If you were to ask a man on the street to name\u00a0two verses of the Bible, he will likely quote\u00a0Matthew 7:1 and John 3:16 from the King James\u00a0Version.<\/p>\n
Matthew 7:1 states, \u201cJudge not, that ye\u00a0be not judged.\u201d John 3:16 is probably the most recognized\u00a0verse in the world: \u201cFor God so loved the\u00a0world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that\u00a0whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but\u00a0have everlasting life.\u201d He might also mention Genesis\u00a01:1, but he would not know many passages\u00a0beyond those three verses. He would also likely\u00a0know something about Jesus, Noah, Moses,\u00a0Abraham, Peter, Paul, Adam and Eve, and Mary,\u00a0the mother of Jesus.<\/p>\n
Unbelievers know a few names, places, and\u00a0verses in the 66 books of the Bible, but not much\u00a0else. God\u2019s Word does not regulate their thoughts\u00a0or influence their actions. They are the ones David\u00a0considered when he wrote, \u201cThe fool has said in\u00a0his heart, \u2018There is no God.\u2019 They are corrupt, they\u00a0have committed abominable deeds; there is no one\u00a0who does good\u201d (Psalm 14:1).<\/p>\n
As distant as they are from the saving grace\u00a0of our Lord Jesus, they nevertheless find sacred\u00a0Scripture to be useful in their lives. But they do\u00a0not use it in order to learn more about sin, forgiveness,\u00a0the Lord\u2019s church, or Heaven\u2014they use\u00a0it to advance their own selfish desires. Their\u00a0thoughts and actions are completely under the influence\u00a0of Satan. Paul stated that \u201cthe god of this\u00a0world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so\u00a0that they might not see the light of the Gospel of\u00a0the glory of Christ, who is the image of God\u201d (2\u00a0Corinthians 4:4, NASB).<\/p>\n
One way in which the unbeliever uses Scripture\u00a0to his own benefit is when he wants to\u00a0validate sinful behavior. For instance, over the last\u00a0several decades, the homosexual community\u00a0has determined to spread its influence into all\u00a0areas of American society. And now homosexuals often try to validate their behavior\u00a0by challenging passages of Scripture that condemn\u00a0their deeds, attempting to show how those passages are irrelevant and their behavior is fine.<\/p>\n
Not only do unbelievers use the Scriptures to\u00a0condone their sinful ways, but they also try to use\u00a0Scripture against itself by taking passages out of\u00a0context and blatantly distorting simple passages\u00a0in order to confuse novice Bible students. During\u00a0the 2012 campaign for the Republican presidential\u00a0nomination, candidate Rick Santorum stated\u00a0that he believed in the literal creation account of\u00a0Genesis. An atheist friend of mine, bewildered by\u00a0Santorum\u2019s \u201cstupidity,\u201d posted a series of questions\u00a0about the creation account of Genesis on\u00a0Facebook. He asked whether or not Adam had sexual\u00a0desire for women before Eve was created. He\u00a0also asked about Adam\u2019s seemingly impossible\u00a0task of naming the animals and if the six days of\u00a0creation were 24-hour periods.<\/p>\n
All of those questions\u00a0are serious and legitimate. But his objective\u00a0was not to learn the truth. His objective\u2014as he\u00a0stated in the comment section\u2014was to prove that\u00a0unless all questions anyone had related to creation\u00a0could be answered satisfactorily then the creation\u00a0account of Scripture could not be trusted.<\/p>\n
Our task as Christians should be to teach the\u00a0unbeliever that sacred Scripture should not be\u00a0picked apart and manipulated and used for\u00a0personal gain. The Bible is the Word of God. It is\u00a0authoritative. It is God\u2019s will for man. The Bible\u00a0is not just a long book that contains a few fables\u00a0and love stories. It is not a book we can use to assuage\u00a0guilty feelings. \u201cAll Scripture is inspired by\u00a0God…\u201d (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NASB).<\/p>\n
