Don Stewart :: What Objections Do People Have about Becoming a Christian?

What Objections Do People Have about Becoming a Christian?

The Ascension of Jesus and His Present Ministry as High Priest – Question 6

While the evidence is sufficient that Jesus Christ is everything which He claimed to be, and thus the Christian faith is true, there are a number of objections that people make to keep them from becoming a Christian. They include the following.

Objection 1: I Don’t Need It – Christianity Is Just a Crutch

“Life is fine the way it is. I have no need of anything. I can stand on my own two feet. I don’t need Jesus Christ.” This is a common objection to becoming a Christian. However, we all need Jesus. God is not a luxury He is a necessity! You may feel fulfilled in your present lifestyle, but that satisfaction is, at best, only temporary. Jesus said,

And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process? (Luke 9:25 NLT)

You may have everything material and emotional in this life, yet you may lack the most important thing of all, knowing God personally through Jesus Christ.

Maybe you do not have a lot of earthly possessions, but you still have peace of mind in your simple lifestyle. That’s fine. You still need Jesus Christ.

If you feel Christianity is just a crutch, it must be said that all of us use one kind of crutch or another to get by. Admitting the need for Jesus is not a sign of weakness. Indeed, it is a sign of wisdom.

Objection 2: There Are Too Many Hypocrites

One common excuse that is used to reject the Christian faith concerns the number of hypocrites in the church. A hypocrite is an actor, a person who puts on a false face. He says one thing, yet he does something else. Examples of hypocrisy, both past and present, are readily pointed to. This includes many people who have been involved in the Christian ministry. This supposedly invalidates the Christian faith.

Yes, there are people today who go to church and are hypocrites. Their lives are inconsistent with what they say they believe. This, however, does not invalidate Christianity. It just demonstrates that some people who claim to be Christians are hypocrites. For every example of a hypocrite, a counter-example of someone living consistently with their Christian beliefs can be observed.

Part of the problem is the failure to distinguish between hypocrisy and sin. All Christians are sinners but they are not all hypocrites. A person becomes a Christian by admitting they are a sinner. With God’s help they try to keep from sinning.

Hypocrites are another matter. Jesus Christ had some very strong words for those who were practicing religious hypocrisy:

But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. (Matthew 23:13 NRSV)

Jesus was not a hypocrite. In fact, He despised all hypocrisy. Therefore, while there may indeed be professing Christians who are hypocrites Jesus Christ was not a hypocrite! This is the real issue.

Objection 3: I’m Already Good Enough

Why should I become a Christian—I’m already good enough to go to heaven? I’ve never killed anyone; I’ve lived a decent life. If there is a heaven, I certainly deserve to go there.

This view misses what the Bible says about a person’s relationship to God and how to get to heaven. The Bible clearly says, in many places, that good works are not credits toward heaven. On one occasion Jesus’ disciples asked Him what kind of works would get them approval from God:

What exactly does God want us to do? The people asked,

Jesus answered, “God wants you to have faith in the one he sent.” (John 6:29 CEV)

The work of God is to believe in Jesus. This is how one gets to heaven; believing in Jesus.

Paul wrote that the requirement for salvation is simple faith in Jesus Christ. He wrote to the Ephesians:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8, 9 NRSV)

We hope that you’re not trusting in your good works to get to heaven. None of us, no matter how good, can make it on our own.

Objection 4: I’m Not Good Enough Yet

“I’m not good enough now to be a Christian—I still have some bad habits. But when I stop doing these things, then I’ll be good enough to be a Christian.”

Unfortunately, a lot of people hold the view that being a Christian is the same as being a good person. They observe their lives and see some habits that are not consistent with what they think a Christian should be. They think that only when they change their lifestyle, they can become a Christian. This, however, involves two misconceptions.

First, a Christian is not a “good” person. A Christian is someone who is a sinner and who has admitted that fact, and has asked God for forgiveness.

