Simply put, They celebrate the season without the reason. That in itself could be an inroad to bringing them to Christ. But it got me thinking: What are their objections to the Christian faith? Why is it that so many today either don’t or won’t believe in the triune God? What are their arguments? In pondering these things, I’m sure we can come up with many ideas here, but I turned to the internet to see what is said there as well. So let’s look at some of the primary reasons why people refuse to believe. They may indeed have faith in something, they may hope for things, they certainly know of love, and can experience joy. But those things outside of Christ are hollow and empty. So what follows then is a compilation from several lists I uncovered, and how the Christian ought to answer their claims.
What I’m referring to is the field of “Apologetics.” The word itself can be a misnomer: it is not as in “apologizing” for the Christian faith, but rather as in a “vigorous defense of” the faith. Every argument is easily refuted by both modern science as well as Scripture itself. Often, like many early church heresies, nonbeliever claims often contain a kernel of the truth, but the claims themselves distort actual truth (both historical and Biblical) and so for the Christian, the best place to start is to know your Bible better and better with each passing year.
To be clear, I am not referring to denominational differences as the “distortions of truth.” That could be another topic for another time. In today’s age, we look beyond many differences in practice and interpretation amongst the denominations, insofar as the various denominations hold closely and cling to the Scriptures as THE Word of God. So I’m not talking about the differences among us there. Rather, I’m talking about those who either have a faith that rejects part or all of the Scriptures, thereby reducing the concept of “faith” to something either lukewarm or absent altogether.
I recently observed a debate between two people: One of them claimed that the Bible was nothing but myth, and therefore the REAL message of Christmas was in love and joy.
That’s a great sentiment, but worldly love and joy throughout history, when defined on it’s own terms, is anything but loving OR joyful. Most often, it comes through force and control, rather than true, Godly love and joy. God’s definition of such things is the ONLY thing that can create a real sense of hope in this world: and though I’m sure that to say so here is preaching to the choir, it is one of the many facets of the Christian faith that ought to and needs to be said over and over again.
It is important to know the arguments of the enemy. And by enemy, I’m not referring to the unbelievers to which I’m addressing. Rather, I’m referring to Satan, by whose trickery all of humanity has been led astray, including us. Those who take a worldly approach to the Christian faith, or those who have no faith at all in God – they are the victims of Satan. Their ideas come from His deception, and that is what we must know to be able to counter. Throughout history, the challenges to the Christian faith are like a frog in a pot of water. If you turn the heat on (the ideas of Satan that challenge faith and belief), it’s subtle enough that you don’t realize something is wrong until it is too late. The historic Creeds of the church derive from just such early challenges that the church felt compelled to defend and respond to. That, too, is a topic for another time.
It is indeed important that we always remember that unbelievers are not our enemies. Yes, Scripture does indeed use the phrase “enemies of the cross of Christ,” but for us, who are also both sinner and saint, we need to see that they are the victims of sin and evil, just as we also are. Also, it’s important to remember that we can lead no one to Christ in of ourselves, and it is certainly true that even the best laid argument can and will fail to bring some to Christ, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we pray that those we know will come to know who Jesus is, and more importantly, to confess his name and call upon him for true salvation.
I will discuss this more toward the end, but it is important to note two things about the Chrstian faith that make it stand apart from EVERY other religion in the world. One is that it is the ONLY religion where God becomes the actor in salvation. God saves us because we cannot save ourselves. Two is that the Bible (and by default – the Christian faith) is THE most influential thing in human history, because all good morality and all good societies and governments derive from it. Societies and governments fail when they fail to observe the morality and virtue that the Bible leaves us with – much the way we are observing in our own society at this very moment.
If you seek the fundamentals that our four Advent candles represent: Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace, there is but one true and real place they can be found, and that is in complete adherence to the Christian faith. Any other way or method of trying to achieve them will be hollow and unfulfilling in the end. And for us, we need to not only know the Bible and what it says, but know how to challenge the arguments presented by the unbeliever that sways a great many people away from the Christian faith today. And always remember that Christians are not perfect. Only forgiven. And they are forgiven only in recognizing their sin before God, not in weak attempts at justifying it.
