. This is the thing that offends
God. The sinner himself is the direct and the only object of his anger.
"So the Bible shows. God is angry with the wicked, not with the abstract
sin. If the wicked turn not, God will whet His sword-He has bent His bow and
made it ready-not to shoot at the sin, but the sinner-the wicked man who has
done the abominable thing. This is the only doctrine of either the Bible or of
common sense on this subject." From The Guilt of Sin, Kregel
Publications, 1965 (reprinted 1985).
"I had an angry lesbian heckle me while speaking in Santa Monica one
Friday night in front of a large crowd. I was so pleased to have the Law of
God as a weapon. When she insisted that she was born with homosexual desires,
I told her that I was too. I was born with a capacity to be a homosexual, to
fornicate, commit adultery, to lie, and steal. I said that it was called
'sin,' and that we all had it in our nature. It diffused her intent on making
me seem like a 'gay-basher.' I could see the frustration on her face when she
wasn't able to take the discourse in the direction she wanted. Instead of
seeming the poor victim, she found herself in the public hot-seat of having
sinned against God."
From, How to Win Souls and Influence People (Bridge-Logos).
The way to witness to a homosexual is simply to follow the biblical guidelines
and use the Law.
- "I've tried to read the
Bible, but I can't understand it." The Scriptures tells us that the
"natural man" cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God.
Most Americans would find it difficult to understand the Chinese language.
However, a child who is born into a Chinese family can understand every word.
That's why you must be born again (John 3:3). The moment you become part of
God's family, the Bible will begin to make sense.
- "Who made God?"
There is no question as to whether or not God exists. Every building has a
builder. Everything made has a maker. The fact of the existence of the Creator
is axiomatic (self-evident). That's why the Bible says, "The fool has
said in his heart 'There is no God'" (Psalm 14:1). The professing atheist
denies the common sense given to him by God, and defends his belief with the
thought that the "Who made God?" question can't be answered. This,
he thinks gives him license to deny the existence of God.
The question of who made God can be answered by simply looking at space and
asking the question, "Does space have an end?" Obviously, it
doesn't. If there is a brick wall with "The End" written on it, the
question arises, "What is behind the brick wall?" Strain the mind
though it may, we have to believe (have the faith) that space has no beginning
and no end. Exactly the same applies with God. He has no beginning and no end.
He is "eternal."
The Bible, however, gives us a little more information on the subject. It
informs us that time is a dimension that God created, into which man was
subjected. It even tells us that the time will come when time will no longer
exist. That will be called "eternity." God Himself dwells outside of
the dimension He created (2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 1:2). He dwells in eternity. He
is not subject to time. Simple study of Bible prophecy will prove this to any
reasonable skeptic. God spoke history before it came into being. He can move
through time as a man flicks through a history book. It is because we live in
the dimension of time that logic and reason, demand that everything must have
a beginning and an end. The way to handle the subject is the same way we
handle the difficulty of space having no beginning and end-by faith. We simply
have to believe it's so, even though such thoughts put a strain on our
distinctly insufficient cerebrum.
- "Jesus didn't condemn the
woman who was caught in the act of adultery. He condemned those who judged her
by saying, 'Let him that is without sin cast the first stone.' Therefore you
shouldn't judge us." The Christian simply tells the world that God
(not the Christian) has judged all the world as being guilty before Him. Jesus
was able to offer that woman forgiveness for adultery, because He was on His
way to die on the Cross for her. She acknowledged Him as "Lord," but
He still told her, "Go your way and sin no more." If she didn't
repent, she would perish.
- "Doesn't the fact that
the Bible says that 'God repented' show that He is capable of sin?"
The English language is very limited compared to the Hebrew and Greek. For
example, we have only one word for "love." If I say I love another
man it can have negative connotations. However, the languages of the Bible
have a number of words for different types of love. When the Bible says that
God repented, the English language limits its meaning. It doesn't mean that He
sinned. It simply means He regretted an action.
