WORDS OF LIFE
I don't need God
If you say that you don't need Him, then you believe He exists. If you do, why would you say that you don't need Him? Isn't He the One who determines your destiny? Doesn't He have the authority and power to do as He pleases and to send you to Heaven or Hell? It is foolish to say you don't need the One who is your Creator--who loves you and has provided the way for forgiveness of sin. You need God because only He can cleanse you from your sins.
What do you need? Are you really doing that well without God? Are you happy with the way things are in your life? If you aren't, then you need Jesus. And even if you are happy, you still need Him because you can't take what makes you happy with you when you die.
How could you not need God? I mean, isn't he the creator? How could you not need the one who is good, loving, kind, and has all power to work those in your life?
I am an atheist. I don't believe in God
An atheist is defined primarily in two senses: Someone who says he believes there is no God and someone who simply lacks belief in God. An atheist cannot rationally say he knows there is no God because he would have to know all things in order to know if there is or isn't a God. If he says he believes there is no God, ask him why he believes that way and begin there. If he says he lacks belief in God, then ask what he does believe in and start there. I always get around to the question of, "How did we get here?" Since creation and evolution are the only options, I have something further to work with.
An agnostic says he doesn't know if there is or isn't a God. (Usually after saying this I challenge them to explain the prophecies of the Old Testament fulfilled in the New. I state how the Bible is unique that way and that only God can make prophecies that are 100% accurate. Then I ask him to explain how that could be done if there is no God).
If there is no God as you say, then in the end I lose nothing. But if there is a God like I say, in the end you lose everything.
Why don't you believe in God? Is there any reason for you to intelligently reject His existence? Or, do you simply desire not to believe in Him?
The Bible doesn't attempt to prove that God exists. It simply speaks as though He does. Maybe I can't prove to you there is a God, but I can introduce Him to you through His Son Jesus Christ; and you can judge for yourself if the Words of Christ in the Bible convince you of His existence.
I am already religious
Who said that God wants you to be religious? He wants a relationship with you. Religion is man's attempt to reach God. Christianity is God reaching man. 1 Cor. 1:9 says that God wants you to have fellowship with Jesus. He is talking about a relationship--someone you can talk to. He doesn't want to weigh you down with a bunch of do's and don'ts. He wants to extend a loving hand to you and help you live a good clean life. But that cannot be done until the real problem in you is done away with, and that is sin. Sin separates you from God (Isaiah 59:2). If you want salvation instead of "religion," then go to Jesus. Seek Him. He will never let you down.
I already believe in God
Are you living your life as if that were true? Does your belief inGod affect the way you live, or do you still do entirely as you please?
If you say you believe in God, then how do you know what He wants for you? Are you in contact with Him? Do you just trust whatever you feel is right?
The Bible says the Devil believes in God (James 2:19), and he is lost. If all you do is simply believe that God exists, then you are no better off than he is. It is not intellectual acknowledgment of God's existence that God wants but your accepting the sacrifice Jesus made on behalf of sinners that pleases God. Simply believing is not enough. You must choose to follow Him.
It is not that you believe; it is whom you put your faith in. Who is this God you believe in? Is He the Christian one? Is he Allah? Is he from another planet? Is he whatever you feel is right? Is he loving? Believing in God is fine unless your god is false. The important thing is that you must believe in the true God--not a false one, and the true God is found in the Bible.
I am not a sinner.
Are you saying you are perfect? If you are, then you're the first perfect person I've ever met.
Are you saying you've never broken the Law of God? Have you ever lied, cheated, or stolen? If you have, then you are a sinner whether you think so or not. The laws of God have punishments (a law without a punishment is only a slogan). As a sinner, you are separated from God (Isaiah 59:2). However, God loves you enough not to want you to be separated from Him. He sent Jesus (1 John 4:10) to pay for sins on the cross. So, the only way to have your sins forgiven is to put your trust in Jesus and the sacrifice He made.
The Bible says that everyone has sinned (Rom. 5:12). That means you, too.
I am too big a sinner.
Nobody is too big a sinner. The love of God and the sacrifice of Jesus is capable of cleansing the worst of all sin. Even Hitler could have been saved if he would have turned to Christ. You have sinned the same as anyone else. It is just that your sins are yours. They aren't too big for God to wipe away. Sin has no power over God, only over you.
Let me ask you something. Do you think murder and adultery are serious sins? Yes? Well, David, a man in the Bible who was called by God a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22), was a murderer and an adulterer. He even tried to hide his sin from everyone. But God knew his sins and exposed them. David repented and threw himself on the mercy of the Lord. God forgave him and loved him. God loves you and He will forgive you if you put your trust in Jesus and ask Him to forgive you of your sins (Rom. 10:9-10).
I am already good enough.
How good do you have to be to get to heaven? God is holy and requires holiness. Holiness is purity. Even though you may think you are good enough, even one sin disqualifies you from being in the presence of God. You could never be good enough. That is why you need Jesus.
The Bible says that there is none good enough. "There is none who does good, there is not even one," (Rom. 3:12). Goodness is measured by God's standard not yours.
To say that you are good enough means that Christ did not have to die. But He did die to save sinners. The Bible says if righteousness can come by good deeds then Christ didn't need to die (Gal. 2:21), but He did, so being good isn't enough.
I am doing the best I can and I'm sincere.
Even if you could do far better than you are doing now you still can't do well enough because you don't please God by being good (Gal. 2:21), but by accepting Jesus (John 1:12).
