CHAPTER VIII.

DEALING WITH PROFESSED SKEPTICS AND INFIDELS

There are various classes of Sceptics and the same methods of dealing will not answer for all.

1. _Skeptics who are mere triflers._ With such use 1 Cor. i. 18. If a man says the Bible is foolishness to him, you can say “Yes, that is just what the Bible itself says.” He will probably be surprised at this reply and then you can show him 1 Cor. i. 18; “the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.” Then you can say to him, “You see that the Bible says that it is foolishness to some—them that _perish_—and the reason it is foolishness to you is because you are perishing.” 1 Cor. ii. 14, can be used in a similar way. A worker was one night dealing with a man who said to him when he was trying to persuade him to come to Christ, “all that you are saying is foolishness to me.” The worker quickly replied, “Yes, that is just what the Bible says.” The man looked at him in astonishment and said: “What?” “You said all that I have been saying to you was foolishness to you, and that is just what the Bible says.” The man was more astonished then than ever and the worker turned him to 1 Cor. ii. 14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.” The man said “I never saw that before; I never thought of it in that light before.” 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4, is very useful in showing the trifler that he is lost and that his skepticism arises from the fact that the “god of this world hath blinded his mind.” 2 Thes. ii. 10‒12, is useful in showing the origin of skepticism, “because they received not the love of the truth” and the consequences of skepticism—delusion and damnation. John viii. 21, 24, is also very searching in dealing with this class of skeptics, showing the terrible consequences of unbelief. John v. 44; iii. 18, 19, 20 expose the origin of scepticism. Ps. xiv. 1, is useful in some cases though one needs to be guarded in its use, using it only when it can be done with earnestness and tenderness. 2 Thes. i. 7, 8 can also be used with good results.

2. _Serious minded skeptics._ There is a large class of men and women in our day who are really desirous of knowing the truth but who are in an utter fog of skepticism. John vii. 17 is a very helpful passage in dealing with such. It shows the way out of skepticism to faith. Get the skeptic to act along the line of that verse. Put to him the question, “Will you surrender your will to God and promise to search honestly and earnestly to find out what God’s will is that you may do it, to ask God to show you whether you need a Saviour and whether Jesus is a Divine Saviour, the Son of God; and will you promise that, if God will show you that Jesus is the Son of God, to accept Him as your Saviour and confess Him before the world?” Have him make his promise definite, by putting it down in black and white. If you get him to do this, his skepticism will soon take wings.

One evening at the close of a service I asked a gentleman why he was not a Christian. He replied: “I will tell you. I do not talk much about it; for I am not proud of it as some are, but I am a skeptic. I have lain awake nights thinking about this matter.” “Do you believe there is a God?” “Yes, I never gave up my faith that there was a God.” “Well, if there is a God you ought to obey him. Will you to–night take your stand upon the will of God to follow it wherever it carries you even if it carries you over the Niagara Falls?” “I try to do as near right as I know how.” “That is not what I asked; will you take your stand on the will of God to follow it wherever it carries you?” “I have never put it that way.” “Will you put it that way to–night?” “I will.” “Do you believe God answers prayer?” “I don’t know; I am afraid not.” “You don’t know that he does not?” “No.” “Well, here is a possible clue to the truth, will you follow it, will you ask God to show you whether Jesus is His Son; and what your duty concerning him is?” “I will.” Not long after that the man came into a meeting with a new look in his face. He arose and said: “I was all in a mist. I believed nothing.” Then he told us what he had done. He had done just as he promised. “And now,” he continued, “my doubts are all gone. I don’t know where they have gone but they are gone.” If the skeptic will not act in this way you can “stop his mouth” by showing him that he is not an honest skeptic and that the trouble with him is not his skepticism but his sin. If the man does not believe there is a God, you can begin one step further back. Ask him if he believes there is an absolute difference between right and wrong (if he does not he is a mere trifler). If he says he does, ask him if he will take his stand upon the right and follow it wherever it carries him. He may try to put you off by saying “What is right?” or that he is doing the right as nearly as he knows how. Get him to promise that he will take his stand upon the right, whatever he may find it to be and follow it whatever the consequence may be. Then show him that if he is honest in this promise, he will try to find out what the right is. Next say to him, “You do not know whether God answers prayer or not. I know He does, and you will admit that here is a possible clue to knowledge. If you are honest in your desire to know the truth, you will follow this possible clue. You can get down and at least pray, ‘O my God, if there be a God, teach me thy will and I will do it. Show me whether Jesus is thy son or not. If you show that he is, I will accept Him as my Saviour and confess Him before the world.’” Then tell the man to begin reading the Gospel of John, reading slowly and thoughtfully, only a few verses at a time, asking God for light each time before reading and promising God that he will follow the light as fast as He makes it clear. If the man will follow this rational course, it will result in every case in the skeptic coming out into the clear light of faith in the Bible, as the word of God, and Jesus Christ as the Son of God. If the man is not an honest skeptic, this course of treatment will reveal the fact and then you can show him that the difficulty is not with his skepticism but with his rebellious heart.