- "Is water baptism
essential to our salvation?" While we should preach that all men are
commanded to repent and be baptized, to add anything to grace to be saved
becomes "works" in disguise. Even though certain churches give a
list of Scriptures which speak of the importance of water baptism, to say that
we must add anything to the work of the Cross is to demean the sacrifice of
the Savior. It is to say that His finished work wasn't enough. We are saved by
grace, and grace alone. Our obedience-water baptism, prayer, good works,
fellowship, fasting, etc., issues from our faith. Salvation is not what you
do, but Who you have: "He that has the Son has life" (1 John 5:12).
- "Why is the God of the
Old Testament a God of wrath, while the God of the New Testament is a God of
mercy?" The God of the New Testament is no different than the God of
the Old Testament. "They" are one and the same. The Bible says that
He never changes. He is just as wrath-filled in the New Testament as He is in
the Old. He killed a husband and wife in the Book of Acts, simply because they
told one lie. Jesus warned that He was to be feared because He has the power
to cast the body and soul into Hell. The Apostle Paul said that he persuaded
men to come to the Savior because he knew the "terror of the Lord."
Read the dreadful judgments of the New Testament's Book of Revelation. That
will put the "fear of God" in you, which incidentally is "the
beginning of wisdom."
Perhaps the most fearful display of His wrath is seen in the Cross of Jesus
Christ. His fury so came upon the Messiah, it seems that God enshrouded the
face of Jesus in darkness so that creation couldn't gaze upon His unspeakable
agony. Whether we like it or not, our God is a consuming fire of holiness. He
isn't going to change, so we had better . . . before the Day of Judgment.
- "I think you are
intolerant to say that Jesus is the only way to God!" Jesus was the
One who said that He was the only way to God. For Christians to say that there
are other ways to find peace with God is to bear false testimony. In one
sweeping statement, He discards all other religions as a means of finding
forgiveness of sins. This is in line with other Scriptures: "Nor is there
salvation in any other, for there is no other name under Heaven given among
men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12), "For there is one God
and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy
2:5).
- "There is no absolute
truth. You cannot be sure of anything!" Those who say that that there
are no absolutes are often very adamant about their belief. If they say that
they are absolutely sure, then they are wrong because their own statement is
an absolute statement. If they are not 100% sure, then there is a chance that
they are wrong and they are risking their eternal salvation by trusting in a
belief that could be wrong.
- "The Bible says 'An eye
for an eye.' It encourages us to take the law in our own hands by revenging
wrongdoing." This verse is so often misquoted by the world. They say
that it is giving a license to take the law into our own hands and render evil
for evil. However, it is a reference to civil law concerning
"restitution." If someone steals your ox, he is to restore the ox.
If someone steals and wrecks your car, he is to buy you another one…a car
for a car, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
The spirit of what Jesus is saying here (verse 29) is radically different to
the "sue the shirt off the back of your neighbor" society in which
we live.
- "What do you do if
someone says that they have never lied, stolen, lusted, blasphemed-if they
completely deny having any sin at all?" Ask him if he has kept the
First of the Ten Commandments. Has he always loved God above all else-with all
of his heart, mind, soul and strength? If he says that he has, gently say,
"The Bible says that "there is none that seek after God."
Nobody (outside of Jesus Christ) has kept the First of the Ten Commandments.
One of you is lying-either you or God…and the Bible says that it is
impossible for God to lie."
- "Judge not lest you be
judged. You, therefore have no right to judge me when it comes to my
sins!" The world often takes this verse (out of its context) and uses
it to accuse Christians of being "judgmental" when they speak of
sin. In the context of the verse Jesus is telling His disciples not to judge
one another, something the Bible condemns (see John 21:21-23, Romans 14:10,
and James 4:11). He speaks of seeing a speck in a brother's eye. In John 7:24
He said, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous
judgment." If a man steals, lies, commits adultery or murder, etc., the
Christian can make a (righteous) moral judgment and say that the actions were
morally wrong, and that these sins will have eternal consequences. Chuck
Colson said: "True tolerance is not a total lack of judgment. It's
knowing what should be tolerated-and refusing to tolerate that which
shouldn't."