Second, no one can, or ever will be, good enough to be a Christian. Merely breaking a few bad habits does not make a person acceptable to God. God’s standard is one of perfection. The only way to approach God is through His Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says,

For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, a man, Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5 HCSB)

No one is good enough, or ever will be. The only perfect person has been Jesus.

Objection 5: I’ll Never Be Good Enough

Another excuse people use to keep from becoming a Christian is that they will never be good enough. They feel that their lives have been so ruined that God could never forgive them.

Others believe that they do not have the ability to be a Christian, or live the Christian life. They mistakenly think God doesn’t want them.

Fortunately, there is good news for both these types of people. No matter how bad you have been, no matter how much you have ruined your life, there is still forgiveness available. Jesus Christ said the following:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NLT)

All include everyone! Nobody has to be shut out from salvation because of sin in their life. Indeed, Christ died for those sins.

Jesus also gave this invitation:

Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away. (John 6:37 NRSV)

What great news! You have not passed the point of no return. God can, and will, forgive you if you ask Him.

There is also good news for those who do not feel they have the ability to live the Christian life. The Christian life is not a difficult life to live—it is an impossible life to live. You cannot do it. It must be lived through us by the power of the Holy Spirit, who indwells each believer. It is God working through us who makes it possible. Therefore, it is not something that we do on our own.

Objection 6: Maybe Someday I’ll Believe, but Not Now

Whatever the excuse may be, these people are not yet ready to become Christians. They say that they will believe someday. The problem is that tomorrow never comes. We all believe we will live a long life but which of us can say for certain how long we will live? Jesus gave the following parable:

Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21 NRSV)

We do not know when it will be our time to die. The Bible encourages us to trust Jesus Christ now and not to put it off. Do not wait until the eleventh hour to believe—you might die at ten-thirty!

Objection 7: I Don’t Want My Life Changed

“My life is fine the way it is.” People like these realize that becoming a Christian would mean a changed life. Some people would rather continue in their sins. Jesus gave this warning:

And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19 NRSV)

People whose highest goal is to give themselves pleasure are called hedonists. Hedonists will sacrifice anything for their own selfish interests.

However, rejecting Jesus Christ to wallow in sin is self-defeating. While securing pleasure for a season, these people are storing up an eternity of judgment and separation from God. Since accepting Jesus Christ is the ultimate satisfaction for any human being, hedonists owe it to themselves to consider Jesus’ offer of the free gift of salvation. Indeed, God offers the genuine joy of a fulfilling abundant life in Jesus Christ. Wouldn’t it be worthwhile to think about exchanging the fleeting pleasures in this life for an eternity of happiness? This is what Jesus Christ offers.

Objection 8: I Don’t Want to Believe

When it comes right down to it, many people reject Christ simply because they don’t want to believe. It is not that they cannot believe; they will not believe.

We can illustrate the point in this manner. One of the miracles Jesus performed was raising a man named Lazarus from the dead. The religious leaders, who knew of this fact, not only wanted to kill Jesus for this miracle, they wanted to kill Lazarus also. They wanted to destroy the evidence! Their unbelief certainly was not because of lack of evidence.

A Christian friend of mine had a radio talk show in which he interviewed a variety of guests. He told me that over the years, he has had the occasion to interview dozens of atheists, and agnostics. He always asks them the question, “If I could prove to you, to your satisfaction, that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and that He did come back from the dead, would that make a difference in your attitude toward Him?”

Almost everyone he has asked has said no, it would not make a difference. As with the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, these people do not have a problem of the mind, they have a problem of the will. No matter what the facts may be, they still refuse to believe.

Objection 9: I Don’t Want to Be Religious

Many people believe that becoming a Christian involves adapting a restrictive lifestyle. Since this is what their idea of a Christian is, they do not find Christianity appealing. Unfortunately some Christians give this impression.