Sincerity is not the way to heaven. What if you are sincerely wrong? (RememberJohn 14;6?)
If you are relying on your sincerity, then are you saying that because you are sincere, therefore you are good enough on your own to be with God." Don't you see, to appeal to your sincerity is to appeal to pride, because you are appealing to something that is inyou and not God for your reason to go to heaven. I am sorry, sincerity is not enough. You must have faith, in Jesus.
How long have you been doing your best? Has it worked so far? Has it given you eternal life?
I tried Christianity once.
The Bible says that once you are saved, you are never the same again, you are a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). If you have gone back to your old ways, then most probably you were never saved. If, however, you were saved, then God won't let you stay in rebellion for long. He will deal with you in whatever way is necessary to bring you back into fellowship with Him.
Did you become a Christian by going to church or by asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins? The latter makes you a Christian, the former doesn't.
I knew some Christians once and they wronged me.
Christians aren't perfect. They make mistakes like anyone else. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive them. I think that is what they would do for you.
Maybe they didn't know they wronged you. Was it something really bad or was it just a mistake? Have you gone to them and spoken to them about it? Maybe if you were to forgive them you would begin to understand the forgiveness God has for you. We all need to be forgiven, don't you agree?
I'll take my chances.
With what, eternity? Eternity is a long time to be wrong. Why would you want to take a gamble on something as important as your eternal destiny? It takes only a moment to trust Christ for your salvation. There will be an eternity of pain and regret if you don't.
You don't take chances with guns do you? You don't take chances and run red lights do you? Why would you take a chance on something that is far more important than these? Don't take a chance on something eternal. It isn't worth it.
Jesus said He was the only way to God. He forgave sins, walked on water, calmed a storm with a command, raised people from the dead, and rose from the dead Himself. No one else in all of history has done that. If He can do all that, don't you think you should listen to Him.
I am not that bad a person.
Whether or not you feel you are bad or good is not the real issue. The Bible says that all have sinned (Rom. 3:23). If all have sinned, good or bad, then all will suffer the judgment of God. God does not require someone to be pretty good; He requires that he not sin at all. But He knows that you cannot be sinless. That is why He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
The Bible says that our good works are filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). It isn't saying that we might not try to be good, it is saying that whatever good we do, it is not good enough. It also says that there is none who does good (Rom. 3:12). The standard God seeks is perfection. We cannot please God on our own. That is why Jesus died on behalf of sinners. If you want to be good enough, then you must let God see you through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. That is the only goodness that counts to God.
I am too old or too young.
You are never to old to trust in Jesus as your Savior. As long as you are alive you can call on Him to forgive you of your sins. He is as close as the call of your heart.
(Granted there may be some who are too young to understand the gospel message, but here we will address those who simply use that as an excuse.) Youth is a blessing from God. Don't use it as an excuse to stay away from Him. If you can understand what sin is and your need for deliverance from it, then you are not too young to receive Jesus as your Savior. He saves everyone, young and old.
I can't believe in a God who would send people to hell.
Hell was originally created for Satan and his angels. In the future it will contain those who join Satan in rejecting God. If you reject God's provision for the forgiveness of your sins then you will join the Devil who rejected God from the beginning. Is that what you want?
Could you believe in a God who would become a human, suffer at the hands of humans, and be killed by them, all so that His death could be the payment for their sins? That is extremely loving. God is saving people who deserve to go to hell -- and we all deserve that. Remember that the same God that sends people to hell also died for them. If they reject what God has provided then what is God left to do? He would have to judge them.
Whether you believe in something or not does not change the fact of its existence. Jesus spoke often of hell (Matt. 25:41-46;Mark 9:47-48;Luke 16:19-31) and warned us so we would not go there. Would you say Jesus didn't know what He was talking about?
Are you implying that it is unjust for God to send people to hell? If so, then you accuse God of injustice. Sin is wrong and it must be punished. What would you have God do to those who oppose Him and do evil? Do you want Him to ignore that which is wrong? Do you want Him to turn His head and not be holy and righteous?
I will worry about it in the next life.
That you may very well do, forever. Eternity is a long time to be wrong, especially about Jesus.
God has warned us in the Bible that it is appointed for men to die once, then judgment (Heb. 9:27). After death you will be judged. Do you want to face eternity without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ accounted to you? God hates sin and you have sinned. God will punish sinners if they reject Jesus. However, He loves you. That is why He sent His Son to die for sins. If you want eternal life, then you need to worry about it now. Eternity is a long time to be wrong, especially about Jesus.
There is no next life. Reincarnation isn't true. The Bible says after death you face God (Heb. 9:27).
I don't want to give up what I like doing.
If you become a Christian, are you saying you must stop doing what you're doing now. That means you know it is wrong. Let me ask you something. If you were to become a Christian and God were to live in your heart and you looked back upon your life now, would you say to yourself, "I did a lot of things I wish I hadn't done."? Probably so. The Bible speaks about just such a thing. In Rom. 6:21 it says, "What benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed, for the outcome of those things is death," (NASB).What you are saying is that God will require you to give up certain things that you like to do. Since God only wants what is good and right, and you say you don't want to give up what your are doing, then you are saying you want what is wrong.
Will you let your pleasures get in the way of salvation? Is your life of sin worth an eternity of pain? Jesus said, "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?" (Mark 8:36).