- "How do we reach our
neighbors with the Gospel?" Neighbors are like family. We don't want
to offend them unnecessarily, because we have to live with them. We need to be
rich in good works towards all men, but especially our neighbors. The Bible
reveals that this is a legitimate means of evangelism. Jesus said, "So
let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify
your Father who is in Heaven." By "doing good you may put to silence
the ignorance of foolish men." They may disagree with what you believe,
but your good works makes them say, "I don't believe what he believes,
but he sure does. He certainly is sincere in his faith."
A friendly wave, a gift for no reason, fresh baked goods, an offer to help do
some painting, etc., can pave the way for evangelism. Pray for that day, and
be prepared for it when it comes.
- "I hope I'm a
Christian." Of all the things that you should be sure of, it's your
eternal destiny. To say, "I hope I'm a Christian," is like standing
at the open door of a plane, 25,000 feet in the air and answering, "Have
you got your parachute on?" with, "I hope so." You want to know
so-and you can, simply by obeying the Gospel.
- "Doesn't the 'Big Bang'
theory disprove Genesis?" Try and think of any explosion that has
produced order. Does a terrorist bomb create harmony? Big bangs cause chaos.
How could a big bang produce a rose, apple trees, fish, sunsets, the seasons,
hummingbirds, polar bears-thousands of birds and animals, each with its own
eyes, nose and mouth?
Here's an interesting experiment: Empty your garage of every piece of metal,
wood, paint, rubber and plastic. Make sure there is nothing there. Nothing.
Then wait for ten years and see if a Mercedes evolves. Try it. If it doesn't
appear, leave it for 20 years. If that doesn't work, try it for 100 years.
Then try leaving it for 10,000 years.
Here's what will produce the necessary blind faith to make the evolutionary
process believable: leave it for 250 million years.
"New scientific revelations about supernovas, black holes, quarks, and
the big bang even suggest to some scientists that there is a 'grand design' in
the universe.'" (U.S. News & World Report, March 31, 1997). A child
can see that there is "grand design" in creation.
- "Is it possible that
Jesus fainted while He was on the Cross, and revived when He was in the
tomb?" Jesus had been beaten, whipped, was bleeding from His head,
back, hands and feet for at least six hours. While he was still on the Cross a
soldier pierced his side with a spear and blood and water gushed out (John
19:34-35).
"It is impossible that a being who had stolen half-dead out of the
sepulcher, who crept about weak and ill, wanting medical treatment, who
required bandaging, strengthening, and indulgence, and who still at last
yielded to his sufferings, could have given to the disciples the impression
that he was a conqueror over death and the grave, the Prince of Life: an
impression which lay at the bottom of their future ministry. Such a
resuscitation could only have weakened the impression which he had made upon
them in life and in death, at the most could only have given it an elegiac
voice, but could by no possibility have changed their sorrow into enthusiasm,
have elevated their reverence into worship." Strauss, New Life of Jesus,
I, 412 (tr.)
(From, Who Moved the Stone? Frank Morris--Lamplighter Books).
- "Where did Cain get his
wife?" Cain was only part of the result of the command to be fruitful
and multiply. No doubt Adam and Eve gladly obeyed God and the human family
bred like rabbits-especially under God's blessing, and with the fact that the
human life span was not restricted to a mere seventy years. Cain simply
married a distant sister, as each of us do when we enter the matrimonial state
with another member of the human family. God had not forbidden what we now
call "incest." It was not against the law, because there was no
incest law to transgress.
- "God made me like this.
Sin is His fault!" If this won't work in a civil court, it certainly
won't work on Judgment Day. Even with today's crafty defense lawyers, it would
take a rather moronic judge to fall for the old "God made me do it"
defense. We are responsible moral agents. The "buck" stopped at
Adam. He tried to blame both God and Eve for his sin, and it didn't work.
- "I find it difficult to
have faith in God." If you don't believe someone, it means you think
that they are a liar. The Bible says that those who don't believe God accuse
Him of lying. Martin Luther said that there is no greater insult to God, than
not to believe His promises. See Hebrews 11:6.
