Here are ten of the most common objections to Christianity that people often have. Click on the question in order to find some answers to it.
1. "What about the heathen who have never heard?"
2. "Don't all religions lead to God?"
3. "What about all the suffering in the world?"
4. "The resurrection did not really happen"
6. "I don't believe the bible"
7. "I have always done my best"
8. "Look at the record of the church"
10. "Jesus was just a great man"
1. "What about the heathen who have never heard"?
The real
problem is those who have heard, but done nothing about it. God
will judge a person on three counts:
a) Did he worship ? (revelation of God in nature)
b) Did he obey ? (in response to the revelation in his
conscience)
c) Would he have trusted Christ if he had heard ?
God will assess YOU on the basis of what you know about Christ.
2. "Don't all
religions lead to God?"
The Christian way is different!
- Other religions are man's best effort to reach God (by works)
- Christianity is God's supreme effort to reach man (by grace)
3. "What about
all the suffering in the world?"
Does God care? - Yes, he cares so much that he became a man and
suffered at the hands of men for us.
a) Suffering is not necessarily the consequence of an individuals
sin, but rather of the general rebellion of man towards God.
b) The bible doesn't explain in detail why there is suffering,
but it does tell us how it can be overcome. For example,
resurrection, miracles of healing, etc.
c) Through suffering people have often found God.
4. "The
resurrection did not really happen"
What makes you say that? Have you ever investigated the evidence?
a) Jesus predicted that he would rise again (Luke 18:31- 33)
b) The tomb was empty, but the following groups of people could
not have taken the body...
- The Romans wanted to close the whole affair
- The Jews put a guard on the tomb, and would have looked for the
body in order to suppress the story of the resurrection.
- The disciples suffered for their "fiction" . Men give
up their deceptions when it becomes unprofitable
c) Jesus appeared to his disciples in a variety of situations as
a normal man (i.e. not a ghost)
d) The disciples were changed from beaten men into
revolutionaries
If Jesus rose from the dead, then all he said must be true. He
can change your life.
5. "I don't believe in
God"
How can you be sure ? Could God exist outside the realm of you
knowledge ?
a) NATURE... the world around us presents us with order and law.
Design demands a designer.
b) CONSCIENCE... Man has a conscience, and longs for meaning and
purpose in life. Why is this, if he is only he product of a
meaningless world ?
c) JESUS... his unique character, death and resurrection shows
that he was more than a mere man.
d) PROPHECY... there is a unique pattern of prophecy and
fulfilment that only a supernatural mind could have worked out.
Jesus fulfilled over 300 of these.
e) INVISIBILITY... things like love, truth and faith cannot be
seen, but be believe in these things because we see their
effects. We know God is there by the effects that he has.
f) NO GOD, NO HOPE... If you leave God out, this world is
pointless- just a product of chance and evolution. God doesn't
become a living reality to us until we make a step of personal
commitment.
6. "I don't believe the
bible"
What do you think the central message of the bible is ?
People often reject the bible because they don't want it to be
true, but they accept other characters of ancient history on much
less evidence.
a) The New Testament writers got their facts straight
- Luke did thorough research (LUKE 1 v1-3)
- John emphasised that his is an eyewitness account (JOHN 19 v35)
- Paul gave the names of the witnesses of the resurrection for
people to check up for themselves (1 Cor 15 v4-7)
b) The disciples did not exaggerate about Jesus
c) The record has been preserved accurately
d) There is good support outside the bible (e.g. Josephus,
Thallus)
These are the facts of history. What will you do with Jesus ?
7. "I have always done my
best"
Have you ever felt that you could have done better ?
Romans 3v 23 says :- "ALL have sinned, and fall short of the
glory of God... "
Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins. No one is perfect
enough to get to heaven by their own deeds.
8. "Look at
the record of the church"
This shows that there is a great difference between religion and
real Christianity.
a) Our loyalty is to Jesus, not to other imperfect followers.
b) A true believer (one who knows Christ personally) will have a
genuine love and concern for those around him (1 John 4 v20)
c) Christians have brought about prison reforms, child work laws,
abolition of slavery, development of hospitals, the red cross,
the humane society, orphanages, public education...
We must receive Jesus as saviour and Lord before we can become a
true Christian.
9. "I can manage without
God"
a) Man without God is incomplete... God made us with body, mind
and spirit. The spiritual side is ignored by many people because
of sin and rebellion (Ephesians 2 v1-3)
b) Man's initial rebellion... Eve taking the forbidden fruit, in
order to become independent of God.
c) Jesus depended totally on God... (John 5 v19) "The son
can do nothing of his own accord."
10. "Jesus was just a great
man"
How can you prove that Jesus was only a man ?
Unlike Mohammed, Bhudda, etc. it was only Jesus who...
a) Was foretold in detail centuries before he came
b) Said he came from outside the world
c) Said he was without flaw of character
d) Declared that he was God
e) Died for the sin of the world
f) Rose from the grave as he promised
Was he a liar?
a) Men lie for profit. When death threatens, they confess.
b) Men lie because of selfishness. Jesus showed he was not
selfish.
If Jesus Christ is God, then nothing is more important than your
relationship to him.