If the man says that he does not know whether there is an absolute difference between right and wrong, then you can set it down at once that he is bad and turn upon him kindly and earnestly and say to him, “My friend, there is something wrong in your life; no man that is living right doubts that there is a difference between right and wrong. Now you probably know what is wrong and the trouble is not with your skepticism, but with your sin.” One afternoon after I had given out an invitation for any skeptic or any one else who wished to talk with me, to remain after the meeting, a young man with whom I had dealt some months before stayed. I asked him what his trouble was. He replied, “The same trouble that I told you in the spring, I cannot believe that there is a God.” I asked him if he had done as I had advised him to do in our former conversation; if he had taken his stand upon the right to follow it wherever it carried him. He replied that he did not know that there was any difference between right and wrong. “I do not know that there is such a thing as right.” I looked him right in the eyes and said, “Is there some sin your life?”

He said “Yes.” I said “what is it?” He replied, “The same that I told you last spring.” I said, “You promised to give it up, have you given it up?” He said “No, I have not.” “Well,” I said, “there is the difficulty, not with your skepticism. Give up that sin and your skepticism will take care of itself.” In some confusion he replied, “I guess that is the trouble.”

3. _Those who doubt the existence of God._

The passages under 1 and 2 can also be used with this class and generally it is wise to use them before those given under this head. There are however, three passages that are often times effective with this specific class of skeptics. Ps. xiv. 1; before using this passage you can say to the man, “Let me read you from God’s own word what he says about those who deny his existence.” Often times it is well to leave the passage to do its own work. Sometimes, however, it is wise to dwell a little upon it. Call the man’s attention to the fact that it is “in his heart” that the fool says “there is no God.” He does not believe there is a God because he does not wish to. You can add that the folly of saying in one’s heart that there is no God is seen in two points; first, there is a God and it is folly to say there is not one, and second, the doctrine that there is not a God always brings misery and wretchedness. Put it right to the man, and ask him if he ever knew a happy atheist. Ps. xix. 1, 2; Romans i. 19‒22, are also effective passages.

4. _Those who doubt that the Bible is the word of God._

Romans iii. 3, 4, is useful in showing that questioning the fact does not alter the fact. Matt. xxiv. 35, is often used by the Spirit to carry to the heart of the skeptic the certainty and immutability of God’s word. Mark vii. 13; Matt. v. 18; John x. 35; Luke xxiv. 27, 44, are useful as giving Christ’s testimony that the Old Testament is the Word of God. They are especially helpful in dealing with those who say that they accept the authority of Christ but not that of the Old Testament, for in them Christ sets His seal to the Old Testament Scriptures and they show conclusively that if we accept His authority we must accept that of the Old Testament also. Along the same line John xiv. 26, and xvi. 12, 13, are useful as containing Christ’s indorsement of the New Testament.

