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Two Very Different Approaches to Sharing Scripture
When Christians talk to folks who don’t believe in God or the Bible, they face a big question: How should they present Scripture?
For believers who see the Bible as the very Word of God… self-authenticating and authoritative… the answer isn’t to water it down or make it more palatable. Instead, we should share it boldly and clearly as the truth that explains all of life.
The Bible, we believe, comes not as a suggestion but as a command from the rightful King to a rebellious people. But the truth is, this approach isn’t harsh… it mirrors how Jesus came… with truth and compassion, calling people in a loving manner to rest from their burdens. Like the apostle Paul, Christians should meet people where they are, but always with the goal of bringing them to full trust and surrender to Christ.
The Limits of Other Religious Approaches
Many Christian traditions, talk about the Bible’s authority, but don’t treat it as the absolute authority. Instead, Scripture is filtered through autonomous human reason, church traditions or philosophical systems. This weakens the Bible’s unique role as God’s direct voice. (Are we not all guilty of this to some degree?)
Even some, who claim to be evangelical Christians, who do emphasize the authority of Scripture, may unintentionally compromise by trying too hard to appeal to autonomous human reason. In other words, they may try to persuade people to believe the Bible by starting with what the unbeliever already accepts… rather than beginning with the Bible as God’s own voice.
The Problem With a “Piecemeal” Approach
To avoid offending non-believers, many Christians try a step-by-step method. They may begin by asking others to consider the Bible as merely a trustworthy historical book. They hope that once people are comfortable with the facts about Jesus, they’ll eventually see him as divine and the Bible as inspired.
This strategy might sound smart, but honestly, it rarely works. Why? Because the foundation is off. It assumes that humans can reach the truth about God on their own, using logic and or reason alone. But the Bible says human hearts are naturally rebellious and cannot fully accept God’s truth without divine help. In fact, it says we are all dead in sin and trespasses. This means that starting from human reason instead of God’s authority ultimately leads nowhere.
Why Autonomous Reason Alone Falls Short
Even brilliant scientists and philosophers sometimes admit that life ends in mystery. They may acknowledge “something beyond” our world. But agreeing that “a god might exist” isn’t the same as recognizing the God of the Bible, who is personal, powerful, and specific.
Trying to convince someone to accept Christianity as “probable” or “reasonable” misses the deeper problem… folks don’t reject God because they lack evidence… there’s plenty of evidence everywhere… they reject him because their hearts are set on independence from him.
And so, true conversion doesn’t happen because someone weighs the evidence and concludes, “This is probably true.” It happens when someone surrenders to God’s authority and trusts in Christ.
What Makes the “Starting Point” Approach Different
Good Christian theology insists that Scripture must be presented as God’s final and absolute authority… not as a suggestion, probability, or theory. This belief is rooted in the conviction that God brings all things to pass, in other words… controls everything, knows everything, and reveals truth perfectly.
He is the self-existent One… the only necessary being. Everything else, including all human knowledge, depends on Him.
When we try to reason our way to God by starting with autonomous human ideas, we end up creating a god in our own image. But the true God needs to be our starting point, He speaks first. He tells us who we are, (anthropology) what is wrong with the world, (ethics) and how we can be saved.(redemption) His Word doesn’t wait for human approval. Nope. On the contrary… it demands obedience.
Why People Still Recognize God Deep Down
According to the Bible… even people who don’t believe in God still have his image stamped on them. They may act morally, care for others, or search for meaning… all because God’s truth is buried in their hearts.
But their sinful nature keeps them from fully embracing that truth. They know they are created by God, but they act as if they’re independent. They suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
That’s why sin, by definition, is not just ignorance, it’s breaking God’s law and therefore… rebellion. People sin against better knowledge. Even when they do good things, they do so while resisting the God who made them. But because of God’s common grace, they aren’t as bad as they could be. He restrains them, giving them glimpses of what is right, even as they reject him.
The Importance of a Bold Gospel Message
And because of this deep, inner knowledge of God, even non-believers understand the idea of total surrender. When Christians tell them that God calls them to give up their autonomy and trust in him alone, this message resonates deep within. They may resist it, but they cannot claim it’s incomprehensible.
The gospel, then, must be presented as a call to complete obedience, not as a gentle suggestion. This doesn’t mean being rude or arrogant… but it means being clear.
Like the father in the story of the prodigal son, God is calling people to come home. But the choice he offers is deadly serious: life through surrender or death through rebellion.
Why Appeals to History Alone Aren’t Enough
Some Christians try to convince unbelievers by focusing on the historical trustworthiness of the Gospels. They ask people to look at Jesus as a great teacher or moral leader and then decide if his claims might be true.
But this is risky. If we treat the Bible as just another book, even a very good one, we miss the point. The message of Scripture isn’t that Jesus is probably God… it’s that He is, and He demands our allegiance.
Trying to win people over by starting from their own assumptions gives power to the human mind that it doesn’t deserve (being finite) and not enough to God’s voice. (being infinite) And of course the Bible teaches that without the Holy Spirit, no one can truly believe in Jesus or understand the Bible for what it is.
The Role of the Holy Spirit in True Belief
Ultimately, Christians believe that only the Holy Spirit can open someone’s eyes to see the truth of Scripture. The Bible contains clear evidence of its divine origin… its unity, its fulfilled prophecies, its miracles, its majestic message. But those signs only make sense when the Spirit works in someone’s heart.
The Spirit doesn’t add new revelation. Instead, he helps people see what’s already there. He speaks through the Bible and convinces people that what they’re reading is true. He helps them see that they must believe it… not just that it might be a good idea to believe.
Two Different Approaches Within Christian Thought
Even among some very able Christian theologians, there are some differences in how to best defend the faith. These differences usually focus on how much value to give to autonomous reason and natural theology (arguments for God based on nature or logic).
But in the end, all agree that belief in the Bible as God’s Word can’t rest on human logic alone. It must come from the work of the Holy Spirit, who brings dead hearts to life and causes people to believe what they were once unable… and unwilling… to accept.
Bottom Line: God Speaks, and We Need to Listen
The Bible is not a puzzle to be solved or a theory to be tested. It is the very Word of God. It speaks to the deepest parts of who we are, calling us to surrender, to repent, and to believe in the one who died and rose again for our salvation.
Christians are not called to make that message easier or more appealing… they are called to proclaim it clearly, boldly, and with love, trusting that God himself will make it effective in the hearts of those who hear.
