A close friend described his experience of sharing the Gospel with his brother as painstaking and confrontational. Although he feels led by the Holy Spirit to share Christ with his brother, he often runs into that proverbial bump in the road when a difficult question throws him for a loop or if an objection is raised about Christianity that leads to him and his brother engaging in a heated debate. He asked me for help in dealing with the subject of overcoming objections and answering difficult questions. I believe my response can be beneficial to everyone.
“Why do bad things happen to good people?” “Why would a loving God send people to hell?” “Don’t all roads lead to heaven?” These are some of the most common questions and objections raised about Christianity. Knowing how to respond to these and other objections and difficult questions is very important when sharing the Gospel. The key thing to remember is that questions about Christianity and objections to Christianity must be responded to in truth, love and with humility. 2 Timothy 2:23-26 says, “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”
Arguments should be avoided, but are not always preventable…
Arguments about Christian doctrine are not always preventable, but try to avoid them as much as possible. The fact that Christianity is not tolerant of other religions angers people and that should not surprise us. Jesus himself did not enjoy the acceptance or approval of people while He was on earth (Isaiah 53:3, 1 Corinthians 1:18). Keeping this in mind, if you find yourself in a debate or argument, be careful not to let the objective for the discussion transition into trying to win an argument. When you begin arguing over Christian doctrine, the discussion is centered around you and the other person and is no longer about Christ. If you are in a conversation about Christianity that turns into an argument or a debate you can do the following:
- Consider the volume of your voice. When you raise your voice, you give the other person incentive to raise their voice. When you lower your voice you give the other person incentive to lower their voice.
- Stop talking and listen to the other person’s point of view. Even if it’s unbiblical, it will give you insight about where they are coming from spiritually.
- Don’t compromise the word or God. Although you have to be humble and gentle, you still have to stand your ground and tell the truth.
- Don’t take it personally. Don’t accuse. Don’t disrespect. Don’t condescend. Although someone may have a belief system that does not align with Christ, you must treat them with respect. Take into account that this person is just as sincere and passionate about their belief system as you are about your faith in Christ. God’s word is truth and therefore, their disagreement with the word of God does not change the truth about who God is and what it means to be saved.
- Politely end the conversation if the discussion becomes very heated or looks like it has no end in sight. Here is an example of something that you could say to end an argument or debate: “We have come to point where we do not agree and cannot move forward in this discussion. I sincerely think that we should end the discussion here”. Note: This must be said with sincerity and humility. Don’t infer that you’re the more mature and rational person. Don’t make statements like, “I’m going to take the high road and end this conversation” or try to get the last word.
- If your pride or arrogance got in the way, repent and ask God’s forgiveness. Additionally, you may need to apologize to the person. Be careful that you are not apologizing for Christianity.
- Add the person to your prayer list and open the door for future dialog.
- Lastly, be sure that your conversation is one where God is glorified and your speech is seasoned with salt. Even though there is disagreement, be sure that the love is Christ is always communicated.
What to do when you are unable to respond to an objection or question…
If you are unable to answer questions about Christian doctrine, be honest and say that you don’t know the answer. However, let the person know that you will find the answer and get back to them. Do get back to them soon when you have the answer. If you’re sharing the Gospel at the time the question is asked, transition back into where you left off in the discussion.
We should not always assume that the motivation behind asking a question is to challenge us or trip us up. Someone may be trying to gain insight about something that they truly do not understand. The reason questions are asked is because beliefs within Christianity are spiritual are not clearly understood or indiscernible to those who don’t know Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:14(NLT) says, “But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” Also, inquire why the question is being asked. The basis of the question might originate from something observed about Christianity at a church, something observed about Christian denominations or something observed about Christianity from the media. For example, I have a friend who loves to watch those National Geographic and Discovery Channel documentaries about Christianity. She always asks me how they compare to actual biblical truth.
Common Questions about and Objections to the Gospel…
1 Peter 3:15 says to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. The study of Apologetics, which is the practice of defending the faith, is doing just that. There are many resources that can assist with responding to difficult questions about Christianity. The primary resource, of course, is the Bible. Here is a very good secondary resource from the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM). There are responses to 41 of the most common questions and objections and how to respond to them. Please click here to view those.
In conclusion, after reading this I hope you will be encouraged not to retreat when you are asked difficult questions about Christianity and that you will stand strong and share the truth in love. Know that you are standing alone. God is right there with you. Trust the Holy Spirit to do the convicting and softening of the person’s heart that you are ministering to. Also, as mentioned in the post, “Talk to the Hand – Rejection in Evangelism”, remember that you are only responsible for sharing the correct information about what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The rest is up to God.
This is a lot of good information. I hear the “Don’t all roads lead to heaven?” response a great deal now a days. Thank you for another great post Ms. Pope! 😉
I am one of God’s children. But, I am not Jesus, nor would any pnteraal offspring from Him be Jesus. They would be whatever Jesus wanted to call them. But, Jesus didn’t come to earth to start a family.He already did that in the Garden of Eden.