Christians know there is so much more to Jesus than what’s found on the Internet, but how do we explain Jesus in a way that is simple enough to be clear, yet scripturally rich enough to be compelling? Type the question “Who is Jesus?” into your computer search bar, and you’ll find 622,000,000 results. - Anna. In speaking with people about this, we have to go through the laborious process of showing first of all that the Bible as a collection of historical documents is basically reliable. Calvin claimed that there is a tremendous bias and prejudice built into the human heart that only the influence of God the Holy Spirit can overcome. THEY KNOW. Most of the atheists you will meet are in reality agnostics (no-knowledge). Tell him you will settle for nothing less than being married “in the Lord.” Confess your disobedience to God and the sin of misleading him. The Holy Spirit also illuminates the mind of unbelievers so they are able to grasp the reality of Christ. Proverbs 11:30 … When we meet a person who has not yet experienced God’s saving grace, we are to have the heart of Jesus and extend a helping hand at their point of need. If current followers of Jesus sought to engage in more methods of discipleship with the unbeliever, I think we would see more people believe in Jesus for eternal life, and thus, more people become fully devoted followers of Jesus. I’m going to show you how to avoid arguments in next week’s article. Be ready to give your reasons for why God is real. But I think this is a critical issue upon which so much of the Christian faith depends. Some non-believers are familiar with the basic facts about Jesus, while other non-believers know virtually nothing. That’s well over half a billion answers! The unbeliever could be a mocker of the Word of God (2 Peter 3:3-4). Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. The Messiah would be the descendant of Abraham through whom all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). That was a mistake, but once I finally started praying, God responded. Importantly, Jesus affirmed Peter’s answer. And, he may be brought into the fold of Christ. This question focuses on the fact that ultimately an unbeliever will have to say that he cannot know anything for certain— which, of course, is a “certain” or “absolute” statement. You can bet on this: He's not wearing a wristwatch. We move from there in linear fashion. All of the sermons in the book of Acts focus on the resurrection. Recently, I asked my hairdresser about her spiritual background. That its a big deal because God is a big part of your life and you don't want him coming between you and God. Then we take can people from the “what I’m missing” to “what I’m … Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:8-9). Tell,him about your concerns with you being a Christians and him not being. I want to tell my friends and family about how great God is. Evolution may account for certain behaviors that are beneficial to the species, but it fails to address many moral judgments that appear to be universal. Ask engaging questions (generally avoid “yes” or “no” questions) to get him to open up to discuss his fears, past spiritual experiences, and questions about salvation and the gospel. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being (Hebrews 1:3). I’m sure you could add several more Bible verses to this list to show the difficulty in bringing God’s Word to bear on an unbeliever. Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? That last statement might cause a few biblically-minded Christians to stumble. Even the simple realities that surround His birth, life, and death, indicate that Jesus was no ordinary person. 7:39) with an extra-biblical rule (you cannot date an unbeliever). I would move first to a study of the person of Jesus and then ask the question, what did Jesus teach about Scripture? Q. How Does Biblical Sabbath Apply in Today's 24-7 World? California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Serving God in spirit & truth, Austin Craig’s Reply & Answers to Austin’s Questions . The birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (“Christ” means Messiah) fulfilled over 300 prophecies written about the Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures. It’s been said, “Before you talk to people about God, talk to God about people.” That’s sound advice. There was a particular verse He used to convince me that Christianity was the truth and the right kind of life for me (John 14:6). You can do this by: Telling them you are praying for situations in their life. They are not just helpless people who are being misrepresented. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:13-16). The Next 500 Years: 2017 National Conference, Alive: How the Resurrection of Christ Changes Everything, Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the …, Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes …, Atheism Remix: A Christian Confronts the New Atheists, Naming Ligonier the Beneficiary of a Bank or Investment Account, Gifts That Provide Income and Tax Benefits. But his death did something else, too—it saved us from separation with God now, and also in the life to come. Someone may be thinking, “But I know of cases where a believer married an unbeliever and everything has turned out fine. Sproul. Argue that God is the only satisfactory source of morality. