Answering excuses
Some objections indicate that the person may already be pondering whether to become a Christian. That person needs encouragement, not an opponent. Here are some common excuses, and some resources for giving an answer (compiled by the author’s wife, Sue Found)
| 1. “I can’t believe that a loving God would punish people.” | Because God is both loving and just, sin must be punished (Romans 3:23 and II Thessalonians 1:6-10). Do I want to take the punishment I deserve, or let Jesus take it for me? (Titus 2:13-14). |
| 2. “I have to make some changes in my life before I could consider becoming a Christian”. | There is nothing we can do to deserve God’s favor. We can have a relationship with God now through the grace of God. Romans 5:6-8. Ephesians 2:8-9. |
| 3. “I have to spend a long time studying the Bible and be able to understand all of its teaching before I can become a Christian”. | Small children and people who have never studied the Bible can become Christians. See Matthew 19:14. Luke 23:39-43. Romans 10:9. I Corinthians 15:1-4. I John 5:11-13. |
| 4. “I couldn’t face the idea that a loved one who didn’t/doesn’t believe in Jesus would go to hell”. | If what Jesus said about unbelievers going to hell is true, rejecting the truth won’t change it. If you do become a believer, there is a chance that your (still living) loved one might believe also. I Peter 3:1-2. If an unbelieving loved one died, he/she would want you to become a believer. Luke 16:19-28. |
| 5. “I don’t want to become a Christian because others might look down on me, laugh at me, reject me”. | Worse things could happen: Matthew 10:28. There is a positive side: Matthew 5:10-12; Ephesians 2:19. |
| 6. “I might have to give up some things that I value if I become a Christian”. | “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Mark 10:28-30. II Corinthians 4:18. I John 2:17. Colossians 2:10a. |
| 7. “If I become a Christian the spirits I used to worship might bring me bad luck”. | While it is true that there are evil spirits, it is also true that Christians don’t need to fear them. Jeremiah 10:5. Matthew 10:1. I John 4:3-4. James 4:7. |
| 8. “Sometimes Christians have to go through trials or suffering. I couldn’t (or wouldn’t want to) go through something like that”. | You may suffer whether or not you become a Christian. God is always with us. Hebrews 13:5-6. There is a positive side to suffering: II Corinthians 1:3-4 and 8-10, and chapter 12:7-10. Romans 5:1-5. James 1:2-4. |
| 9. “If I don’t have any special feelings, I can’t accept the reality of God in my life”. | Emotions come and go. You can’t depend on feelings, but you can depend on fact. John 14:21, 18:37, and 20:29-31. II Corinthians 5:7. |
This page is reprinted with permission from the author’s book Great Commission Living. (scroll to the bottom of the link to see its table of contents).
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