As an apologetics enthusiast, I eat up anything that provides objective, verifiable evidence in support of the Bible, which in turn validates the Christian Faith. In writing my book Examine Your Faith! Finding Truth in a World of Lies, I thoroughly enjoyed writing about the extensive extra-biblical, historical and archeological evidence which validates specific claims in the Bible. Those who say Christians are unenlightened and practice a blind faith (that is faith that has no substantiation) actually reveal how unenlightened they are. We who have the truth must share with those who are deceived, with the understanding no one wants to be deceived. And with awareness that the only way a person can become aware of their deceived state is for their faith –their belief system–to be challenged.
We must always express our deep respect and love for others when sharing the truth of the Christian faith. Understand know one likes to learn they’ve been wrong on a matter. Additionally, most of us believe what we do because we were taught the specific belief system from someone highly respected in our lives, such as a parent or teacher or mentor. To even reconsider what significant influencers taught us can be tremendously uncomfortable and feel like an affront to those we revere. Yet, if the person we seek to reach agrees what we believe in this lifetime determines where we spend eternity, then we have an excellent starting point to appeal to the individual. With understanding they will likely feel defensive, I like to ask questions. Making inquiry about what they believe and why causes them to articulate their beliefs and allows us to appeal to any fallacy of logic or lack of factual evidence. It is imperative we never come off sounding like we’re telling a person what to believe, but instead compassionately reconsidering their beliefs so they can be convinced it is based on solid truth. When appealing to a claim they make, we should simply ask, “Why do you believe that?” We must also be sensitive and good at reading what they don’t say, or body language, to know when to give the conversation a rest. Remember, it is incumbent upon the person who makes a claim to substantiate it. We won’t be successful if we substantiate our beliefs with the claim “Because the Bible says so” to a person who does not believe the Bible is anything other than folklore–which a growing number of people believe. We don’t want to say or do anything that elicits defensiveness or a combative atmosphere. The compassion of Christ must be our guide.
We must also be ready in season and out to give a reason for the hope within us, (1 Tim. 4:2). When you lead a person down a particular topical path, it’s a good idea to make sure you know how to defend the truth of the matter from the Christian world and biblical view. History and Archeology are two excellent topics that help us to present objective, verifiable evidence in support of the claims of Christianity. I find asking people what they believe about truth is the best place to start. Truth in and of itself is innocuous, whereas asking what they believe about Jesus or the Bible could get you off to a bad start.
Truth is a matter that’s been redefined in our present day culture. Many people claim “Truth is relative.” Such individual would say ‘There is no such thing as absolute truth.” However, take note. That second statement is in and of itself an absolute claim. Either truth is relative or it is absolute, but it cannot be both. See if you can bring the person to agree on the following three points:
- Truth must always line up with reality
- Only one thing can be true and all opposing matters are false
- The truth is universal (the color red is red anywhere in the world.)
By first agreeing about with truth is, then you can begin a rediscovery process about matters that are true or not. Also, keep in mind, discovering truth is a process. We can easily have our beliefs challenged in a way that brings us to add to our understanding of truth or replace a concept we once held as true. It’s not a once and done effort, but a process of discovery over a lifetime. Explaining that discovery of truth is a process is another way to quell any defensiveness, because we all encounter issues on a daily basis that may influence what we conclude to be true.
In addition to my book mentioned above, I explore the evidence of history and archeology in my podcast set to air November 11, 2020 and the following week’s podcast. I hope you will listen to gain knowledge that adds to your faith, and brings about a greater confidence for yourself, and for your ability to help guide others to discover truth. Visit the web page to see the various platforms you can listen on, and hopefully you’ll make it a weekly habit to become the Kingdom influencer you are meant to be for Christ.
I welcome your comments to this post and I’d love to hear from you to know what specific topics I can bring to help you grow faith confidence and security in sharing your faith. Use the Contact Us page on this site.
To get a copy of my book with a discount in appreciation, visit my web store and enter VISITOR promo code for 15% discount. And thank you for purchasing from my web store as it better supports my ministry than when you purchase elsewhere.
Your privacy is always respected and protected.