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him (Colossians 1:15-16). Explain how religion has influenced your life, both for you as a person and for your relationships in the world around you. Simply love the nonbeliever in your life. In Christ all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). If your listener still isn't convinced, ask them this important question: where does mankind's idea of “goodness” come from? How Do I Explain Who Jesus Is to a Non-Believer? What I’m saying is this: That while sharing Jesus with an unbeliever is best initiated by your actions and attitude, at some point you need to let him/her know why you are who you are—that Jesus is your LORD and Savior and he wants to be theirs, too. Jesus was born in an obscure village to working class Jewish parents, more than 2,000 years ago. When we aren’t sure how to explain Jesus, a simple question like, “Did you grow up with any religious background? There was a time when I was not a believer, and then God made me one by the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16). But when we say, “Our first task to to convert people, and after that, the process of discipleship begins,” we neglect a vital and critical element of the evangelistic process. Pray for Wisdom. Hard core atheism, the belief that there is no God (anti-theism), is difficult to defend, so the new softer, friendlier atheism defines itself as “we would believe in God if there was enough evidence”. But if Jesus was raised, the only logical response is to humbly acknowledge Him as Lord. Of course in those days they were idol worshipers. Here is a sampling of what the Bible says about Jesus’ identity: The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. With only three years of ministry, no access to technology, social media, or even the printing press—Jesus changed the world. Don't discriminate … Put simply: we needed saving from our sin, and because Jesus paid for our sin through His death and resurrection, He is the Savior. Only 1,095 days to transform His generation, and every generation to come. I want you … That’s 36 months to spread His message. After all, how will we discern what to share about Jesus unless we listen as least as much as we talk? Hello, Sign in. Romans 3:23 puts it this way: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” There’s a reason the phrase “nobody’s perfect” has been repeated for decades; everyone knows it’s true! For some, nerves drive us to jabber on, rather than allow silence that is sometimes necessary to process information about Jesus. If someone were to ask you how to be saved, what would you tell them? Yet the last thing people would want is a book telling them they are in desperate need of repentance and of a changed life and of bowing in humility before Christ. So, every unbeliever knows not only that there is something missing, but also they have a sense of guilt. These can be a good starting point … But we need to be precise at this point, so that we do not attempt to protect a clear commandment (you cannot marry an unbeliever; see 1 Cor. When explaining Jesus to a non-believer, it’s often helpful to start with commonly accepted facts about Jesus. When we share Jesus, it’s easy to do all the talking. If the book is basically reliable, it doesn’t have to be inerrent or infallible; it gives us a basically reliable portrait of Jesus of Nazareth and what he taught. Christ will take it from there. A carpenter by trade, Jesus began his public ministry at the age of 30 and was crucified a mere three years later. The mission, passion and purpose of Ligonier Ministries is to proclaim the holiness of God These people are trained to spend HOURS on prayer and reading their death sentence book. 10 Prayers to Help You Exchange Anxiety and Fear for Peace. For me, in the final analysis, our doctrine of Scripture is drawn from the teaching of Jesus and from our understanding of who he is. Sometimes when you’re talking with an unbeliever, your conversation can become heated, and you find yourself in a debate. Always be on the lookout for opportunities to share the gospel casually, like when having a cup of coffee with a friend. in all its fullness to as many people as possible. It was a verse about hell—the place we don’t want to think about because of what it means. She’s the author of Seek: A Woman’s Guide to Meeting, God, Taming Your Family Zoo and the Get Healthy Bible study series. Minimize discussions about his medical condition or other topics … To help you understand how this system works, I want you to put on your evangelism shoes. 08/29/2018 Tell your friends. Your gift enables our worldwide outreach. Others are excited to share Jesus, and enthusiasm about the conversation can cause us to dominate the conversation. The same tests that we would apply to Herodotus or Suetonius or any other ancient historian would … The same tests that we would apply to Herodotus or Suetonius or any other ancient historian would have to be applied to the biblical records. The unbeliever came to faith in Christ and today they have a fine Christian family.” Yes, God is often gracious in … As followers of Christ, we need to be prepared to share the message of the Gospel. All rights reserved. