Evangelism:
The Joy of Sharing the Good News.
Part 16.
This week we look at how to deal with objections when you share the gospel. We'll begin with a brief introduction to apologetics, followed by objections related to the existence of God.
So first, “apologetics” is the discipline of defending, explaining, and providing reasoned arguments for the truth of the faith or a doctrine. The term has nothing to do with “apologizing” — it derives from the Greek word apologia, which means “a speech in defense” or “to reply.” It is used nine times in the New Testament.
Fundamental to the idea of apologetics is that we should be prepared to offer answers. The Apostle Peter wrote in his first epistle:
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).
Everyone has basic heart commitments and presuppositions by which they live and make judgments. The non-Christian is committed to independence and sets himself up as the ultimate judge. This is why he does not accept the Christian view of things. But he cannot justify this commitment to independence without appealing to self — which is circular reasoning. For more on the subject, see Apologetics to the Glory of God by John Frame.
We defend the faith committed to the Lordship of Christ. We take every thought captive to Christ in submission to his Word. This is where Reformed presuppositional apologetics differs from traditional apologetics. Human reasoning is not the ultimate judge of what is true or false. God’s Word is the supreme authority.
We also should speak with respect and gentleness. We can debate without raising our voice, being dismissive, annoyed, or sarcastic.
The role of apologetics is both defensive and offensive. A defensive approach is to argue by truth — presenting the biblical answer and evidence for the Christian view. Proverbs 26:4 is an example: “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.”
The offensive approach is to argue by folly — seeking to undercut the unbeliever’s confidence by using his own ideas against him. This is actually easier for many people since the burden of proof lies upon him. Again, Proverbs 26 offers an example: “Answer a fool according to this folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes” (v. 5)
Regardless of approach, after answering an objection return to the gospel and keep the conversation on Christ. Address the specific objection and then move on. Don’t get caught up in covering additional topics or getting off on tangents. Perhaps you can say, “I’ve found that a lot of questions people have are answered once they understand the basic Christian message. Let me finishing explaining what Christ claimed and if you still have questions, I’ll be glad to answer them.” Or, “There’s a lot of the material available on that issue, and I’ll do my best to get that to you if you’re interested. But I think things will be become clearer once you understand the basic Christian message.”
Know your content, but know how much content to use. Don’t say everything there is to say about the topic. Reply briefly yet sufficiently.
Answer real questions and avoid smokescreens. Respond to questions with honesty, humility, and genuineness.
Objections related to the existence of God
Here are just a few examples of dialogues between a Christian and people with a variety of worldviews.
The Athiest:
Atheist (A): I don’t believe in God. There is no God.
Christian (C): How much do you know of everything there is to know?
A: Of course, very little.
C: Then isn’t possible God exists beyond what you have known or experienced?
A: I suppose.
C: So you cannot claim there is no God. That being the case, I would to take a moment to share what Jesus Christ said about knowing God.
The Arrogant Agnostic:
AA: No one can know whether God exists.
C: In order to say no one can know whether God exists you would have to possess comprehensive knowledge of all things. Do you claim to know everything there is to know about the universe?
AA: Of course not.
C: Then isn’t possible God can be known and that you have not yet experienced him personally? According to Jesus there is a way to know God. May I share it with you?
The Open Agnostic:
OA: I’m not sure whether God exists or not.
C: Since you are unsure, I assume you would like to learn more. Jesus Christ claims there is a way to know God personally. May I take a moment to share that with you?
Realize that some open agnostics only wish to appear open but remain uncommitted. If someone is truly open, I would challenge him or her to read the Gospel of John and ask God to reveal himself to them. Agnosticism is not a reason for rejecting the Christian faith but for examining the Christian faith.
The Bible clearly states that everyone knows God in a non-saving way (Romans 1:18-21). You could respond to the atheist or agnostic, “Well, according to the Bible everyone knows God in one sense, but they suppress that knowledge to pursue a life of independence, making themselves the judge for what is true and meaningful. The problem according to the Bible is not primarily intellectual but moral; people marred by sin seek to live out their desires as they please denying they are accountable to God.”
While that is true, I don’t think that is the best way to begin a discussion. You can make this point later if they continue to be resistant.
The reality of the universe is a common point of discussion in apologetics. There are three options:
- The universe is self-created. It is impossible for something to exist prior to its existing. It would have to simultaneously be and not be at the same time in the same relationship. This violates the law of non-contradiction.
- The universe is self-existent (eternal). This is philosophically impossible, for if the past is infinite then we could never have passed through time to reach today. It is also scientifically impossible, for the Second Law of Thermodynamics says the universe is running down; its usable energy is slowly being exhausted. Therefore, the universe cannot be eternal because if it were infinitely old it would have already reached “heat death” by now.
- The universe is created by One who is self-existent. This is the only logical option. This “One” must be uncaused and eternal — who we call God.
Three classic arguments for the existence of God
As Christians, we don’t have to prove the existence of God. God’s existence is a foundational belief without which all other beliefs are incoherent. Christians do not need to assume the burden of proof in this matter. In fact, we often unwittingly create the opportunity for unbelievers to reject the faith simply because they cannot follow a complex premise in an argument. However, this does not mean that arguments for the existence of God are without profit. As Ronald Nash reminds us: “It is one thing to need an argument; it is something else to have an argument to bolster and confirm a belief.”
While no philosophical argument can prove in the sense of compelling belief, the following arguments may aid the non-theist in seeing the reasonableness of faith in God, triggering the knowledge of the Creator implanted in all people. The arguments below are succinctly stated. There are a number of sources which explain these arguments in more detail.
- Moral argument (see C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity). A moral law demands a Moral Law Giver — which we call God.
- Teleological argument or the argument from design. The great design of the universe requires a Great Designer — which we call God. The “fine-tuning argument” is a modern update to the teleological argument. The precision and complexity of the universe or the human body, for example, requires a degree of fine tuning impossible to conceive of by random forces (see Stephen C. Meyer, Signature in the Cell).
- Cosmological argument or the argument from contingency. This has three components: No being or object in this world is self-existent, the universe is simply the totality of these dependent objects, and the universe must have an external cause which is self-existent (God) to explain existence at all.
Next week we will continue dealing with objections you are likely to encounter when sharing the gospel.