With that, here are the 8 primary arguments used by the unbeliever against the Christian faith, and how to answer them.
Argument 1: There is No Evidence of GodOr: Who created God if God was there at the beginning?
Or: Faith is belief without evidence
In other words, “there is no such thing as God.” Only a fool would believe in some benign, distant deity that creates and then leaves no proof of his existence. First, there are similar arguments made: If God is the creator, who created God? OR You believe in a god with no evidence, and so therefore your faith is misplaced. Let’s come to the Biblical aspect in a minute, but the argument often goes that there is no physical evidence of a physical god. While that is true to an extent, God is not merely physical. (Sure, We point to Jesus, who is God, and there is plenty of historical evidence to support Jesus being real). But God transcends the limits of physical time and space, and so therefore to make such a claim is nonsensical at best. God cannot be put into a box in terms of human definition. But Most non Christian claims attempt to do just that. Oddly enough, there are an increasing number of scientists (admittedly who are atheist or at least agnostic) who are now coming around to recognizing the physical evidence of God in the universe. A recent book on the subject is titled “The Return of the God Hypothesis”
What do Christians believe? “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” (Colossians 1:15-16)
Now to the Biblical claims. First, as mentioned, Jesus is the “physical” face of God, if such a thing is demanded or needed. Colossians 1 identifies two things: Jesus is God and is physical (he is the creator of all things, and that is God’s job), and God is normally not seen: He is not bound by time and spatial dimensions as we know them.
More importantly:
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)
Romans 1 is pretty explicit: The “Physical” evidence for the existence for God is all around you, and yes, science can and does confirm this. We talk of the “billions and billions” of stars and planets in our galaxy alone, and yet life as we know it is virtually impossible even in our own solar system. We are nearly 92 million miles from the sun, and yet if the earth shifted a mere 80,000 miles closer or away from it, life as we know it would be impossible. That’s 9 thousandths of 1 percent off! The evidence and even the clues are all around us, from the complexity of the simplest cell, to the human ability for the very things our Advent wreath stands for: experiencing Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace, among many other things.
Then, of course, the argument is reduced to saying that those who believe in God do so with no evidence, after dismissing the abundant evidence that exists. The logical arguments for God are vast and time tested against some of the greatest minds of all time working tirelessly against them. But what is discouraging when engaging with atheists in debate, particularly online, is the constant charge that the faith is illogical, irrational, or the stuff of ancient fairy tales believed only by the ignorant and the mentally ill. It’s one thing to willfully deny the evidence for God after giving it an honest hearing, its another thing to remain willfully ignorant of an opposing view while claiming the opposing view is ignorant. That seems to be all too common in today’s circles, especially in politics: to accuse the other side of something that you yourself are doing. The physical evidence for God is all around us.
Argument 2: Being Good is All that Matters
Or: Christians are hypocrites
Or: People can be good without believing in God.
In other words, we can obtain an amorphous, generic “salvation” of sorts simply by being a good person. Christians are guilty of sin (and others just love to point them out), and therefore are hypocrites.
First of all, any Christian who would claim that being good is the way to salvation and heaven does not know either what they claim to believe in or what the Bible says. If we kick out all the sinners from church, there is no one left. Oddly enough, “being good is all that matters” is exactly the argument the entirety of the Bible argues against! Being good on your own is A: impossible; and B: Not what the Bible says is necessary for salvation! This is the fundamental message of the entire Bible, which is why it is so critical that we read and understand it. Christians, while understanding that Godliness and obedience are part of our call, should NEVER claim that this is the path to salvation.
