A True Story of an Agnostic Confrontation

[00:00:00]Hi, my name is Bill Whis and thank you so much for watching. Be ready to answer for your faith. Now, today I want to talk to you about what to say to an agnostic who challenges the Bible. Now, in simple terms, an agnostic is someone who is without knowledge or ignorant in reference to the existence of God. Now, typically they remain non-committal in their belief to avoid any uncomfortable discussion. Now h however I encountered uh a man who claimed to be an agnostic and he mocked my faith but he ended up listening to my defense of the Bible.

[00:00:35]Now he was a very wealthy man but was arrogant, condescending and offensive.

[00:00:41]Now during my real estate career I worked a particular neighborhood where I sold most of the homes. Well this man wanted to interview me about listing his house. Now, he begins the interview by opposing my religious beliefs and challenges me to a discussion. He states that my religion is foolish, full of lies and scare tactics. He then goes on to say, "I researched all religions and they are all the same with no difference. They are all just a crutch and a lie." Well, I felt strongly led by God to answer him and defend the Bible.

[00:01:16]Now, his first comment, all religions are the same. and he said, "Why should I believe Christianity?" Well, I quoted Billy Graham from his book, How to Be Born Again, who said, "Most of the world's religions are based on philosophical thought, except for four: Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. These four are based on personalities, but only Christianity claims resurrection for its founder."

[00:01:41]Close quote. So, no other religious leader rose from the dead. That's a big difference. Now, I went on to say that all other religions are based on one man's vision or one man's belief. One religion is even based on a 15-year-old boy's dream and now has millions of followers. You know, people can be gullible and grasp any religious belief that doesn't challenge their accountability to our creator. Now I told him the Bible is not one man's opinion or written by one man but by 40 authors written over a 1500year period written in three different languages on three continents and yet there is not one disagreement or discrepancy among all of them. I told him you can read the writings of hundreds of biblical scholars. You can look up Dr. Henry M.

[00:02:31]Morris. He's the founder of the Institute for Creation Research and he lists many comments from the professors who support the Bible. And one book is called the reliability of the Bible. And here are just a few of the professors listed. Dr. John Warick Montgomery. He had a PhD and a second doctorate plus seven other graduate degrees. And he said, "I myself have never encountered an alleged contradiction in the Bible."

[00:02:59]Number two, Dr. Gleon Archer uh he had a PhD from Harvard and he taught 15 languages and he said I have dealt with one apparent discrepancy after another and my trustworthiness of scripture has been repeatedly verified. Dr. Robert Dick Wilson a PhD from Princeton and he spoke 45 languages and he said no critic has ever succeeded in proving an error in the Old Testament. Dr. Clifford Wilson who wrote 17 volume set of archaeological findings of the Bible and he said the Bible stands investigation in ways that are unique in all literature. Its amazing facility to be proven right are all staggering by any standards of scholarship. Now there are hundreds of scholars who all state that the Bible is completely accurate in all its writings of archaeology, history, geography and its prophecies. Well, next he said, "Well, if there is a God, he will not allow a good person to go to hell." I said, "Well, that's the problem. There are no good people." God said that in Romans 3:10, 3:12, 3:23, Psalms 143:2, Titus 3:5, Galatians 2:16, and Ephesians 2:8:9. Matter of fact, Job 15:16 says, "How much more abominable and filthy is man who drinks iniquity like water?" Isaiah 64:6 says, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags." So, we are not good compared to God's holy standard. Well, next he said, "Well, Jesus preached love and acceptance." I said, "No, he preached repentance and obedience." That's in Luke 8:21, John 5:14, and John 8:11. Well, then he said, "If there is a God, he knows my heart and he knows I mean well." I said, 'Yeah, that's the problem. He knows all men's heart are wicked.' Jeremiah 17:9 says, 'The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.' Ecclesiastes 9:3 says, "Evil and madness is in man's heart." Then Proverbs 28:26 says, "He that trusts in his heart is a fool." You know, God has to give us a new heart.

[00:05:13]And Ezekiel 11:19 says, "I will take the stony heart out of their flesh." And Ezekiel 18:31 says,"I will make you a new heart and a new spirit." So we cannot earn this new heart. It is given freely if we trust in Jesus Christ.

[00:05:30]Well, then his next comment was, "Well, Jesus never said anything about hell." I said, "Well, he spoke uh 46 verses about hell." Here, just listen to a few. Jesus said in Matthew 25:41, "Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

[00:05:48]Matthew 24:51, "He will cut him in pieces and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, where there shall be weeping and nashing of teeth." Luke 12:47, "He will be beaten with many stripes or beaten with few." Mark 9:47, "If your eye offends thee, you pluck it out. It's better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire."

