As you boldly and courageously talk about Jesus in public, you are going to encounter questions. Here’s some that you may encounter and how you can answer them.
What if someone asks you “How do you know that God exists? Can you prove it?â€
Creation Argument
Every piece of art has an artist behind it. Every building has a builder behind it. The order of creation says that there is a Creator behind it. You use that logic for every created thing that you see on this physical earth (a chair, a car, a painting, etc.), why not apply that same logic to the created order of the universe?
Morality Argument
Where does morality (the sense of right and wrong) come from? God has said that the Ten Commandments have been written on the heart of every person so that we can know right from wrong (Romans 2:14-15). If the Ten Commandments exist in our hearts, then there must be someone who gave the Law and who is above the Law. In other words, if there is a Divine Law then there must be a Law Giver.
What if someone says, “I don’t believe God exists?†What can you say to that?
Absolute Knowledge
I talk to them about absolute knowledge. I tell them that since they are making an absolute statement (There is no God) then they have to have Absolute Knowledge. I then ask them, “What percentage of Absolute Knowledge would you say you know?†Absolute knowledge is knowledge about every subject for all time. (What’s in outer space, what’s under every rock, what’s dirt made up of, how does the human brain work, etc.). It’s total knowledge about every subject. Most people will give themselves a 1% which I think is still way to high. But even at 1%, that leaves that person with 99% of everything that they DO NOT know.
I then talk with them about gold in China. If I make the statement, “There is no gold in China†what would I have to have since that is an absolute statement? I would have to have absolute knowledge of China. I would have to know what’s under every rock, what’s in every cave, what’s in every ocean and what’s in every Chinaman’s mouth. Since that knowledge is impossible to know, I would have to change my statement to, “I don’t know if there’s gold in China.†In the same way, because of absolute knowledge, a person would have to change their statement to, “I don’t know if there is a God.†That is a big step because that moves that person to be an agnostic (a person who doesn’t know) rather than an atheist. And, if we can move them to that understanding, we can then move them toward the Gospel.
What if they say, “Isn’t saying ‘There is a God’ an absolute statement?†Then you can say, “Yes, but it doesn’t require absolute knowledge.†Go back to the China illustration. “If I declare that there IS gold in China, I don’t have to find every piece but just one. And when it comes to God, I have found way more than one piece.†It’s a great transition into the Gospel.
What if someone asks, “Who made God?â€
God’s Eternal Existence
God has always existed. There has never been a time that He hasn’t existed. For a practical illustration of this, talk with them about numbers. If you understand numbers (1, 2, 3, 4,) you know that numbers never end in either a positive or negative direction. Yet, infinite numbers, just like God is infinite, are used every day. So, if you trust infinite numbers enough to use them, why then can’t you trust an infinite God?
You can also talk with them about their car. “Who made your car?†They will answer Ford or Toyota or something like that. Why don’t they then inquire about who made Ford or Toyota? Or, who made Henry Ford? See what I mean? How far back do you take that line of questioning? Their mind automatically has a satisfactory answer and doesn’t seek beyond what it doesn’t understand. In the same way, we can be comfortable with saying that God has always existed.
What if someone asks about Evolution?
Prove It
Just say, “Prove it.†There is no proof for evolution.
Then ask questions:
How did one animal evolve into another animal?
How did consciousness come about from non-consciousness?
How did something that is non-living and non-thinking turn into something that is living and thinking?
Where did breathe come from?
How did the universe begin? What caused the Big Bang?
Honestly, it takes more faith to believe in evolution than it does in the simplicity of understanding creation. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.â€
What if someone says, “I believe in science not faith. Science is fact?â€
Science Is Faith
Science gives you probability and testing but not fact or certainty. Think about it. All that science can give is the probable outcome dependent upon variables. If the variables are off the slightest bit, then the outcome changes. Think of it this way: Can you say with absolute certainty that tomorrow morning when you get up your car will definitely start? No. You can say that there is a good probability or high probability that it will start, but you can’t say that it will definitely start. Why? Variables. Is the battery charged? Did someone come in the middle of the night and steal the spark plugs? Did the starter switch get gnawed on by a rat? See what I mean? This is why you can’t say that science is fact. It’s based on probability and testing and requires a little faith, sometimes a lot of faith.
How do you address the problem of evil?
Fallen World
Talk with them about the fallen world that we live in. Sin came into the Garden of Eden and wrecked everything. Nothing is as it should be. The world was broken, our relationship with God was broken, our relationship with each other was broken. Why do we call “evil,†evil? Who says something is evil or not evil? How do we know something is not right or should not be that way? Because we were made in the image of our Creator, we also have sense of justice. Think about this: Hitler committed heinous crimes against humanity. What happens to him when he dies?
Let’s make it personal. You find out that your four-year old daughter is kidnapped, raped and brutally murdered. You also come to understand that the man who committed this crime has tremendous wealth, has lived a life of luxury, and dies peacefully in his sleep at his ocean front home, with no suffering or pain with all of his family surrounding him. How do you feel about that? Surely you would say, “That’s not right. That’s not fair. Something should be done to him in the life to come.†By saying that, you prove that evil does exist, it is not right, and something should be done about it. One day, God will do something about it.
What if someone brings something up that the Bible doesn’t specifically address? (Life on other planets, etc.).
God’s Word
Tell them this phrase, “The Bible tells us everything we need to know not everything there is to know.†What the Bible doesn’t address, we can speculate about, but in reality, all that matters in this world is what God has spoken in His Word.
