Lost for words

[jimigold]

I'm not very good at the old arguments with non-christians. What exactly can you say when they ask you how are you 100% sure that the bible is true, that God exists (the list goes on).

It never sounds very persuasive (or at least i don't have the courage) to talk about feeling the presence of the holy spirit and having a personal relationship with God. All they seem to want is cold, hard fact, which i cant really give to them.

They say a picture holds 1000 words so:

 

[Josephus]

"Always be ready to give an answer for the hope that you have."

God calls us to not be ignorant, but to be knowledgable. The bible informs us not to engage in fruitless discussion and debates that lead to no where. If someone is sincerely seeking, and you don't have answers, then pray for God to show you what the answers are, or at least ask God to tell you what to tell that person where to find an answer.

If you can't hear from God, then that should be your first assignment and your first responsibility as a Christian, for the blind can not lead the blind.

I encourage you to learn all that you can, and to ask the Lord for Wisdom - the greatest tool He can give you by His Spirit with which to reach someone. Rely on Him. Not yourself.

 

[jimigold]

Yay thanx (i was waiting for someone to reply).

So i'll learn before i teach. Thanx a lot for that, and i'm sorry for wasting your precious time with that. Maybe it was more of a personel question than a bible one.

Thanx!

 

[SimpleChristian]

jimi.....the first advice I would give you is the live in the Word....meditate and pray over the Bible and get to know the Scriptures as well as you can. However, there are times in witnessing that the Bible isn't as much use to you because there are those, as you said, who don't hold with it. I would recommend to GREAT, cheap books to you...both written by Lee Strobel. One is called "The Case for Christ" and the other is called "The Case for Faith". These will be a great beginning to equipping you extra-biblically. They can be found at any Christian book stores, at many other stores too.

 

[jimigold]

yay thanx!

 

[GraftMeIn]

jimigold,
I think you got the idea, We must learn to walk before we learn to talk, God seems to have his own way of letting us know when we're ready to start talking

Also keep in mind that some of those seeking hard cold evidnce, are not seeking the truth for themselves, but are merely trying to make you question your own faith in God. Sort of like a wolf in sheeps clothing. We must be careful not to let them pull the wool over our eyes.

 

[Scardia]

Hi JimiGold!

The above suggestions are absolutely great for studying and applying Christianity, but you might consider an alternative approach as well. In your spare time, try reading books about other religions... Those texts will test your faith, but you will grow stronger in your convictions if you have the courage to do so. As well, that will give you some common ground to discuss matters of theology with people that aren't coming from a Christian background. One note, though: Don't let your time studying other religions interfere with your time that you need to spend reading the bible and praying. Keep your eye on the goal.

Cheers!
-Scardia-

 

[seebs]

One other thing to consider:

If you don't have any doubts, and never have, you probably can't understand the positions of others well enough to have a meaningful dialogue with them. I feel it's a bad idea to get into a serious debate if you can't make the other person's case to his satisfaction.

 

[jimigold]

Thanx guys

You're all super fountains of knowledge.

Nothing can stop me reading that bible now

 

[simplicity]

Hi, Jimi. A non-believer tends to walk around with a chip on his or her shoulder. Be at peace with yourself - and you will be one step ahead of them. Because non-believers are just full of self-doubt and anxiety. That's why they are often hurtful and confrontational. (That's my experience, anyways.) The Holy Spirit is true and living inside of you. So don't be too concerned if you can't quite argue your case. That ability comes gradually.

 

[Mandy]

Your walk will always be the most important witness. You do not have to be the most knowledgable person in order for you to be a witness. Another important thing is being willing. And yes of course keep growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and studying your Bible.

 

[tericl2]

Originally posted by jimigold
Yay thanx (i was waiting for someone to reply).

So i'll learn before i teach. Thanx a lot for that, and i'm sorry for wasting your precious time with that. Maybe it was more of a personel question than a bible one.

Thanx!

That is a good idea to learn before you teach, but don't let it keep you away from a debate. I have learned about other beliefs tremendously because I have been forced in debates to look long and hard at my own convictions and the foundation they are set on. Learning can sometimes be a painful experience but if you are strong in your faith it will be rewarding!

A good book you might enjoy is Skeptics Answered by James Kennedy. It is written on a level that is easy to understand and will provide a good faith and confidence building experience for you. I think you can find the book at Coral Ridge Ministries.