[00:06:12]Matthew 25:46, "These should go away into everlasting punishment, and the righteous into everlasting life. Matthew 22:13, "Bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness where there's weeping and nashing of teeth." Luke 19:27, "Bring my enemies and slay them before me." John 15:6, "If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they are gathered by men, and they are thrown into the fire and are burned." Matthew 23:33, Jesus said, "You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?" Well, how's that language for our sweet loving Jesus? Now, he is loving, but he also warns us of the true reality that awaits sinners, hell. Well, he then said, "You know, I believe all the writers of the Bible were ignorant and unlearned men." I said, "No, not so.

[00:07:10]Many were great leaders, statesmen, military generals, prophets, kings, a doctor, and a trained scholar. Let's just look at five. Moses in Acts 7:22, it says Moses would learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and in deeds. Uh he judged all the hard cases of three million people.

[00:07:32]That's in Exodus 18:13-26.

[00:07:36]And he was called a friend of God.

[00:07:38]That's in Exodus 33:11. And there were only two people in the Old Testament called friends of God. His name is mentioned 848 times in the Bible. Uh he wrote the first five books of the Bible which is the foundation. Now look at King David. He was the greatest king that ever lived and he conquered thousands. He wrote hundreds of psalms.

[00:08:00]And God will actually reign from his throne forever from Israel. And God said he had a heart after God. Look at Solomon. He was the wisest and wealthiest man to ever live. That's in 2 Chronicles 1:12. Daniel, he had 10 times the wisdom of all the wisest people in Babylon. That's in Daniel 1:20. And he was made second in command in all of Babylon. That's in Daniel 2:48. Paul in Acts 5:34 and Acts 22:3 it says he studied under Galileo. And Galileo was the brightest teacher of his day. And Paul wrote twothirds of the New Testament. And Paul is considered the most brilliant writer ever by many scholars. Well, then he said, "Well, if God is love, he would not send me to hell." I said, "Your own words send you to hell." You know, Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes under the father but by me." And Revelation 2:18 says, "All unbelievers shall have their part in the lake of fire." So if you say, "I don't believe Jesus is the only way," then you are ignoring his warning. Jesus said in Matthew 12:37, "Your own words will condemn you. You send yourself to hell by your own words and by rejection of Jesus Christ." And yes, God is love and he proved his love by his death on the cross in our place. But he is also a God of justice and judgment. That's in Psalms 89:14. So, he must punish us for our sins. That's in Romans 6:23. But he poured out his punishment on Jesus on the cross so we wouldn't have to take that punishment. That's in Romans 5 8-10. But if you deny Jesus, then you take the punishment. You know, he gave us a free will to choose. Do you believe Jesus or not? Well, his final comment was, "Well, then your God is mean for making hell." I said, 'Oh, you mean the same one who suffered a horrible death on the cross for you to keep you out of hell? You think that he is mean? He proved his love for you by dying in your place. Now, he was a very secure man with all his wealth. So, I told him, "Your money can't save you." Zephaniah 1:18 says, "Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath." Well, he scoffs at the Bible still. And he said, 'You know, no one u no one really knows if there's a God. I told him, well, Romans 1 says all men are accountable because the evidence of design is everywhere. Look at the human body or a baby being born. Look at the order of the universe or the animal kingdom which shows inbornne abilities.

[00:10:47]I said, "What causes the Earth to turn and so precisely and not vary each day on its axis and at the exact rate of speed for life to exist? What keeps the oceans from shifting onto the land? What is gravity? And why is it at the precise amount for life? If it was any greater, there would be too much tectonic activity. And if it were any lighter, the lighter elements like hydrogen and helium would escape the atmosphere."

[00:11:15]Well, who fine-tuned it? And where did morals of man come from if we came from the ape? The animal kingdom has no morals. And where did we obtain our conscience to know right from wrong, good from evil? I told him, it's obvious there must be a designer. There must be a God who designed all of this. You know, I told him again, Romans 1 says, you are without excuse. Well, he still laughed at my believing in God. I said Psalms 14:1 says, King David said this, "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God." Then I read these two verses to him. Zephaniah 1:14 says, "The great day of the Lord is near, and the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, trouble, distress, wastess, and desolation." Then I read Nahhem 16. It says, "Who can stand before his indignation? And who can abide in the fierceness of his anger?

[00:12:15]His fury is poured out like fire. I said, "Your knee will bow on judgment day." Well, he decided to give me the listing on his home uh because he said he was so impressed that I stood my ground. You know, Proverbs 28:23 says, "He that rebukes a man afterwards shall find more favor than he that flatters with a tongue."

[00:12:38]And Charles Spurgeon said in the soul winner page 178 he said you must go into the fire if you are going to pull others out of it. You cannot work a fire escape without feeling the scorch of the blaze.

[00:12:51]So we have to be able to take the heat, have a tougher hide and not be intimidated by arrogant people. Now there are times we shouldn't waste our time with someone who really doesn't care. But I sensed he actually wanted to hear a good argument and opposition to his stance. He wanted to see if there was someone who would give him some reasons to believe the Bible. Well, my question for you as a Christian, are you prepared to face those who challenge the Bible? Second Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to show thyself approved unto God." And 1 Peter 3:15 says, "Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asked you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.