Christians are facing enormous obstacles, and some of the worst hindrances come from people who claim to be Christians but don't actually believe the gospel.
How can we respond to their criticism, false teachings, and harsh accusations?
Recently one of my loved ones declared herself gay. We had enjoyed sweet fellowship studying God's Word together. Now she has rejected all that I taught her and claims to be following the real Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4).
If I could go back, I would do more than teach her Bible truths. I would teach her "apologetics" so she would not be surprised, confused, or deceived by popular lies or hard questions.(1)
Christians must learn how to respond to modern false teachings, and then we must teach the younger generations how to respond.
Satan's a master at twisting Scriptures to justify the lies of our culture, and he’s taking many captive (Colossians 2:8; 2 Timothy 2:24-26).
There was a time when few people were asking the hard questions. That time is past.
So “prepare your minds for action” and learn to graciously share God's unchanging truth (1 Peter 1:13; Colossians 4:6).
-------------------
(1) Learning apologetics means learning careful, reasonable, biblical answers to hard questions such as those linked below.
Whether you do it on your own or with a friend, Bible study group, Sunday school class, or small group, you need to learn how to respond to these questions. Some may not have definite "answers," but we can still learn how to respond wisely.
Eternal Life: Are there many paths to heaven?
Doesn't the Bible Have Inconsistencies?
Why are so Many Christians Hypocrites?
Why Push Your Faith on Others?
Why Trust the Bible when it was Written by Men?
Why Not Only Trust the Words of Christ?
Why Did God Create Man with the Ability to Sin?
Why Did God Destroy Entire Nations?
Is the Bible a Mythological Book?
How Can You Take the Bible Literally?
What About People Who Never Hear the Gospel?
In addition:
You should know how to answer questions about the false belief of Universal Salvation: The Heresy of Universal Salvation.
You will need to fully understand the false arguments of gay revisionists: Biblical Teaching on Homosexuality and Gay Revisionist Arguments. My loved one was taken captive by these false teachings. She knew they conflicted with the things I had taught her, but gay revisionists can be very persuasive, claiming to be biblical, loving, and accepting. There is a strong temptation to accept these false teachings because they help us fit into secular culture. But they are not loving at all. They encourage people to damage their hearts and souls. 💔
It's also helpful to understand the false teachings of the Hebrew Roots Movement.
And these posts will prepare you for the prominent Ex-vangelical arguments: Wilderness Wanderers and Ex-vangelical Teachings.
FREE E-BOOKLET:
Bible Love Notes
I’m really sorry about your friend...heartbreaking! I appreciate your encouragement to learn apologetics! Our small group is needing a new study topic so this might be it! God bless your day!
ReplyDeleteI strongly encourage you to do this. There are lots of people trying to persuade Christians that God is in favor of destructive lifestyles.
DeleteGreat post!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine!
DeleteYou are such a faithful reader and encourager.
Thank you for posting this. Last March, right at the time our state and church was shut down, one of my loved ones declared herself gay. I detest the phrase, "coming out". She says she's still a believer. She even read a book by coincidence a book I was reading when I was doing book reviews "Gay Girl, Good God" by Jackie Hill Perry who shares her testimony of walking away from the lifestyle. My loved one says that Jackie is " bi". She even declares that the scriptures against the homosexual lifestyle were added in by a certain denomination.
ReplyDeleteAll that to say, I'm at a loss for words. I'm so concerned for her soul. I'm sorry my comment is so long. I never actually wrote this out to anyone before. Thank you for "listening".
Yes, I don't believe my loved one is gay. I believe she has convinced herself that she is. I don't believe anyone is born gay. God doesn't create us to do things against His commands. We all have different temptations and some people have gay temptations. But they are not gay. Some people have temptations to commit adultery, but they are not born adulterers.
DeleteThere are some very powerful factions who are claiming God approves of homosexuality. I encourage you to study the things I've linked about Homosexuality and gay revisionists. I pray they will help you understand some of the things your friend has been taught. And perhaps they will give you the words you need to talk these things through with her or with someone else who is confused.
I understand your pain. God bless you.
Great post! Thank you for the links. God bless!
ReplyDeleteI think we need to ask these questions. We can't.just shut everything down with it's in the Bible
ReplyDeleteWe have brains and the ability to use them
Hi Christina,
DeleteI agree with you that we need to ask these questions. And I agree with you that we don't shut down conversation by saying "It's in the Bible." And since nothing in this devotion suggests doing those things, I'm not sure why you included those things in your comment.
It's very popular to accuse Christians of things like that but it's neither accurate nor fair.
But here's our main difference, Christina. I believe God knows more than human beings. I believe, as the Bible teaches, that He is all knowing, all good, an infinitely wise. I believe that if I want to find the truth about human sexuality - understanding what is healthy and good for our bodies, souls, and spirits, I can trust Him. And the way I learn what He believes is by researching my Bible.
And I also believe that human beings who create their own answers apart from God's Word are simply offering flawed human wisdom which is typically a mixture of error and truth or sometimes just plan error.
So we can trust our own flawed wisdom or the flawed wisdom of other human beings who make up their answers without trusting the Bible says, or we can trust what God teaches us in the Bible. And I'm trusting God.