So, how do we do it? How do we teach the unbeliever\u00a0that the Bible is authoritative? How do\u00a0we show them that they must conform their lives\u00a0to Christian doctrines in order to be saved?<\/p>\n
While it is impossible to address every question\u00a0the unbeliever might ask about the Scriptures, it\u00a0is possible for us to use a few principles that will\u00a0help us plant God\u2019s Word in the hearts of men.<\/p>\n
REALIZE: IT\u2019S NOT ABOUT ME<\/p>\n
Many Christians fail to convert the lost because\u00a0they develop an \u201cus vs. them\u201d or \u201cme vs. you\u201d\u00a0mentality when it comes to Bible study. They sit\u00a0down with an unbeliever and say, \u201cThis is what\u00a0I believe. You should believe it, too.\u201d Once that\u00a0position is used as the basis for the study, the\u00a0unbeliever will instantly become defensive. He or\u00a0she will dig their heels into their own way of thinking.\u00a0Bible study then becomes a competition of\u00a0wills. The unbeliever will interpret the Christian\u2019s\u00a0words as, \u201cI\u2019m right and you\u2019re wrong. Let me show\u00a0all the ways that you\u2019re wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Philip the evangelist used a much more\u00a0effective method when he encountered an\u00a0Ethiopian eunuch on a desert road in Acts 8. The\u00a0Holy Spirit instructed Philip to go toward the\u00a0eunuch\u2019s chariot. Philip heard the eunuch reading\u00a0from the book of Isaiah the prophet. Philip asked\u00a0him if he knew what he was reading, and the\u00a0eunuch said that he could not know unless\u00a0someone instructed him. The Bible then states,\u00a0\u201cPhilip opened his mouth, and beginning from this\u00a0Scripture he preached Jesus to him\u201d (Acts 8:35).\u00a0Shortly thereafter, the eunuch wanted to be\u00a0baptized, and Philip baptized him.<\/p>\n
By preaching Jesus to the eunuch, Philip\u00a0shifted the focus from himself to the Savior. He\u00a0let the inspired words be the focus. The discussion\u00a0in the chariot was not about Philip\u2019s life as\u00a0an evangelist or the eunuch\u2019s service to Queen\u00a0Candace of Ethiopia. Jesus said, \u201cAnd I, if I am\u00a0lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to\u00a0Myself\u201d (John 12:32). Our attitude should shift from\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m right; you\u2019re wrong\u201d to \u201cJesus is right; His\u00a0words should guide us.\u201d<\/p>\n
LET THE UNBELIEVER SHOW\u00a0HIS FAITH<\/p>\n
Every person on earth has faith in something\u00a0or someone. People put their health in the hands\u00a0of doctors without a second thought. We take medication\u00a0without asking where the medicine came\u00a0from. Most people have no idea how the braking\u00a0system in their car works, yet they trust that their\u00a0brakes will stop the car when they are pressed.\u00a0No child has ever raised his or her hand in a\u00a0classroom and said, \u201cI don\u2019t believe that George\u00a0Washington was the first president because I\u00a0wasn\u2019t there to see him with my own eyes.\u201d\u00a0Students learn about men who lived prior to\u00a0Jesus and never question that those men did exactly\u00a0what the history books teach them. Yet,\u00a0scores of people refuse to put their faith in Jesus\u00a0and trust His Word.<\/p>\n
When people are shown how much faith they\u00a0put in things and people, it will become much\u00a0easier for them to open their hearts to God\u2019s Word.\u00a0They will stop trying to debate Biblical minutia and\u00a0start seeing how their life fits into the Gospel\u00a0message. The process will be slow, of course; they\u00a0will have many questions. If someone has opposed\u00a0God\u2019s will for a lifetime, it might take him more\u00a0than a few days to submit to God\u2019s will. But God\u00a0is waiting for him. \u201cThe Lord is not slow about His\u00a0promise, as some count slowness, but is patient\u00a0toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for\u00a0all to come to repentance\u201d (2 Peter 3:9, NASB).<\/p>\n