Answers to Common Objections to Becoming a Christian
I Pet 3:15,16 - "But in your hearts set Christ as holy (and acknowledge Him) as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who ask you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully. Do it with a clear conscience so that when you are falsely accused as evildoers, those who threaten you abusively and revile your right behavior in Christ may come to be ashamed (of slandering your good lives)".
Quote:Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must be first overcome.
Samuel Johnson.
First, be sure that you try to avoid any arguments. The best way to win an argument is to avoid it if possible. Lead each person to Scripture that can point people toward the objective truth of God.
Second, show a positive attitude. When a person makes an objection say, "I’m glad you said that!" At least it shows that they are expressing an interest.
Third, use sincere compliments to enhance your rapport with people you are speaking to. A good compliment tends to reduce the tension by saying something like, "You are obviously an intelligent person and its a pleasure to discuss these things with someone who is interested in spiritual matters."
Fourth, ask God for wisdom in dealing with all objections and He will give it to you. (James 1:5) If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men generously and does not withhold and it will be given to you."
Here are some suggested ways to answer some of the most common objections to becoming a Christian:
1. "I am doing the best I can and I’m sincere. "
Even if you could do far better than you are doing now you still can’t do well enough because you don’t please God by being good (Gal. 2:21), but by accepting Jesus (John 1:12).
Sincerity is not the way to heaven. What if you are sincerely wrong? (Remember John 14;6?)
If you are relying on your sincerity, then are you saying that because you are sincere, therefore you are good enough on your own to be with God." Don’t you see, to appeal to your sincerity is to appeal to pride, because you are appealing to something that is in you and not God for your reason to go to heaven. I am sorry, sincerity is not enough. You must have faith, in Jesus.
How long have you been doing your best? Has it worked so far? Has it given you eternal life?
2. "I am skeptical."
Are you honestly looking for answers? If you are, I would be very willing to talk with you more about Jesus, the Bible, or whatever else you want to talk about.
What are you skeptical about? Perhaps we can talk about some of the things that you feel keeps you from a saving knowledge of Jesus.
3. "I tried Christianity once."
The Bible says that once you are saved, you are never the same again, you are a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). If you have gone back to your old ways, then most probably you were never saved. If, however, you were saved, then God won’t let you stay in rebellion for long.
He will deal with you in whatever way is necessary to bring you back into fellowship with Him.
Did you become a Christian by going to church or by asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins? The latter makes you a Christian, the former doesn’t.
4. "I knew some Christians once and they wronged me."
Christians aren’t perfect. They make mistakes like anyone else. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive them. I think that is what they would do for you.
Maybe they didn’t know they wronged you. Was it something really bad or was it just a mistake? Have you gone to them and spoken to them about it? Maybe if you were to forgive them you would begin to understand the forgiveness God has for you. We all need to be forgiven, don’t you agree?
5. "I’ll take my chances."
With what, eternity? Eternity is a long time to be wrong. Why would you want to take a gamble on something as important as your eternal destiny? It takes only a moment to trust Christ for your salvation. There will be an eternity of pain and regret if you don’t.
You don’t take chances with guns do you? You don’t take chances and run red lights do you? Why would you take a chance on something that is far more important than these? Don’t take a chance on something eternal.
6. "It isn’t worth it."
Jesus said He was the only way to God. He forgave sins, walked on water, calmed a storm with a command, raised people from the dead, and rose from the dead Himself. No one else in all of history has done that. If He can do all that, don’t you think you should listen to Him.
7. "I am not that bad a person."
Whether or not you feel you are bad or good is not the real issue. The Bible says that all have sinned (Rom. 3:23). If all have sinned, good or bad, then all will suffer the judgment of God. God does not require someone to be pretty good; He requires that he not sin at all. But He knows that you cannot be sinless. That is why He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
The Bible says that our good works are filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). It isn’t saying that we might not try to be good, it is saying that whatever good we do, it is not good enough. It also says that there is none who does good (Rom. 3:12). The standard God seeks is perfection. We cannot please God on our own. That is why Jesus died on behalf of sinners. If you want to be good enough, then you must let God see you through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. That is the only goodness that counts to God.
8. "I am too old or too young."
You are never to old to trust in Jesus as your Savior. As long as you are alive you can call on Him to forgive you of your sins. He is as close as the call of your heart.
(Granted there may be some who are too young to understand the gospel message, but here we will address those who simply use that as an excuse.) Youth is a blessing from God. Don’t use it as an excuse to stay away from Him. If you can understand what sin is and your need for deliverance from it, then you are not too young to receive Jesus as your Savior. He saves everyone, young and old.
9. "I can’t believe in a God who would send people to hell."
Hell was originally created for Satan and his angels. In the future it will contain those who join Satan in rejecting God. If you reject God’s provision for the forgiveness of your sins then you will join the Devil who rejected God from the beginning. Is that what you want?
Could you believe in a God who would become a human, suffer at the hands of humans, and be killed by them, all so that His death could be the payment for their sins? That is extremely loving. God is saving people who deserve to go to hell -- and we all deserve that. Remember that the same God that sends people to hell also died for them. If they reject what God has provided then what is God left to do? He would have to judge them.
