A Biblical Defense of the Faith
by Mike Gendron
Have you ever considered how biblical your approach is to handling objections when you witness for Christ? It doesn't help that a great majority of apologetical resources encourage unbiblical methods. Whether the individual you engage is a skeptic or a false convert, they need to be confronted with the depravity of their sin, the authority of God's Word and the exclusivity of Christ. This is because their positions are the same and their objections are similar. They are both without Christ and they both appeal to their own authority to justify how they live.
Do such individuals need to be given better evidences to refute their objections? Do they simply lack a few key proofs that Jesus is Lord and Savior? Or does such an approach perpetuate a false notion that they are the judge and God is on trial? Nowhere in Scripture do we find Jesus or His disciples giving more evidence for what skeptics reject. The biblical model begins with the fact that man is "without excuse" because "what can be known about God is plain to him, because God has shown it to them" in His creation (Rom. 1:19-20). Despite man having this inherent truth about God, he suppresses it (Rom.1:18). For this reason, it is not wise to spend time arguing over evolution, the existence of God, or for that matter, anything opposed to the Bible. If God's Word says it, then it is true. If one rejects His Word, the problem is not a lack of evidence, but an unwillingness to submit to the authority of God and His Word. For this reason we must defend the faith, not with extra-biblical evidences, but with the Bible alone. This is the best approach because God's infallible Word never returns void (Isa. 55:11).
Some Christians compromise and seek a neutral source for truth when someone doesn't respect the Bible. Yet, there is no such thing as neutrality, for each person has their own presuppositions. They are drawn either from submitting to God's authority or an authority of their own choosing. When someone rejects the supreme authority of God's Word, how can appealing to a lesser authority be of any help (Rom. 10:17; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 4:12)? If an unbeliever wins an argument using an extra-biblical source, they will still need to surrender to Christ's authority for salvation.
Proverbs 26:4-5 provides a wonderful model for answering objections. It states, "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes." Verse 4 reveals the importance of responding with truth while verse 5 explains the importance of exposing untruth. In other words, don't answer a skeptic by using his faulty worldview, but rather stay centered on biblical truth. Show the futility of clinging to anything opposed to God's Word. Also, do not allow the unbeliever to steal components from your biblical worldview such as logic, reason, certainty, or morality, none of which can exist apart from God.
As an example, imagine a discussion with a Catholic who believes they are a Christian but has unknowingly rejected the Gospel. First, we should point them to Gospel truth as laid out in God's Word. The conversation might begin by asking how one hopes to get to heaven. After they have articulated an unbiblical understanding of salvation, ask, "If God's Word said something different would you want to know?" Then show them that they fall short of God's perfect standard. Show them, that in their sin they must give an account to a holy and just God who cannot overlook sin. Show them their only hope is the Gospel and help them understand that grace, by its very nature, cannot be earned and that it is by faith and repentance that the sinner is made right with God. Reinforce that to add anything else to this free gift, is an assault on the gift itself (Rom. 11:6). If the Catholic is humble and interested in the Gospel, then continue to engage them and exhort them to forsake everything else and trust Christ alone. To discern if there is biblical understanding, ask the Catholic about certain Catholic teachings which oppose the gospel. Look for genuine understanding of biblical truth and repentance of previously held gospel opposed beliefs.
If however the conversation doesn't even get this far and the gospel message is rejected, then we need to switch gears. We must transition from leading out with the truth (Prov. 26:4), to showing the folly of the untruth that the unbeliever is currently trusting in (Prov. 26:5). This would involve respectfully but honestly exposing why the Catholic teaching on salvation is problematic. Ask them about their authority and how they know what they are saying is true. Ask multiple "how" and "why" questions to dig deeper and reveal the root of what they believe and why. At some point it will be exposed that they are either trusting in man blindly or their own authority. Demonstrate how this is a dangerous path to be on and what Scripture has to say about trusting man (Ps. 118:9, 146:3). Discuss why man always drifts to religion when he really needs a saving relationship with His Lord and Savior. Jesus' discussion with the very religious Nicodemus in John 3 and Paul's testimony of the value of his prior religion in Philippians 3 both would be great texts to make this point. Let them see by way of analogies from Scripture where they stand and let God's powerful Word bookmark your conversation in their minds.
When the Gospel is proclaimed biblically and backed up by a strong biblical defense to any objections, then the evangelist further removes them self from the conversation. This allows for the individual to rightly see their rebellion against a holy God before whom they must one day give an account (Heb. 4:13). Because this defense of the faith rightfully stands on God's Word which is compared to a powerful sword, (Heb. 4:12, Eph. 6:17) we must be wise in how we use it. With the truth on our side, it is easy to make a fool of the unbeliever and put them in their place. However, doing so demonstrates wrong motives, a proud spirit, and a lack of compassion for those who are perishing. The apostle Peter reminds believers when they give a defense of the faith to do so with "gentleness and respect" (1 Pet. 3:15). What good is exposing an unbeliever's false worldview if they are so turned off by your manner that they refuse to listen to you (1 Cor. 13:1)? We must continue to demonstrate our love for the unbeliever and show them that the door is open for them to repent and enter. May we saturate both our gospel witness and defense of the faith in prayer, that our hearts would be right, that we would stay faithful to God's Word, and He would be glorified.
by Mike Gendron
Have you ever considered how biblical your approach is to handling objections when you witness for Christ? It doesn't help that a great majority of apologetical resources encourage unbiblical methods. Whether the individual you engage is a skeptic or a false convert, they need to be confronted with the depravity of their sin, the authority of God's Word and the exclusivity of Christ. This is because their positions are the same and their objections are similar. They are both without Christ and they both appeal to their own authority to justify how they live.