What if someone asks you “How do you know that God exists? Can you prove it?â€
Creation Argument
Every piece of art has an artist behind it. Every building has a builder behind it. The order of creation says that there is a Creator behind it. You use that logic for every created thing that you see on this physical earth (a chair, a car, a painting, etc.), why not apply that same logic to the created order of the universe?
Morality Argument
Where does morality (the sense of right and wrong) come from? God has said that the Ten Commandments have been written on the heart of every person so that we can know right from wrong (Romans 2:14-15). If the Ten Commandments exist in our hearts, then there must be someone who gave the Law and who is above the Law. In other words, if there is a Divine Law then there must be a Law Giver.
What if someone says, “I don’t believe God exists?†What can you say to that?
Absolute Knowledge
I talk to them about absolute knowledge. I tell them that since they are making an absolute statement (There is no God) then they have to have Absolute Knowledge. I then ask them, “What percentage of Absolute Knowledge would you say you know?†Absolute knowledge is knowledge about every subject for all time. (What’s in outer space, what’s under every rock, what’s dirt made up of, how does the human brain work, etc.). It’s total knowledge about every subject. Most people will give themselves a 1% which I think is still way to high. But even at 1%, that leaves that person with 99% of everything that they DO NOT know.
I then talk with them about gold in China. If I make the statement, “There is no gold in China†what would I have to have since that is an absolute statement? I would have to have absolute knowledge of China. I would have to know what’s under every rock, what’s in every cave, what’s in every ocean and what’s in every Chinaman’s mouth. Since that knowledge is impossible to know, I would have to change my statement to, “I don’t know if there’s gold in China.†In the same way, because of absolute knowledge, a person would have to change their statement to, “I don’t know if there is a God.†That is a big step because that moves that person to be an agnostic (a person who doesn’t know) rather than an atheist. And, if we can move them to that understanding, we can then move them toward the Gospel.
What if they say, “Isn’t saying ‘There is a God’ an absolute statement?†Then you can say, “Yes, but it doesn’t require absolute knowledge.†Go back to the China illustration. “If I declare that there IS gold in China, I don’t have to find every piece but just one. And when it comes to God, I have found way more than one piece.†It’s a great transition into the Gospel.
What if someone asks, “Who made God?â€
God’s Eternal Existence
God has always existed. There has never been a time that He hasn’t existed. For a practical illustration of this, talk with them about numbers. If you understand numbers (1, 2, 3, 4,) you know that numbers never end in either a positive or negative direction. Yet, infinite numbers, just like God is infinite, are used every day. So, if you trust infinite numbers enough to use them, why then can’t you trust an infinite God?
You can also talk with them about their car. “Who made your car?†They will answer Ford or Toyota or something like that. Why don’t they then inquire about who made Ford or Toyota? Or, who made Henry Ford? See what I mean? How far back do you take that line of questioning? Their mind automatically has a satisfactory answer and doesn’t seek beyond what it doesn’t understand. In the same way, we can be comfortable with saying that God has always existed.
What if someone asks about Evolution?
Prove It
Just say, “Prove it.†There is no proof for evolution.
Then ask questions:
How did one animal evolve into another animal?
How did consciousness come about from non-consciousness?
How did something that is non-living and non-thinking turn into something that is living and thinking?
Where did breathe come from?
How did the universe begin? What caused the Big Bang?
Honestly, it takes more faith to believe in evolution than it does in the simplicity of understanding creation. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.â€
What if someone says, “I believe in science not faith. Science is fact?â€
Science Is Faith
Science gives you probability and testing but not fact or certainty. Think about it. All that science can give is the probable outcome dependent upon variables. If the variables are off the slightest bit, then the outcome changes. Think of it this way: Can you say with absolute certainty that tomorrow morning when you get up your car will definitely start? No. You can say that there is a good probability or high probability that it will start, but you can’t say that it will definitely start. Why? Variables. Is the battery charged? Did someone come in the middle of the night and steal the spark plugs? Did the starter switch get gnawed on by a rat? See what I mean? This is why you can’t say that science is fact. It’s based on probability and testing and requires a little faith, sometimes a lot of faith.
How do you address the problem of evil?
Fallen World
Talk with them about the fallen world that we live in. Sin came into the Garden of Eden and wrecked everything. Nothing is as it should be. The world was broken, our relationship with God was broken, our relationship with each other was broken. Why do we call “evil,†evil? Who says something is evil or not evil? How do we know something is not right or should not be that way? Because we were made in the image of our Creator, we also have sense of justice. Think about this: Hitler committed heinous crimes against humanity. What happens to him when he dies?
Let’s make it personal. You find out that your four-year old daughter is kidnapped, raped and brutally murdered. You also come to understand that the man who committed this crime has tremendous wealth, has lived a life of luxury, and dies peacefully in his sleep at his ocean front home, with no suffering or pain with all of his family surrounding him. How do you feel about that? Surely you would say, “That’s not right. That’s not fair. Something should be done to him in the life to come.†By saying that, you prove that evil does exist, it is not right, and something should be done about it. One day, God will do something about it.
What if someone brings something up that the Bible doesn’t specifically address? (Life on other planets, etc.).
God’s Word
Tell them this phrase, “The Bible tells us everything we need to know not everything there is to know.†What the Bible doesn’t address, we can speculate about, but in reality, all that matters in this world is what God has spoken in His Word.