Whether you believe in something or not does not change the fact of its existence. Jesus spoke often of hell (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:47-48; Luke 16:19-31) and warned us so we would not go there. Would you say Jesus didn’t know what He was talking about?
Are you implying that it is unjust for God to send people to hell? If so, then you accuse God of
injustice. Sin is wrong and it must be punished. What would you have God do to those who oppose Him and do evil? Do you want Him to ignore that which is wrong? Do you want Him to turn His head and not be holy and righteous?
9. "I will worry about it in the next life."
That you may very well do, forever. Eternity is a long time to be wrong, especially about Jesus.
God has warned us in the Bible that it is appointed for men to die once, then judgment (Heb. 9:27). After death you will be judged. Do you want to face eternity without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ accounted to you? God hates sin and you have sinned. God will punish sinners if they reject Jesus. However, He loves you. That is why He sent His Son to die for sins. If you want eternal life, then you need to worry about it now.
Eternity is a long time to be wrong, especially about Jesus.
10. "There is no next life."
Reincarnation isn’t true. The Bible says after death you face God (Heb. 9:27).
11. "I don’t want to give up what I like doing."
If you become a Christian, are you saying you must stop doing what you’re doing now. That means you know it is wrong. Let me ask you something. If you were to become a Christian and God were to live in your heart and you looked back upon your life now, would you say to yourself, "I did a lot of things I wish I hadn’t done."? Probably so. The Bible speaks about just such a thing. In Rom. 6:21 it says, "What benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed, for the outcome of those things is death," (NASB).
What you are saying is that God will require you to give up certain things that you like to do. Since God only wants what is good and right, and you say you don’t want to give up what your are doing, then you are saying you want what is wrong.
Will you let your pleasures get in the way of salvation? Is your life of sin worth an eternity of pain? Jesus said, "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?" (Mark 8:36).
Notes taken from Christian Apologetic Research Ministry, Matthew Slick p. 212,213
12. "Don’t judge me! The Bible even says ’Judge not lest ye be judged."
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."
13. "How can you say that Jesus it the only way to God? How arrogant!"
Possible Response: "If I told you that there were other ways I would be lying to you. While you may think I am full of hatred or have no respect for other religions, we must look at what the Bible teaches. The Bible says, ’Neither is there salvation in any other. There is no other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ Even if those of other faiths are sincere, what would happen if I sincerely believed that I was on a plane flying to Hawaii, but in truth I was heading for Afghanistan? You are forgetting that someone can be sincerely wrong. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ. There is one mediator between man of God, the Man Christ Jesus. Here’s the Big difference between Christianity and other religions. Jesus said, ’The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.’ No religion can forgive sin - only Jesus ...because of the Cross. The Bible also says ’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).
Do I believe they will go to Hell because of being a different religion? Only if they have broken the Commandments. If they are perfect in thought, word and deed on the Day of Judgment, they will be fine. If they have lied, stolen, lusted, fornicated, etc. they will be in big trouble - no matter how religious they are. The Bible says, ’Whoever transgresses, and abides not in the doctrine of Christ, has not God.’ You preach tolerance of other religions, but do you practice that as well? Are you tolerant about Christianity? Are you tolerant of the claims of Christianity - that Jesus is the only way to God?"
14. "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.
15. "If Christianity is true, 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).
16. "Seeing is believing -- if I can’t see God, why should I believe in Him?"
Possible Response: "So if you can’t see something, you don’t believe it exists? Have you ever seen your brain? We believe in many things that we can’t see. Have you ever seen the wind? Have you seen history? 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. Do you know that you have a receiver? Your ’receiver’ (your spirit) is dead because of sin (see Ephesians 2:1). You need to be plugged into the life of God, and then you will come alive and be aware of the invisible spiritual realm. Do you think that you have kept the Ten Commandments? Etc."
17. "If God is perfect, why did He make an imperfect creation?"
The Bible tells us that the Genesis creation was "good." There was no sin and therefore no suffering or death. Why then did God give Adam and Eve the ability to sin, knowing full well that they would sin and bring death and pain to the human race? Some believe that if Adam had been created without the ability to choose, then he would have been a "robot." A father cannot make his children love him. They choose to love him because they have a free will. Others point out that humanity would never have seen the depth of the love of God, as displayed in the cross, unless Adam had sinned, and that fact could be one reason why God allowed sin to enter the world.
Also see our gospel presentation If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and loving, would He really create a world like this?
18.
"God is all loving. He would never send me to Hell."
Possible Response: "Friend, God is not all loving. The Bible doesn’t say he is ’all loving’, It says that God is love. He’s not a slave to love. The Bible sees that He’s also just, holy and righteous. When people say that God is all-loving, they are implying that God is so loving that He wouldn’t send people to Hell. Let me ask you a question. If a man sexually abused children, tortured them, cut their throats and said that he would do it again if he had half a chance, should a judge punish him? Of course he should. If the judge is a loving man, wouldn’t he still punish that wicked person? Of course, and God will punish all wicked men, even though He is ’love.’
