One of the most common objections that you will encounter as you share your faith has to do with the concept of “truth”. Exactly what is truth? Many people do not believe that such a thing as truth exists. And if it does, how can anyone find it or understand it with any certainty? This is not new, Pilate brought up this type of objection when Jesus was brought before him, see John 18:37-38. Let’s look at how we can answer some of these common objections to truth (note: the italicized text in each section below is the main point to be communicated for each objection/question).
Truth is Unknowable
Respond in a friendly way by asking them: “Have you really thought about that statement?” This is a common category of objection to truth known as a “self-refuting statement”. People make these kinds of statements all the time and are often unaware that what they are saying is actually self-contradictory. If truth cannot be known, then how can you possibly have any surety that it cannot be known? It is an example of how people often think about things in an illogical and unreasonable way. Encourage people to think about the possibility of truth actually existing. Such was Jesus point to Pilate in John 18:37-38. Instead of responding reasonably to Jesus’ assertion and asking for more proof of the claim that Jesus just made, Pilate merely dismisses the claim with a self-refuting “what is truth” response. Encourage people to reasonably and rationally investigate the truth claims that Jesus made!
I don’t need to listen to the Bible, it was just written by humans
Again, this is another “self-refuting statement”. Why don’t people ask that same question regarding ANY book? What about Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of the Species”? Every aspect of knowledge you have today comes from a human source in one way or another. The issue then is not who wrote it – but – IS IT TRUE? Darwin’s theory should not be accepted or rejected merely on the grounds that it came from a human author, and the same is true for the Bible! Ask them if they would like to study the actual evidence for the reliability of the Bible (see next).
The Bible has been corrupted over time
Christians have conclusive evidence that the Bible has not been corrupted over time. This is demonstrated by an area of study known as “textual transmission”. Before the advent of the printing press, all ancient documents were written and subsequently copied by hand. This includes the Bible. How do we know that the Bible was not slowly changed over the many centuries of copying and re-copying? That is what the study of textual transmission is all about. You can sum it up by simply saying “follow the paper trail”. The Bible is the most prolific book in all of history; it has been copied and re-copied ever since the first century. There are copies that can be found all over the world. These copies found in various locations and dated from various centuries can be compared to one another. A copy of the Bible from the 3rd century found in Syria can be compared to a copy from the 12th century found in France. These comparisons invariably show that virtually no changes have occurred in the Bible. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls shortly after WWII also demonstrates that the Bible has been accurately transmitted throughout time. Among the many scrolls found was a copy of the Old Testament book of Isaiah. These scrolls have been dated to a minimum of 250 B.C. In your copy of the Bible that you now have in your hand, you can turn to the book of Isaiah, and what you would read would be a virtual copy of that very scroll that was written over 2,250 years ago! The study of the textual transmission of the Bible demonstrates that the Bible has been faithfully and accurately transmitted throughout the ages.
The Bible is full of contradictions
This is a very common objection. The best way to respond is simply ask the skeptic to show you a biblical example of their alleged contradiction. Often they are unable to do this. The object here is not to try to humiliate them, but merely to point out to them that in all fairness, they are probably not that familiar with what the Bible actually says. Invite them to study the Bible with you and reassure them that they will find such a study interesting and enjoyable.
If they can show you an alleged contradiction, understand that such allegations usually fall into a category that can easily be explained:
- Variations are not Necessarily Contradictions – Luke 24:4 records that there were two angels present at the tomb of Jesus. But Mark 16:5 only mentions one. However, Marks’ account does not insist that there was only one angel present, it merely points out that one of them spoke. In Luke’s account he says “they” spoke, so is it more reasonable to think that the two angels spoke the same exact words simultaneously? Or that one spoke and the other was silent but clearly in agreement with what the first angel was saying? Mark’s account could merely be focusing on the angel that spoke.
- Cultural Differences – Matthew 1:17 reckons that there are 42 generations in the lineage from Abraham to Jesus. But in Luke 3:23-34 you will count 55 generations for the same lineage. These discrepancies were inconsequential for ancient Jewish culture that would understand any blood relative could be referred to as a “father”. In our modern culture we would call them a “Grandfather” or “Great-Grandfather”. But this was not the case in ancient Jewish culture. This would result in some individuals being “skipped” in some genealogies and would thus account for the variations in the number of generations.
- Inconsequential Textual Variations – Luke and Matthew have the order of the last two temptations of Jesus reversed (Luke 4:1-13, Matthew 4:1-11). Does this really matter regarding what we can learn about Jesus’ temptation and the way he responded to them? The whole point is to understand the message that the author is attempting to communicate. These minor variations never change the actual meaning of the message being communicated.
Do not be afraid of a potential contradiction that you cannot answer immediately. Simply say: “That is a really good point and I need to do some additional research on that, but I will definitely get back to you.” And then do your research and get back to them! Don’t be afraid to ask for help, I am most happy to help you in any way I can.