It is important to note some key Biblical passages on Being good, and this is but a small sampling of many passages in Scripture that express the proper relationship between faith and ‘works’ or ‘obedience’:
Abraham’s Promise from God:The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
The Council at Jerusalem:
Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.” The apostles and elders met to consider this question. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.
He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” (Acts 15:5-11)
Abraham’s Promise Predates the Law:
What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. (Galatians 3:17-18)
Relationship of Faith and Obedience:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Simply put, No Christian should argue that being good is all that matters. And human history demonstrates that such a thing for anyone is impossible. I have no doubt that some of the most obedient people in human history would be in the line of Popes in the Roman Catholic church. Yet even they were sinners who were in the hands of an angry, yet loving God, who saves them not because of their obedience (or lack thereof) but purely out of the faith we and they have in Jesus. Any atheist claims that “being good” is all that is needed, means they do not know human nature. Similarly, to claim Christians are therefore hypocrites because they sin, is to falsely believe themselves to be better than the Christian. What it really means is that they simply refuse to acknowledge their own sins and shortcomings.
There are many arguments used by Atheists, agnostics, or those who simply do not want to acknowledge any sort of “higher power” in their lives. Most often, it has to do with a mistaken belief that we are in charge, and no one, especially some crusty old god, is going to get in the way of that. Simply put, to believe that we are in charge and can be ‘good’ is a denial of the reality of the world around us. It is so much easier in life once we acknowledge that we’ve never been in control, and therefore, thank God almighty (literally) that He does what He does to save us from ourselves! That of course is what the season of Advent is all about: this time of preparation where WE are to prepare our hearts, our minds, and our very beings, for the return of God to usher in His eternal kingdom.
Argument 3: God is a Fairy Tale
Or: Belief in God is like believing in Leprechauns
Or: Faith is believing in something without any evidence (crossover with #1)
Or: Science answers all questions about “God”
In other words, only a foolish simpleton would, as an adult, believe in some mythical creature like “god.” The only real “god” today is science, which surpasses a foolish believe in some “deity.”
This is perhaps the most worn out argument made against the Christian faith. It’s a red herring. Apparently, one of the “mythical creatures” that belief in God is compared to is the “flying spaghetti monster,” an apparent creation of the atheists so they don’t have to list other things that might offend those among them (like Santa Claus, and so on). The simple truth is that God and a “leprechaun” have nothing in common, and in fact, are about as dissimilar as one can imagine. From a purely historical standpoint, all one has to do is to assess the thousands of years of belief in the triune God of Abraham, and the witness of the countless thousands upon thousands of martyrs who endure some of the most horrific trauma in defense of their faith, sometimes suffered at the hands of the church itself, to the witness of the Scriptures and the historical and geographic evidence that backs it up and supports it.
We’ve spent a great deal of time over the past 4 years looking at some of that evidence in support of both the Genesis and Exodus accounts. Granted these are not “proofs,” but strong arguments in favor of God, based on abundant evidence. Compare that to the legends of leprechauns or the “flying spaghetti monster,” (whatever that is), that have no credible written accounts from history or humanity otherwise. Comparing belief in God to a belief in leprechauns is comparing apples to oranges. It simply cannot be done. To put it another way (certainly to answer another way of phrasing the question against Christianity), there is abundant historical evidence that supports the Bible, and therefore the Christian faith. To say that there is not, is an exercise in close-mindedness. Or as Scripture says:
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
and also:
Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18:37)
In the mid 19th century, Science, and specifically geology, was a pursuit of the truth of the Bible. Over time, when doubt began to creep in to the minds of some, those “teachers” began to mass to lead folks away from the truth. Now some might say “well there is abundant evidence that science is right.” And my experience as a geologist has been the contrary: “there is also abundant evidence to say that science is wrong on a great many things, and furthermore, that same evidence supports that the Bible is right. And the problem is that in the itching ears of many, they only hear of the things that support their particular narrow world view, and ignore the rest. To say that science ‘disproves’ God is such a broad, generic and amorphous statement that is analogous to a self-fulfilling delusion. I would challenge anyone who makes such a claim to show me how science disproves God, because quite simply, it doesn’t.
