It is a serious task to share the gospel with skeptics. You are compelled to confront your genuine convictions in addition to putting your reputation at jeopardy. Your opinions will be mocked, and your commitments will be derided. You’ll be tempted to water down your beliefs in order to get credibility unless you’ve established yourself sufficiently.
Many of these temptations result from a lack of faith in the gospel and an incorrect understanding of what it means to minister to doubters. Many believe that evangelism directed towards this group is solely comprised of apologetics, however this idea is overly restrictive.
In every situation, evangelism should involve both a statement of what the gospel is and a response to common defenses, criticisms, and misconceptions. You’ll be tempted to give up a biblical foundation in an effort to find some elusive common ground without this well-balanced strategy.
So how may the gospel be best presented to skeptics? I provide imperatives in response to this question.
Show God as He Is Being Revealed.
In the end, we’ll discover that we’re no longer engaging in authentic evangelism if we dilute our understanding of God in an effort to make the gospel more appealing. We’re just selling a god we made up, trying to win people over with a foggy vision of an ineffective divinity.
Don’t water down God to make him more appealing. Don’t spread idolatry, please. Showcase the Bible’s omnipotent God as the key to comprehending the human story.
Cite the Bible as Authoritative
Except for one, every book you own will ultimately decay. It has two edges but is sharper than either (Heb. 4:12). Don’t consign Scripture to obscurity or inferior status among other sources as you discuss it with doubters. You are God’s publicist, not his editor. He isn’t holding out for your changes. He has already started printing.
Not every argument has to be a sermon or a Bible commentary, though. To allay the concerns of a skeptic, however, do not in any way lessen the reliability of the Bible. Keep in mind where your authority comes from while you evangelize.
Present Truth as Knowable
Christians can often become scared when sharing the gospel with the “intelligentsia,” but this shouldn’t be the case because the Christian worldview offers more than most people understand when it comes to defining reality.
Consider how our ordinary talks employ the fundamental rules of reasoning. One common method for assessing truth claims is the law of noncontradiction. Something cannot simultaneously be true and untrue in the same way. But have you ever thought about how a naturalistic model might explain such a law? How can unchanging, impersonal matter create the logical rules that direct our thought?
This skepticism dates back to Charles Darwin, who pondered if he could trust his mental perceptions given that his brain is only an evolutionary byproduct. He seems to be concerned that, if nature is all there is, there can be no assurance that our minds are focused on reality or that our thoughts are trustworthy.
The only explanation for reason itself that makes sense is found in Christianity. Even the arguments against God start with logical presumptions that can only be explained by an eternal, intelligent, and personal Creator. The Bible provides a framework for logical discourse and provides explanation of the world we live in.
Present Christ as Savior
Guilt, shame, and regret have a negative impact on the human epic. Some cannot effectively refute the existence of guilt even if they reject the existence of God. We appeal to doubters’ inborn knowledge of God and sense of moral guilt when we proclaim the gospel to them.
Guilt is merely a symptom, though. The real issues are sin and being cut off from God, and grace is the only remedy. Therefore, a straightforward gospel message should be the foundation of our evangelism to even the most intelligent atheists. Jesus’ claim that “I am the way, the truth, and the life” cannot be improved upon. Nobody else but me is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Never ignore your obligation to spread the good news. Our justifications are insufficient to save anyone on their own. Only Jesus is able.
Regeneration is Needed Now.
The majority of evangelists I know recognize the importance of the Holy Spirit in bringing about conversion. I’ve never seen an apologist who thought his justifications could, by themselves, persuade someone to change their mind. However, I have encountered people who sincerely ask God to utilize their feeble efforts to assist in removing some intellectual barriers. Nevertheless, they also fervently pray for the Spirit to convince with gospel truth.
Sharing Christ with anybody, even doubters, entails illuminating the darkness of the devil’s kingdom with the light of the gospel. You won’t succeed if you try to do it on your own. Like the apostle Paul, we ought to pray for our audience, asking God to open their hearts to the beauty of the gospel grace (Eph. 1:18). Our efforts are nothing without those of the Spirit.
Present Yourself as Humble
Nothing is worse than an egotistical apologist or an overly edgy evangelist. No matter how accurate he or she may be, the arrogance doesn’t help.
The Bible’s most well-known verse about defending the faith should be taken seriously in order to change superior attitudes: “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”
As we share Christian truth, we direct others to Jesus, who is grace and truth incarnate. The best time to evangelize doubters is when Christ is Lord and when we are humble. We will be well on our way to engaging in God-honoring evangelism with atheists and agnostics once we comprehend God’s sovereignty, the authority of the Bible, and our need for the Spirit as a result of our sinfulness.