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time...” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). Every person falls short of God’s holy perfection—even religious people. Donna is mom to three funny, Jesus loving young adult kids who frequently sit on her kitchen counter, just to chat. My husband was watching a debate on youtube about God’s existence and he said that in this video it was mentioned that in the old testament (specifically in the book of Deuteronomy) there used to be … When properly paired with the Spirit, the soul, or mind, of a … What Does Scripture Say about How to Handle White Privilege? “If you truly love him, your concern for his soul should outweigh your hopes for marriage.” Once he has admitted that the God of the Bible CAN do this, then you are ready to ask question number 2. And how did Jesus save us? The qualifier question that you just learned is the first step in engaging with an unbeliever about their God-questions. Jesus died in our place for our sins, cancelling the debt every one of us owes to God. God wants us to love others, to be his loving agents on earth. Here are three reasons why we should practice discipleship with un… For instance, if a non-believer struggles with guilt and shame, explaining how Jesus forgives and loves might illuminate the gospel better than explaining how Jesus is the Creator (for example). For all of us, listening is as important as talking. It is never God’s will for you to sin! This also explains why the church is filled with hypocrites. Today the unbeliever is usually secular. A Savior requires at least two parties: one (or more) people who need to be saved and one person who saves. The Christian should not be afraid to apply those kinds of historical standards of credibility to the Scriptures, because they have withstood a tremendous amount of criticism from that standpoint, and their credibility remains intact. When it comes to the relationship between you and a … If they are thirsty, we can give them a cup of water; if they’re hungry, we can feed them (Matthew 25:35-40). Calvin distinguished between what he called the undicia—those objective evidences for the trustworthiness of Scripture—and what he called the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit, which is necessary to cause us to surrender to the evidence and acknowledge that it is the Word of God. There’s a difference between objective proof and the persuasion or conviction that follows. But a lot of them just don’t believe me. Do you have a question about the Bible or theology? There is just one question that should determine if someone should be a Christian: “For if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Colossians 1:19). We explain Jesus in the same way we accept Jesus: with humility and love, with grace and truth. Here are ten suggestions for explaining who Jesus is to a non-believer. How can I convince them that God is the one? In speaking with people about this, we have to go through the laborious process of showing first of all that the Bible as a collection of historical documents is basically reliable. Telling people about Jesus is a big topic. Donna Jones: Donna Jones is a national speaker, author and pastor’s wife who is passionate about helping people know and love Jesus. We keep time; we have watches and calendars and clocks and so on. How to Explain Jesus to a Non-Believer 1. Keep up the good work brother, and always water the seeds you plant in someone’s heart with prayer, and love. He made me “strong in the Lord” to say what needed to be said, and renewed my confidence that God does indeed hear and answer our prayers for help (1 John 5:14-15). Before Jesus was born, an angel appeared to Joseph with these words: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. So in the end, 1 Corinthians 2:14 is not about an unbeliever’s inability to understand the things of God, but about the incapacity of reason and emotions to understand the things of God on their own. She laughed before admitting, “not much.”. The Christian belief system is a worldview—the way we think about and respond to life. The Holy Spirit gives us insight about what to share with unbelievers, and how to share it. The Bible makes the claim that it is the unvarnished Word of God, that it is the truth of God, that it comes from him. Cart and don't think any muslim is your friend. Get a live response from one of our well-trained agents when you ask Ligonier. The first five suggestions discuss how to share Jesus; the last five discuss what to share about Jesus. The Ligonier Ministries site requires Javascript, but you’ve got Javascript disabled. Jesus was more than a man; more than the founder of Christianity, more than a prophet, more than a teacher, more than a moral example. Conversations about Jesus can easily morph into controversies about peripheral issues. Jesus pointedly asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. If we can on the basis of general reliability come to the conclusion that Jesus Christ did the things that history claims he did, it would indicate that Jesus is more than an ordinary human being and that his testimony would be compelling.
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