Argument 4: Evil Proves God Doesn’t Exist
Or: If God is so good, why is there evil?
Or: The God of the Bible is evil because he allows suffering
Or: If there is a hell, why would a loving “God” send people there?
In other words, God can’t be all powerful and sovereign since evil exists. Truthfully, this is the place where the Christian faith really shines in making sense of the reality of both good and evil in the world. Recall some of the words of our first lesson today:
He [the LORD’s chosen Messiah] will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat... (Isaiah 11:3-6)
What is our passage from Isaiah 11 saying? It is expressing a future hope where evil will be conquered (even the “natural” evil of creation, i.e. The lion and lamb lying down together…). The problem of evil has been a vexing thorn in the side of philosophers for millennia. The concept of evil is used to attempt to disprove the existence of God, but has to use God’s existence as a presupposition to do so! In other words, most arguments are designed to disprove the existence of God because of the reality of evil and suffering, but end up using religious terms and concepts about God to do so! What’s the old phrase? You can’t have your cake and eat it too?
To put it another way: To accuse God of being evil or that God doesn’t exist because of suffering means that the atheist has to use some objective standard to define evil and suffering in the first place. And what is that standard, exactly? Well, most often, it is the definition of good and evil to be found in the Christian faith. This is the problem inherent in the critique itself. If the ultimate standard of good and evil derives from God, but yet the person making that charge claims there is no god, then there also can be no ultimate standard of good and evil either.
Consider these words from C.S. Lewis:
“If things can improve, this means that there must be some absolute standard of good above and outside the cosmic process to which that process can approximate.
There is no sense in talking of ‘becoming better’ if better means simply ‘what we are becoming’—it is like congratulating yourself on reaching your destination and defining that destination as ‘the place you have reached.’” (C.S. Lewis – essay on “Evil and God”)
That said, as mentioned, the problem of evil has challenged humanity since the beginning, in trying to understand it and explain it. One thing that we need to understand is that suffering, while often painful and unpleasant, can produce good from it. Consider these words from Hebrews:
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11)
Or another:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
In other words, suffering can and does lead to ultimate “good” – especially for those who understand suffering through Scripture. The suffering itself is not good. What can ultimately come from it will be. The problem, according to philosophy, is that we live in a “hedonistic” world. Hedonism is essentially the love of pleasure. So anything contrary to pleasure becomes offensive. Suffering would be offensive, and if God is loving, according to the hedonists, then suffering would not be possible.
And yet the basic explanation of suffering actually only makes sense through the words of Scripture. We must first understand the nature of evil (Turn to the Augsburg Confession’s first 4 articles: God, Original Sin, the Son of God, Justification by Faith). Evil is a choice, but that choice has cast humanity into a bondage to it. (Remember our confession of sin: we are in bondage to sin, or are by nature sinful and unclean…). Even in the Garden, the consequence of their sin was toil, suffering, and pain. If we begin to understand evil in this way, we then also begin to see suffering in a different light:
“And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:2-5)
It is worth noting that nowhere do the Scriptures call suffering itself “good.” We always recognize that basic human suffering is a consequence of sin and the fall from grace. But the reality of suffering is that God can and does use it for ultimate good. And truthfully, the atheist argument against suffering and evil is all wrong. We should not be asking why God allows such things. If we are truly all good, as atheists love to claim is all that is needed, then the question really becomes, “Why do WE allow suffering and evil in the world?”
C.S. Lewis once said:
“God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts to us in our pain; it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” – (C.S. Lewis, “the Problem of Pain”)
The existence of evil and suffering only finally makes sense through the explanations offered through Scripture. Philosophers have tackled the problem of evil for centuries, to no avail. In fact, ultimately philosophical conclusions regarding suffering and evil often tend to trend toward the Scriptural viewpoint.