- "Religion has caused more
wars than anything else in history." It is true that man has used
religion for political gain. Hitler had "God with us" engraved on
the belts of Nazi soldiers. America said, "Praise the Lord and pass the
ammunition." The law may even allow you to start the Christian Nazi
Party, if you so desire. You can become a "reverend" for a few
dollars through the tabloid classifieds and then further your political agenda
with the world's blessing, no matter how much it smears the name of Christ.
If Jesus told His followers to love their enemies, and someone puts a knife
into someone's back in the name of Christianity, it doesn't take a rocket
scientist to figure out that something isn't quite right. If we human beings
can detect it, how much more will God? He will deal with it on Judgment Day.
- "You shouldn't talk about
sin because Jesus didn't condemn anybody. He was always loving and kind."
In Matthew 23 Jesus called the religious leaders "hypocrites" seven
times. He told them that they were "blind fools," full of hypocrisy
and sin. They were children of murderers. He climaxed His sermon by saying,
"You serpents, you generation of vipers, how shall you escape the
damnation of Hell?" He then warned that He would say to the wicked,
"Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the
devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).
- "Where Do All The Races
Come From?" Some have asked the question, if all of us are
descendents of Adam and Eve, where then do all the races come from? The Bible
informed us 2000 years ago that God has made all nations from "one
blood"(Acts 17:26). We are all of the same race--the "human
race," descendents of Adam and Eve, something science is slowly coming to
believe:
"WASHINGTON (Nov. 15)--Science may have caught up with the Bible, which
says that Adam and Eve are the ancestors of all humans alive today.
"Peter Underhill of Stanford University in California remarked on
findings published in the November 2000 issue of the journal Nature
Genetics…''We can look at the tree and see, 'Oh, this section of the tree is
where Asians go. We can say, 'Oh, here is a Japanese Y chromosome and this is
a Chinese Y chromosome,''' Underhill said. What the tree does not do, he
stresses, is identify so-called races. Geneticists have long agreed there is
no genetic basis to race -- only to ethnic and geographic groups. ''People
look at a very conspicuous trait like skin color and they say, 'Well, this
person's so different' . . . but that's only skin deep,'' Underhill said.
''When you look at the level of the Y chromosome you find that, gee, there is
very little difference between them. And skin color differences are strictly a
consequence of climate.'' By Maggie Fox (Reuters).
- "My God would never
create Hell." Those who say that are right. Their god would never
create Hell, because he couldn't. He doesn't exist. He is a figment of their
imagination (the place of imagery). They have created a god to suit
themselves. It's called "idolatry," and it's the oldest sin in the
Book. Idolaters will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
- "What about other
religions?" All major religions strive to rid themselves of sin. They
may practice fasting, prayer, good works, self-denial of legitimate sexual
pleasure, dietary restrictions, lying on beds of nails, etc. The uniqueness of
Jesus is that he said something that no religious leader ever said. He said,
"The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins." Jesus Christ
can wash away every sin any man committed, because of the fact of the Cross.
He can release us from the torture of guilt. We cannot do anything in the way
of religious works to wash away our sins. It's a free gift of God (Ephesians
2:8,9). Look what "religion" does (or rather doesn't do):
"It is a constant torture to me that I am still so far from Him whom I
know to be my very life and being. I know it is my own wretchedness and
wickedness that keeps me from Him." Mahatma Ghandi
- "I was once a
'born-again' Christian. Now I believe it's all rubbish!" Simply ask
him the question, "Did you know the Lord?" If he answers, "I
thought I did," gently say, "So you didn't. You had a false
conversion. You were a stony-ground hearer who received the word with joy and
gladness, but in a time of tribulation, temptation and persecution, fell
away." If he answers the question with "Yes," gently say,
"So you admit that He is real and that you are in rebellion to His
will."
- "You are trying to make
us feel guilty by quoting the Ten Commandments." When someone
suggests that you are trying to make them feel guilty, ask which one of the
Ten Commandments makes them feel guilty. Simply say, '"The Bible says,
You shall not steal. If you feel guilty when you hear that-why do you think it
is? Could it be because you are guilty?"