Jesus, however, said that He had come so that we might have life abundantly. He said,

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10 NRSV)

Rather than being a dull, boring life, the Christian experience is one of adventure and fulfillment. It’s exciting being a Christian! We have the freedom to be the person that God has created us to be. While it is true that there are certain things that God command us not to do, these negative commandments are for our own good. Jesus said,

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36 NASB)

Jesus offers true freedom.

Objection 10: What Would My Friends Think?

“If I become a Christian, I would lose my job my wife would leave me, my friends would think I’m crazy.” This excuse is common, but it is not valid. We’re always afraid of how the other person is going to view what we are going to do. People might think we’ve gone off the deep end. We don’t want to risk that, so we remain in our secure position, even though we know it isn’t right.

However, any division caused by serving Jesus Christ is based upon who is following the truth and who is not. Jesus made it clear that those who follow Him are seeking the truth:

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NLT)

What kind of friend is it who rejects you because you find peace, joy and satisfaction? A real friend will be happy for you. The Bible makes it clear who your real friend is: His name is Jesus. Paul wrote,

For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us! (Romans 5:6-8 HCSB)

Jesus wants to be our friend.

Objection 11: I Don’t Understand the Issue

Sometimes people do not become Christians because they do not understand what it is all about. The ignorance can be self-imposed or merely a lack of information on the subject. Self-imposed ignorance about Jesus Christ is common. People do not know about Jesus because they do not want to be responsible to Him. Moreover, the Bible teaches that this ignorance is something in which the unbeliever is actively participating. Paul wrote to the Romans:

But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. (Romans 1:18 NLT)

God is trying to speak to these people but they are pushing Him away.

There is another type of ignorance where people are unaware that it is possible to have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. They think Christianity is just another religion. It is something which is practiced by going through the motions. Thus, to them, the Christian faith is a ritual, a set of laws. There are many people like this. They need to know that Christianity is a relationship rather than a religion.

Objection 12: It’s Not Relevant

“This is the twenty-first century. How can someone who lived two thousand years ago have any affect on my life today?” People feel they have more important things to do then worry about the identity of Jesus Christ.

However, nothing could be further from the truth. If Jesus Christ is the Lord of the universe, and if eternal happiness and peace with God is only available through a personal relationship with Him, then there is nothing more relevant to your entire existence. It does matter.

In sum, we can say that although people come up with a number of excuses concerning why they don’t want to believe in Jesus, none of the excuses are any good.

Summary – Question 6
What Objections Do People Have from Becoming a Christian?

There are a number of common objections that people offer when confronted with the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. They can be summed up as follows.

Some feel they do not need Christianity because it is just a crutch for the weak. They do not need a crutch so they do not become Christians.

Others believe there are too many hypocrites in the church. They believe the fact of hypocrites refutes the Christian faith.

There are those individuals who believe they are already good enough to get to heaven. Thus, they assume that they do not need Jesus.

Others feel they are not good enough yet but someday may be good enough. When that day comes they will become Christians.

There are also those people who think they will never be good enough to reach heaven so they do not try. They assume that they are beyond help or hope.

The message of Jesus Christ is often rejected until some later time in the future. These people assume that they have plenty of time to believe so they put off their decision to trust Christ. There are certain people who do not want their life changed. Thus, they do not want God interfering in their behavior. Consequently they will not listen to the life-changing message of Jesus.

Some admit that, for whatever reason, they just do not wish to believe in Jesus.

There is also the worry that a person might have to be religious if they become a Christian. This makes Christianity unattractive for them.

Some people worry about what their friends would think. Consequently, they choose not to believe in Jesus because of the possibility of losing friends.

There are those who do not really understand the issue at hand. Either they are willingly ignorant of the issue or no one has ever told them how easy it is to believe in Jesus.

Finally, there is the objection that the Christian faith is not relevant any longer. Thus, they will not consider Christ as an option.

All of the objections have answers to them. The problem is that many people will not take the time to find the answers. Whatever the case may be, no one has a legitimate excuse for rejecting the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.