It’s also worth remembering that Jesus ALSO suffered. A great deal. More than we ourselves could imagine or bear. And truthfully, if God gave us what we deserved, we could not bear it.
We must remember also that God will, one day, deal with ALL evil. That, too, is “provable” through the abundant evidence of life-after-death glimpses and near death experiences, but that can be a topic to revisit another time.
The evidence for God is overwhelming. Even aside from historical evidence: the testimony of witnesses and martyrs, the confirmation of Scriptural events, and the like, there is also the personal evidence: Answered prayer, glimpses of heaven through those who experience death and are resuscitated. To ignore the weight of evidence is to stop up one’s ears like a child, and yell at the top of their lungs so as not to hear the claims of those like us, who point to the truths that the world wants to ignore.
Most people today recognize that there is a real problem in the world. Many don’t seem willing to identify what those problems really are, but may we all pray that in the world’s pain today, that God is indeed getting it’s attention to rouse a deaf world. May we, in the meantime, stand firm in faith, prepared to challenge those who would argue against us, as we prepare to remember once again that Jesus is the real reason for the season.
Argument 5: Jesus is Just a Copy of the Pagan gods
OR: Christianity arose from the pagans, who didn’t have science
OR: Christians are only Christians because of their culture. If we lived in India, we’d be Hindu
To put it another way: All religions make the same basic claims, and Christianity, being one of the “later” religions just copies all of them, including all of the early pagan religions.
(Isn’t it also interesting how a “lack of science” always comes into the claims…)
These claims, lumped together, really say the same thing, even though the response would be a two part response. First, to make the claim that the Christian faith is “just like all the pagan religions” or just like “all other religions in general” shows a gross misunderstanding of both the Christian faith and religion in general, especially paganism. Let’s take early pagan faith from history to start.
In essence, pagan religions (early on known as “fertility” religions because of their heavy emphasis on sex – humans having sex make the ‘gods’ happy, causing their favor to fall upon humanity) are extremely narcissistic. They focus on hedonism: the pleasing of the self, rather than on any sort of bigger human picture. The early pagan fertility religions especially were so focused on sex that it’s hard not to see them as little more than self gratification, under the guise of being a “religion.” Truthfully, today’s liberal Christianity is little more than an early “fertility” religion based on the same characteristics.
All other religions today: Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, to name some of the bigger ones, all sound more appealing than the early forms of paganism, but still have one universal thing in common with paganism: YOU are responsible for your own salvation. The Christian faith stands apart from ALL other religions in two ways: One is that we have a God who is actively involved in human history and cares for His creation, and Two is that it is the only religion where God acts to provide salvation for his creation, because we – his creation – cannot save ourselves. This would also answer the statement not made here that “all religions lead to God.”
The second part to this would be the charge that culture influences us: if we were born in India, we would be Hindu, for example. Truthfully, that is a very insulting claim, because it completely dismisses human reasoning. It insinuates that people are blind sheep and have no power of reasoning or thought (which is the very thing atheists love to argue against!) Actually, in today’s culture, that seems somewhat true as we often see in modern times, masses who blindly follow leaders and ideas without any consideration. The Books “The Nazi Doctors” and “Hitler’s Willing Executioners” demonstrate just such a “mob mentality:” how a nation blindly followed a madman’s ideas and led to the worst genocide in history. But with respect to Christianity, this argument falls flat. Throughout the world and history, missionaries have demonstrated that culture, while certainly having some influence on belief, doesn’t always. Masses in other countries often turn to Christianity to escape the often destructive beliefs of their culture.
