Some people will have questions and or objections when you present the Gospel to them. GASP! Now, we will learn how to respectfully refute them with the power of TRUTH. After all, every follower of Christ has a mandate to do this very thing:
I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word [as an official messenger]; be ready when the time is right and even when it is not [keep your sense of urgency, whether the opportunity seems favorable or unfavorable, whether convenient or inconvenient, whether welcome or unwelcome]; correct [those who err in doctrine or behavior], warn [those who sin], exhort and encourage [those who are growing toward spiritual maturity], with inexhaustible patience and [faithful] teaching.
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold, and will turn their ears away from the truth and will wander off into myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the unacceptable].
But as for you, be clear-headed in every situation [stay calm and cool and steady], endure every hardship [without flinching], do the work of an evangelist, fulfill [the duties of] your ministry. 2 Tm. 4:1-5 AMP
So, let’s view the objections and / or false information the hearer has, and help him or her see the clear picture:
- “I have sinned too much to deserve exoneration.” Answer: (comes from the apostle Paul, who murdered Christians before he was converted and filled with the Holy Spirit to be able to write most of the New Testament):
This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. 1 Tm. 1:15 CSB
If Paul could get saved, so can you. You are just who Jesus is looking for; and He will never let you go. He says so Himself:
‘I desire compassion [for those in distress], and not [animal] sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call [to repentance] the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to change], but sinners [those who recognize their sin and actively seek forgiveness].” Mt. 9:13 AMP
“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” Jn. 10:29 AMP
- “I can’t discipline myself to live that kind of life.” Answer: First, present the consequences of not living that kind of life:
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God [that is, His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rm. 6:23 AMP
The good news is that it is not your strength that you need:
I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.] Php. 4:13 AMP
- “I don’t want to lose my friends.” Answer: You can share your salvation experience with them. However, your eternal future must be your primary concern.
If they don’t want to get onboard, and if they are a liability to your godly walk, you will have to choose:
He who walks [as a companion] with wise men will be wise,
But the companions of [conceited, dull-witted] fools [are fools themselves and] will experience harm. Pr. 13:20 AMP
- “I’m not feeling it.” Answer: “It’s not about your feelings; it’s about your faith.”
But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— Jn. 1:12 AMP
And when you accept Christ as your Savior, good things begin to happen:
…the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Ga. 5:22, 23. AMP
- “I’m a good person. I don’t do bad things.” Answer: “God tells us that we all need saving.”
“…for there is no one who does not sin…” 1 Kg. 8:46 NKJV
…those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” Ga. 3:10, 11. NLT
So, there is no one who does not sin. And the ‘Book of the Law’ centers around the Ten Commandments, which God commands us to obey perfectly. That is humanly impossible. Thus, God sent His Son to close that gap by forgiving the sins of those who have faith in Him, covering you with His perfection.
- “God is love. He will not judge me.” Answer: “Well, you’re half-right. God is love. But everyone will be judged. God said this about Himself:
“The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth (faithfulness); keeping mercy and lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; but He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished…” Ex. 34:6, 7. AMP
Who is guilty? Those who have not excepted Christ and thus are still covered in sin instead of the saving blood of Jesus.
Yes, when Jesus comes back, He will judge, and everyone will be affected. Let’s hear it straight from His mouth:
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory and majesty and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him [for judgment]; and He will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right [the place of honor], and the goats on His left [the place of rejection].
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father [you favored of God, appointed to eternal salvation], inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Mt. 25:31 – 34. AMP
“Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Leave Me, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels (demons)…” Mt. 25:41 AMP
So, Jesus is the one who judges. Not us:
Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times?”Jesus answered him, “I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven.” Mt. 18:21, 22. AMP
Jesus’ 490x forgiveness is a metaphor for endless forgiveness for a person who exhibits true confession and repentance. See also Jesus’ example in the parable of the Prodigal Son[1]
- “The Bible doesn’t make any sense.’ Answer: “You’re right! You will never be able to understand it until the Holy Spirit enters you when you accept Christ’s salvation”:
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 1 Cor. 1:18 NLT
There will also always be a large faction of people who don’t want to understand the Bible because they prefer the ways of the world. Bad idea…
This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned. Jn. 3:19, 20. AMP
We have now dealt with the most common objections we will encounter when we evangelize. Next time, we will dip into how to effectively evangelize those with misconceptions about deeper theological concepts. Stay tuned!
Goodnight and God bless.
[1] Lk. 15:11 – 32.