"My god would never send anyone to hell"
Possible Response: "Do you realize that you are breaking the Second of the Ten Commandments by saying that? You have made a god to suit yourself. Your god would never send anyone to Hell, because he couldn’t. He doesn’t exist. He’s a figment of your imagination. You have made a god you feel comfortable with. I did the same for many years before I became a Christian. You believe that because the god you have conceived in your mind has a low standard of morality. Did you know that the God of the Bible - the God you have to face on the Day of Judgment - commands you to be perfect? He is perfect, and He will judge you with a perfect Law that demands perfection."
19. "I’m basically a good person."
If you can get your audience to admit that they have broken the moral law (ever lied, stolen, etc.) then they will be forced to realize that they are a lawbreaker. Or, if they say they used to break the law but no longer do, mention to them that time doesn’t forgive sin. If a man commits sin 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. See also "How good is good enough?" and "Are you good enough to go to Heaven?"
20. How can I know that the Bible is true?
Fulfilled Prophecies
The remarkable evidence of fulfilled prophecy is just one case in point. Hundreds of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled, specifically and meticulously, often long after the prophetic writer had passed away.
For example, Daniel the prophet predicted in about 538 BC (Daniel 9:24-27) that Christ would come as Israel’s promised Savior and Prince 483 years after the Persian emperor would give the Jews authority to rebuild Jerusalem, which was then in ruins. This was clearly and definitely fulfilled, hundreds of years later.
There are extensive prophecies dealing with individual nations and cities and with the course of history in general, all of which have been literally fulfilled. More than 300 prophecies were fulfilled by Christ Himself at His first coming. Other prophecies deal with the spread of Christianity, as well as various false religions, and many other subjects.
There is no other book, ancient or modern, like this. The vague, and usually erroneous, prophecies of people like Jeanne Dixon, Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, and others like them are not in the same category at all, and neither are other religious books such as the Koran, the Confucian Analects, and similar religious writings. Only the Bible manifests this remarkable prophetic evidence, and it does so on such a tremendous scale as to render completely absurd any explanation other than divine revelation.
Unique Historical Accuracy
Learn more about Archaeology and the Bible
The historical accuracy of the Scriptures is likewise in a class by itself, far superior to the written records of Egypt, Assyria, and other early nations. Archeological confirmations of the Biblical record have been almost innumerable in the last century. Dr. Nelson Glueck, probably the greatest modern authority on Israeli archeology, has said:
"No archeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries."
Scientific Accuracy
Another striking evidence of divine inspiration is found in the fact that many of the principles of modern science were recorded as facts of nature in the Bible long before scientist confirmed them experimentally. A sampling of these would include:
Roundness of the earth (Isaiah 40:22)
Almost infinite extent of the sidereal universe (Isaiah 55:9)
Law of conservation of mass and energy (II Peter 3:7)
Hydrologic cycle (Ecclesiastes 1:7)
Vast number of stars (Jeremiah 33:22)
Law of increasing entropy (Psalm 102:25-27)
Paramount importance of blood in life processes (Leviticus 17:11)
Atmospheric circulation (Ecclesiastes 1:6)
Gravitational field (Job 26:7)
and many others.
These are not stated in the technical jargon of modern science, of course, but in terms of the basic world of man’s everyday experience; nevertheless, they are completely in accord with the most modern scientific facts.
It is significant also that no real mistake has ever been demonstrated in the Bible, in science, in history, or in any other subject. Many have been claimed, of course, but conservative Bible scholars have always been able to work out reasonable solutions to all such problems.
Unique Structure
The remarkable structure of the Bible should also be stressed. Although it is a collection of 66 books, written by 40 or more different men over a period of 2,000 years, it is clearly one Book, with perfect unity and consistency throughout.
The individual writers, at the time of writing, had no idea that their message was eventually to be incorporated into such a Book, but each nevertheless fits perfectly into place and serves its own unique purpose as a component of the whole. Anyone who diligently studies the Bible will continually find remarkable structural and mathematical patterns woven throughout its fabric, with an intricacy and symmetry incapable of explanation by chance or collusion.
The one consistent theme of the Bible, developing in grandeur from Genesis to Revelation, is God’s great work in the creation and redemption of all things, through His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Bible’s Unique Effect
The Bible is unique also in terms of its effect on individual men and on the history of nations. It is the all-time best seller, appealing both to hearts and minds, beloved by at least some in every race or nation or tribe to which it has gone, rich or poor, scholar or simple, king or commoner, men of literally every background and walk of life. No other book has ever held such universal appeal nor produced such lasting effects.
One final evidence that the Bible is true is found in the testimony of those who have believed it. Multitudes of people, past and present, have found from personal experience that its promises are true, its counsel is sound, its commands and restrictions are wise, and its wonderful message of salvation meets every need for both time and eternity.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God
(Notes taken from Effectiveevangelism. com)A ministry of Ray Comfort’s Living Water’s Publication and also ChristianAnswers.Net)
Conclusion:Whoever wants to be judge of human nature should study people’s excuses.
Hebbel.