1 Thes. ii. 13, can be used with good effect to meet the statement which is often made, that Paul nowhere claims that his teaching is the word of God. 2 Peter i. 21, John viii. 47; Luke xvi. 30, 31, can also be used in dealing with this class. 2 John v. 10, is very effective in showing the guilt of those who believe not the record that God has given. Before using this last passage you can say, “You doubt, do you, that the Bible is the Word of God? Now let us see what God says about those that believe not His testimony;” then turn them to the passage and have them read it.

5. _Those who doubt a future existence._

1 Cor. xv. 35‒36; Jno. v. 28‒29; Dan. xii. 2.

6. _Those who doubt the doctrine of future punishment, or the conscious, endless suffering of the lost._ Rev. xxi. 8, defines what “death” means when used in the scriptures Rev. xvii. 8, compared with Rev. xix. 20, shows what perdition or destruction means in the scriptures. Rev. xix. 20, compared with Rev. xx. 10 shows that “the lake of fire” is not a place where those consigned to it cease to exist, for we find in the latter passage the beast and false prophet are still there at the end of a thousand years and that they, so far from being annihilated or losing conscious existence are tormented night and day forever and ever. Rev. xiii. 7‒8 show that those who are subjected to the terrible retribution here described are those whose names are not written in the Book of Life. Matt. x. 28 shows that there is destruction for the soul apart from the destruction of the body. Luke xii. 5, shows that after one is killed and is of course dead, there is a punishment in “hell.” Mark iii. 28‒29 (R. V.) shows that there is such a thing as eternal sin. Luke xvi. 23‒26, shows that the condition of the wicked dead is one of conscious torment. Mark xiv. 21, shows that the retribution visited upon the wicked is of so stern a character that it would be better for him upon whom it is visited if he had never been born.

2 Peter ii. 4; Jude 6, show that hell is not a place where the inhabitants cease to exist, but where they are reserved alive, for the purpose of God. Heb. x. 28‒29, show that while the punishment of transgression of the Mosaic law was death, that sorer punishment awaits those who have “trodden under foot the Son of God.” Matt. xxv. 41 gives further light upon the subject. It shows that the wicked go to the same place with the Beast and False Prophet and the Devil mentioned in Rev. xix. 20, and xx. 10, and share the same endless, conscious torment.

7. _Those who doubt the divinity of Christ._

a. In Acts x. 36; 1 Cor. ii. 8, compare Ps. xxiv. 8‒10; Heb. i. 8; John xx. 28; Rom. ix. 5; Rev. i. 17, compare Is. xliv. 6, we find several divine titles applied to Christ, the same titles being applied to Christ in the New Testament that are applied to Jehovah in the old.

b. In Heb. i. 10, 3, we find divine offices attributed to Christ.

c. In John v. 22‒23, compare Rev. v. 13; Heb. i. 6; Phil. ii. 10, we find it taught that Jesus Christ should be worshiped as God.

d. In John v. 22‒23 we find Jesus claiming the same honor as his Father, and either He was Divine or the most blasphemous impostor that ever lived. Drive it home that the one who denies Christ’s Divinity puts Him in the place of a blasphemous imposter. Mark xiv. 61, 62, can be used in a similar way.

e. 1 Jno. ii. 22, 23, compared with 1 Jno. v. 1, 5, shows that the one who denies the Divinity of Christ, no matter who he may be, is a liar and an antichrist. 1 Jno. v. 10‒12, shows that he who does not believe that Jesus is divine makes God a liar, “Because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.” Heb. x. 28‒29, shows the folly, guilt and punishment of rejecting Christ as the Son of God. John viii. 24, shows beyond a question that no one who does not believe in the Divinity of Jesus Christ will be saved. Jno. xx. 31, shows that we have life through believing that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God.

(Note. It is best as a rule before taking up specific difficulties to deal with the inquirer with the passage under the head of “Skeptics who are triflers,” or those under “Serious minded skeptics.”)

Often times there is no need to take up specific questions as for example about future punishment until the inquirer has first settled the matter whether he will accept Christ as his Saviour.