 

 

[cb]

actually i have been on the other side of the equation:

there was a time when i considered myself a non-believer, and of course considered myself to be very intellectual. i think that most people that care enough to call themselves "atheists or agnostics" do so for what they believe are intellectual reasons. most non-believers just don't consider God...they have no use for him, and don't probe the issue much further.
i believe then that a lot of self proclaimed athiests come to christian boards expecting intellectual answers to their questions. hearing any semblence of "just believe by faith" is like a warning sign of anti-intellectual, blind, emotional dependance. which completley re-inforces their already strongly held views.
the only thing that i did for about 2 years was study "intellectual, historical, factual" information about christianity. i studied both sides, and when i realized that, while i could never "prove" christianity, it certainly did have a good case...which is not what i expected at all. THEN i started to listen to the emotional "faith" element. only that christianity had been demonstrated to be at least a valid faith.
anyways...i've been on a rampage, but i tried to do the best i can to explain (at least from my perspective), the athiests attitude upon entering a site like this.

 

[DrLao]

Actually, cb, I tend to appreciate it when a Christian says they believe because of faith. I tend to get annoyed when they say they believe because of logical or evidentiary reasons, and their reasoning and evidence are really crappy. I tend to get really annoyed when they repsond to my critcism of their reasoning and evidence by saying that I need to believe before the reasoning and evidence makes sense. Often it makes me wonder why they brought it up in the first place.

 

[simplicity]

I think non-believers often fancy themselves as enlightened intellectuals. But God crushed an entire nation of secularist humanists - the former Soviet Union. They don't seem particularly enlightened these days.

But like others who posted earlier I believe it's healthy to have questions. I had a period of my life when I questioned why I should believe in God. I feel all truth eventually leads to Him. Some of the most brilliant minds of our age are God-fearing Christians.

Here's a passing and perhaps unrelated note. Lenin donated his brain to science so future generations might see his intelligence. But it appears his brain is somewhat smaller than the average man. The man who would remove God from society was a puny intellectual.

 

[cb]

hi doc,

in the end, every christian believes because of faith. no amount of evidence can prove christianity, cept for maybe God almighty opening up the sky and saying "It is I, I exist! believe now!" and even after that, many people would not believe. i think the trend in the study of christian evidence comes from years and years of "liberal" theologians going to town with the New Testament, coming up with the most insane ideas and then passing it off as "what really happened". even now, sometimes i read the stuff crossan writes and i have to laugh, its so ridiculous...and this guy is actually considered one of the "foremost scholars of the new testament"? PLEASE.
anyways, i think the evidence approach is good for certain people and not good for others. personally, the evidence just pointed out to me the possiblity, it didn't give me the faith. the faith comes in when i choose to put my trust in that possibilty, and watch that faith grow.

 

[DrLao]

Originally posted by simplicity
I think non-believers often fancy themselves as enlightened intellectuals. But God crushed an entire nation of secularist humanists - the former Soviet Union. They don't seem particularly enlightened these days.

I'm pretty sure a secular humanist would have been jailed in the former Soviet Union.

Here's a passing and perhaps unrelated note. Lenin donated his brain to science so future generations might see his intelligence. But it appears his brain is somewhat smaller than the average man. The man who would remove God from society was a puny intellectual.

There is no correlation between brain size and intelligence in adult humans.

 

[cb]

"I think non-believers often fancy themselves as enlightened intellectuals. But God crushed an entire nation of secularist humanists - the former Soviet Union. They don't seem particularly enlightened these days."

many non-believers are actually highly intelligent people. the soviet union fell because of the inherent flaws of communism, not because God crushed them.

and as far as the small brain thing goes...drlao is right, brain size has nothing to do with intelligence. after all, i'm sure lenny's brain was smaller than george's.

 

[DrLao]

Plus, on average women's brains are 20% smaller than men's brains. And I am pretty certain you don't want to go there.

 

[simplicity]

Hello, Dr. Lao! I'm sorry if I hit a nerve. My intent was to question intellectualism.

Secularist: belief that religion and religious considerations should be ignored.

Humanism: a philosphy or attitude centred on the potential of human beings.

Since the Soviet State discounted religion in favour of state rule, it goes without saying the guys were secularist. In regards to their Humanism, I am using my exposure to Russian Literature and the comments of former professors.

I agree with your assertion about brain size. It was meant to be funny.