One last thing to mention is that people often love to claim that the upcoming day of Christmas was influenced by paganism: December 25 is a counter to the pagan “winter’s solstice” of December 21, the Christmas tree is a pagan symbol, and so on. You can find a lot of popular arguments out there on such things, even some Christians who are adamant that we cannot have Christmas trees because they are pagan, and such arguments are often straw men in nature. Because the pagans used to use green branches dedicated to the sun god Ra, therefore the Christmas tree is pagan. Logically they do not work. They are all logical fallacies. It is like if I say that I don’t like cupcakes, you infer from that that I’m saying desserts are evil. We could take a lot more time on this, but any time someone makes these claims, press them on the specifics to show their logical fallacies. The Christmas tree, often attributed to Martin Luther, also caught on in America due to a Missouri Lutheran pastor who first set a tree up in the church, where the practice quickly caught on as a symbol of Christmas and the birth of Christ itself, not as some sort of tribute to any pagan origins.
Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are. (Acts 15:10-11)
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The biggest challenge to the atheist argument is that in Christianity, we do not and cannot save ourselves. Just but two examples of what faith in God truly means. When we confess both our sins and our faith each week, we are expressing the unwavering belief that God saves us because we cannot. That sets us apart from ALL OTHER BELIEFS: religious, pagan, or even atheist.
Keep these verses in mind on our next challenge because we will utilize them again.
Argument 6: Even Christians Don’t Agree
Or: The Stories of Jesus and God changed like the game of telephone
Or: The Bible is full of errors
Or: The Gospels are full of myths
In other words, since there are as many varieties of Christians who disagree on a great many things, therefore Both the Bible and they are holding to fantasies and myths.
My experience is that often those who charge that the Bible is full of errors have themselves never even read it. Just this week I challenged someone on their abject dismissal of the Bible as fairy tale, and the first response I got from them was “well I don’t read the Bible, I don’t need to.” When pressed on the matter, I their story changed to where they made the claim: “I’ve studied the Bible and all other religions.” Based on her responses, I’m sure it was the first statement that was accurate. She simply was arguing based on what other liberal Christians or atheists had told her to say.
Sometimes, denominationalism has indeed been Christianity’s downfall, only insofar as we have let it divide us horribly. Yes, Lutherans and Catholics continue to have disagreements on doctrine 500 years later, as we do with some of the churches we have fellowship with in town. But to take these claims to an extreme is doing so from a point of ignorance.
If you remember the 1980’s documentary, “the Incomparable Book,” which we used here about 7 years ago, it chronicled how the Bible has really not changed at all over thousands of years. Yes, there are differences between say, the Codex Sinaiticus (the earliest known manuscript of the NT from the first century) and later versions from the middle ages, but the differences are largely grammatical in nature, and do nothing to change the story, purpose or meaning. To put it another way: they are insignificant. So it is most definitely NOT true that the stories of Jesus have changed over time – those who wrote down and copied the Bible for us through the millennia, took great pains to ensure that it was copied precisely, preserving the same accounts for us today that were written down sometimes 2500 years ago or more.
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13)
OK, now on to “the Bible being full of errors.” It is clear that there are no errors in transmission of the Bible over the centuries, but a similar claim would be that the Bible contradicts itself. The phrase here “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” is often pointed out even by some Christians that the Bible contradicts itself, especially with those earlier verses which claim we are saved by the Grace of God alone. Here is a classic case of “proof texting:” using one passage out of context or without considering the whole passage. Notice the very next line: “It is God who works in you…” which clearly supports, not contradicts, that we are saved by God’s grace alone. Rather, what this would then say to us is that we should always be mindful of the very thing we do week after week: Confess both our sins and our faith, and thereby confess that we are indeed powerless to save ourselves. Hopefully we work out our salvation with a little fear and trembling, or humility, we might call it, as we stand in awe of what God has done.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)
Not only are the errors merely problems of perception, as demonstrated here, but it is even clear to say that the perceived errors in Scripture are with us, not with it, as we’ve often said before. Scripture’s own testimony are that the word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), God Breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), and that which returns to God, accomplishing it’s intended purpose (Isaiah 55:10-11). Sadly, like the woman’s argument that opened this challenge to the faith, her mind was closed to any evidence that contradicted her set beliefs. This will be encountered often, but it doesn’t mean we must not try to counter worldly claims of disbelief.