Do such individuals need to be given better evidences to refute their objections? Do they simply lack a few key proofs that Jesus is Lord and Savior? Or does such an approach perpetuate a false notion that they are the judge and God is on trial? Nowhere in Scripture do we find Jesus or His disciples giving more evidence for what skeptics reject. The biblical model begins with the fact that man is "without excuse" because "what can be known about God is plain to him, because God has shown it to them" in His creation (Rom. 1:19-20). Despite man having this inherent truth about God, he suppresses it (Rom.1:18). For this reason, it is not wise to spend time arguing over evolution, the existence of God, or for that matter, anything opposed to the Bible. If God's Word says it, then it is true. If one rejects His Word, the problem is not a lack of evidence, but an unwillingness to submit to the authority of God and His Word. For this reason we must defend the faith, not with extra-biblical evidences, but with the Bible alone. This is the best approach because God's infallible Word never returns void (Isa. 55:11).
Some Christians compromise and seek a neutral source for truth when someone doesn't respect the Bible. Yet, there is no such thing as neutrality, for each person has their own presuppositions. They are drawn either from submitting to God's authority or an authority of their own choosing. When someone rejects the supreme authority of God's Word, how can appealing to a lesser authority be of any help (Rom. 10:17; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 4:12)? If an unbeliever wins an argument using an extra-biblical source, they will still need to surrender to Christ's authority for salvation.
Proverbs 26:4-5 provides a wonderful model for answering objections. It states, "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes." Verse 4 reveals the importance of responding with truth while verse 5 explains the importance of exposing untruth. In other words, don't answer a skeptic by using his faulty worldview, but rather stay centered on biblical truth. Show the futility of clinging to anything opposed to God's Word. Also, do not allow the unbeliever to steal components from your biblical worldview such as logic, reason, certainty, or morality, none of which can exist apart from God.
As an example, imagine a discussion with a Catholic who believes they are a Christian but has unknowingly rejected the Gospel. First, we should point them to Gospel truth as laid out in God's Word. The conversation might begin by asking how one hopes to get to heaven. After they have articulated an unbiblical understanding of salvation, ask, "If God's Word said something different would you want to know?" Then show them that they fall short of God's perfect standard. Show them, that in their sin they must give an account to a holy and just God who cannot overlook sin. Show them their only hope is the Gospel and help them understand that grace, by its very nature, cannot be earned and that it is by faith and repentance that the sinner is made right with God. Reinforce that to add anything else to this free gift, is an assault on the gift itself (Rom. 11:6). If the Catholic is humble and interested in the Gospel, then continue to engage them and exhort them to forsake everything else and trust Christ alone. To discern if there is biblical understanding, ask the Catholic about certain Catholic teachings which oppose the gospel. Look for genuine understanding of biblical truth and repentance of previously held gospel opposed beliefs.
If however the conversation doesn't even get this far and the gospel message is rejected, then we need to switch gears. We must transition from leading out with the truth (Prov. 26:4), to showing the folly of the untruth that the unbeliever is currently trusting in (Prov. 26:5). This would involve respectfully but honestly exposing why the Catholic teaching on salvation is problematic. Ask them about their authority and how they know what they are saying is true. Ask multiple "how" and "why" questions to dig deeper and reveal the root of what they believe and why. At some point it will be exposed that they are either trusting in man blindly or their own authority. Demonstrate how this is a dangerous path to be on and what Scripture has to say about trusting man (Ps. 118:9, 146:3). Discuss why man always drifts to religion when he really needs a saving relationship with His Lord and Savior. Jesus' discussion with the very religious Nicodemus in John 3 and Paul's testimony of the value of his prior religion in Philippians 3 both would be great texts to make this point. Let them see by way of analogies from Scripture where they stand and let God's powerful Word bookmark your conversation in their minds.
When the Gospel is proclaimed biblically and backed up by a strong biblical defense to any objections, then the evangelist further removes them self from the conversation. This allows for the individual to rightly see their rebellion against a holy God before whom they must one day give an account (Heb. 4:13). Because this defense of the faith rightfully stands on God's Word which is compared to a powerful sword, (Heb. 4:12, Eph. 6:17) we must be wise in how we use it. With the truth on our side, it is easy to make a fool of the unbeliever and put them in their place. However, doing so demonstrates wrong motives, a proud spirit, and a lack of compassion for those who are perishing. The apostle Peter reminds believers when they give a defense of the faith to do so with "gentleness and respect" (1 Pet. 3:15). What good is exposing an unbeliever's false worldview if they are so turned off by your manner that they refuse to listen to you (1 Cor. 13:1)? We must continue to demonstrate our love for the unbeliever and show them that the door is open for them to repent and enter. May we saturate both our gospel witness and defense of the faith in prayer, that our hearts would be right, that we would stay faithful to God's Word, and He would be glorified.