- "I will wait until I am
old, then I will get right with God." You may not get the chance. God
may just lose patience with you and kill you. Perhaps you don't think that He
would do such a thing. Then read Genesis 38 and see how God killed a man
because He didn't like something he did. Jesus spoke of a man who boasted that
he had so many goods that he would have to build bigger barns. God said the
man was a fool, and that night He let death seize the man. Those who say that
they will repent in their own time, lack the fear of God. Their understanding
of His nature is erroneous. If they caught a glimpse of His holiness, His
righteousness, and His consuming justice, they wouldn't trifle with His mercy.
Such arrogance needs to be confronted with the thunders of Mount Sinai. He is
not wise who thinks that he can outwit his Creator, enjoy a lifetime of sin,
and repent at the last minute. Deathbed repentance is very rare. God killed a
husband and wife because they told one lie (Acts 5:1). He lost patience with
them. Most people think that God's patience is eternal. It is evidently not.
The Bible says that it is through the fear of the Lord that men depart from
sin (Proverbs 16:6). While they don't fear God, they will be complacent about
their eternal salvation (Matthew 10:28).
- "What do you say if
someone says, 'I've broken every one of the Ten Commandments'?" Do
not take this statement to mean that the person has seen the gravity of their
sinful state before God. It is often used as a way of throwing off conviction.
Pharoah said that he had sinned, but his repentance was superficial. Say to
him, "Well let's take the time to go through them one by one and see if
you have."
- "If the Jews are God's
'chosen people,' why have they been so oppressed?" Israel's blessings
were dependent upon her obedience. If the nation sinned, it would be
chastened. This is God's warning to the Jews: "Then the Lord will scatter
you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you
shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known-wood and
stone. And among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of
your foot have a resting-place; but there the Lord will give you a trembling
heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul. Your life shall hang in doubt before
you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life"
(Deuteronomy 28:64-66).
"After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come
back into the land of those brought back with the sword and gathered from many
people on the mountains of Israel, which had been long desolate; they were
brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely" (Ezekiel
38:8).
"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the
surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it
shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all
peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all
nations of the earth are gathered against it" (Zechariah 12:2,3).
- "Jesus wasn't sinless-He
became 'angry' when He cleared the temple." The Temple of God was
filled with the day's equivalent of money-grabbing televangelists. Anger at
hypocrisy isn't a sin-it's a virtue.
- "There are contradictions
in the accounts of the resurrection." The chronology of the
resurrection: The three women went to the tomb, and saw a young man. He told
them of the resurrection and instructed them that they were to tell the
disciples. They left and returned later with Peter and John. The disciples
then left and the women stayed. It was at that time that Jesus appeared to
Mary Magdalene.
- "Why are there so many
denominations?" In the early 1500s, a German monk named Martin Luther
was so conscious of his sins, he spent up to six hours in the confessional.
Through study of the Scriptures he found that salvation didn't come through
anything he did, but simply through trusting in the finished work of the Cross
of Jesus Christ. He listed the contradictions between what the Scriptures
said, and what his church taught, and nailed his 95 Theses to the church door
in Wittenberg, Germany.
Martin Luther became the first to "protest" against the Roman
church, and thus he became the father of the Protestant church. Since that
split, there have been many disagreements about how much water one should
baptize with, how to sing what and why, who should govern who, etc., causing
thousands of splinter groups. Many of these groups are convinced that they are
the only ones who are right. These have become known as Protestant
"denominations." Despite the confusion, these churches subscribe to
certain foundational beliefs such as the deity, the death, burial and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible says, "…the foundation of God
stands sure, having this seal-the Lord knows those that are His" (see 2
Timothy 2:19).
- "If God gives me some
'sign,' then I will believe."
The unsaved often want a "sign" from God. This is in spite of the
testimony of creation, their conscience, the Bible, and the Christian. The
Cross is the only thing that can truly convince a sinner of the reality of Who
Jesus is. Once they understand that the holes in His hands and His feet are
there because of their own sin, they will fall at His feet and cry, "My
Lord and my God!"
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