Perhaps the best argument we can make, though we are not done yet with our Advent series just yet, is to express the hope, love, and joy that our Advent season itself expresses through our words and our deeds. This is the impossible task because while we are saved for obedience, we are saved by God precisely because we can’t save ourselves THROUGH our obedience, so we too are in constant need of God’s grace, for we too sin and fall short of the glory of God. It is in the beauty of that, should an unbeliever come to realize and understand this, that they may finally be brought to Christ.
Argument 7: The Gospel Doesn’t Make Sense.
Or: The whole “God is mad at the world/God wants to punish it/God sends His Son to die for it” scenario is just plain weird. God is the weirdo, not me.
Or: Christianity is just used as a crutch to justify human behavior,
Or: It’s narrow minded to think that “Jesus” is the only way to God.
At least in these, there is an acknowledgement of God, in a roundabout sort of way. Atheist arguements often presuppose God’s existence to then attempt to “disprove God’s existence.
Karl Marx referred to religion (and specifically Christianity) as the “Opiate of the masses.” He opines that humanity uses it to justify human behavior and therefore to feel better about itself. I would argue that this only applies to liberal Christianity, which does indeed justify it’s own sins rather than following the Biblical mandate to justify the sinner through Christ alone. But to somehow think that those who are not religious don’t rely on crutches is a complete denial of human behavior throughout history. If people didn’t rely on religion, they rely on something. Sadly, it is often a deadly reliance in what substitutes for religion: sex, drugs, work, alcohol, tobacco, money, and so on. Everyone relies on something. The question is “what do you rely on and place your trust in?”
Truthfully, the belief that there is no God becomes a crutch for those addicted to a lifestyle contrary to God's standards of morality. Rather than being weak, Christians are strong—not because they depend on themselves, but because they depend on Jesus. Everyone needs something to rely on or lean on. The question is, what will you lean on? Christianity provides what atheism or other religions never can: spiritual fulfillment, peace, and forgiveness. As we’ve mentioned, it is the ONLY religion that places salvation squarely on God, because humanity is incapable of saving itself, which the sum total of human history amply demonstrates.
Let’s examine the variations of this, which do bleed over into some of the previous arguments we’ve looked at:
"Christianity (especially today) is a crutch: it is twisted and warped to justify most any human behavior."
This is very much the case today, amongst liberal Christians, who will twist the words of Scripture, or “prooftext” them, using them out of context or without examining the whole of the Biblical argument on human nature, to justify what is otherwise called “Sin.” A classic example of using passages out of context would be “It is by grace you have been saved,” (Ephesians 2:8a) and “God is love” (1 John 4:8 and elsewhere). In Ephesians, the entire passage in context spells out that no, we are not saved by obedience, we are saved for it. Yes, God is love, but the reverse is not true: Love is not God. Love also has many different connotations and definitions in Scripture, and to say God is love does not include any sort of erotic, physical nature to it. But yet you even heard about 10 years ago the campaign phrase “Love is love.” Um, nope. Once again showing how things are used out of context and without the whole context presented, all to justify human behavior. Let’s move on to a favorite of non Christians: “All roads lead to God” (an odd statement considering atheists don’t believe in God, but also picked up by liberal Christians today):
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6)
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to 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, who gave himself as a ransom for all men…” (1 Timothy 2:5-6a)
“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ‘for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Romans 10:12-13a)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
Not only do these verses clearly articulate that there is no such thing as “universal salvation” (aka all roads lead to God), but they also clearly spell out the sin and grace relationship unique to the Christian faith: We are all sinners, we all deserve the punishment for sin (death), but it is through Christ (the Grace of God) that we obtain eternal life and forgiveness, along with deliverance from the devil.
This ties in with the bizarre claim that God’s actions in the Bible are just plain weird: One must first understand basic human nature and history, and then God’s divine plan makes perfect sense. It is a natural flow and progression: first, one must come to at least acknowledge the existence of God. Right following this must be a recognition of sin. We call it “original sin.” Only then can we understand the nature of God’s Son, and the justification that comes through believing in his name. God the Father sacrificed His own Son in order to destroy death with His life; not to appease His wrath, but to heal His creation; not to protect humanity from His fury, but to unite humanity to His love. It’s a fundamental recognition that sin leads to death – death of all kinds but ultimately spiritual and permanent death.
This is the place to start with any defense of the faith. Few, if any, can truly argue that humanity is just fine. As Ernest Hemingway once wrote, “the world is a fine place and worth fighting for.” Christians believe the latter half of that. The world is most definitely NOT a fine place, and our own recent history just in the past decade gives us proof after proof of this.
Argument 8: Religion is Toxic.
Or: What about Christian atrocities in history?
As we opened with, yes, Christians are sinners too. Yes, there have been Christian atrocities. But there have been far more “good” things to come from it than from the atrocities, most of which came as a response to atrocities committed against the Christians, which doesn’t justify them by any means.
Somehow, the argument used by atheists always seems to center on the mistaken notion that religion, and Christianity in general, only motivates bad ideas and actions, and is therefore toxic to culture. In a way, it is very much like Karl Marx’s view of it – that it is a drug that is used by society that only numbs and puts to sleep its followers, and little else.
This argument always seems to come back to the “atrocities” committed by Christians in history: The Inquisitions, the Crusades, and the Witch trials. Sure there are others that atheists love to point to as well, but in either instance, it is painting the Christian faith with such broad generalizations that it completely ignores all the good that has happened throughout human history, as well as ignoring what the Christian faith is all about.
Throughout human history, societies have become very skilled at taking good ideas and using them to justify bad behavior. To justify Christian atrocities is to do the same. It shows the sinful nature of humanity, and precisely WHY the Gospel is so sorely needed.
But to focus only on such bad behavior not only ignores what the Christian faith is supposed to be about, but also ignores all of the good that has come out of it throughout the centuries. It’s a smoke screen: ignoring the formation of countless hospitals, schools, colleges, orphanages [Roman children and bridges], relief agencies, charity agencies, and the list could go on and on. No other religion in history can compare. THIS is what the true Christian faith stands for. It is most definitely NOT toxic, and has done more good in human history than all other religions combined. Let’s first look at human nature again:
A standard: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (1 John 1:8-10)
“There is no one righteous, not even one… …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10b, 23)
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew 15:19)
Ernest Hemingway was indeed wrong. The world is not a fine place, because the Bible is right about humanity: No one is righteous, the heart is deceitful and produces wickedness, but even earlier in Romans it talks of those who do right apart from God do so purely by accident, and the goodness conflicts with the wickedness (Romans 2:14-16). It is the Christian virtue and morality that has shaped and influenced our world for the better since the time of Jesus, and when it is followed, the world is indeed a better place. When we wander from it, the world crumbles and wallows in its own sin.
We could take the time to examine how this is happening today: right before our very eyes – in our own society! But rather, we could simply look at these 8 primary arguments made by the deniers, liberal Christians, and atheists among us, learn how to answer them from human history, experience, and Scripture, and then stand apart from worldly values and standards. This is a reminder of our (the Christian) calling:
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)
God has always called His people to stand apart from the worldly values, and not to be polluted by them. That is perhaps the hardest Christian task both in history and even today. Our culture is inundated with the things that would draw us away from Christ Jesus, and would draw us into sin. Our lives are to be wholly committed to Christ, and therefore our struggle: both this Advent season and throughout life, is to stand apart from the world, but to bring Christ to shine the light of truth into the darkness around us. Our society may not want to hear it right now, but let us never waver in that task, that one day, should the world continue, it will once again return to Christ by the witness of the church, which the church has provided countless times throughout modern history.
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