Overcoming "True for You but Not for Me" Objections...Continued from page 2

"People claim JFK and Elvis are alive, too!"  Only the story of Jesus' resurrection is supported by real historical evidence - an abundance of it.  Consider the context, purpose, and evidence for stories that claim to parallel Jesus' resurrection and you'll quickly see that they don't hold up to scrutiny.

"It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you're sincere."  People can sincerely believe something and yet still be wrong because the object of their sincerity is flawed.  The essential question to ask is, "How reliable is the object of your trust?".  Also, you can't rely on sincerity for divine acceptance, because salvation is based on God's grace rather than on what people do to try to reach Him.

"If Jesus is the only way to God, what about those who have never heard of Him?" God's good, trustworthy character assures us that He will do what's right for every person He has created and deeply loves.  Also, God makes Himself known in many ways to people, prompting them to seek Him, and He has promised to reveal Himself to those who seek Him with their whole hearts.  God won't condemn people simply because they haven't heard the Gospel.  God will judge people who have not been evangelized based on their responses to natural revelation (such as creation, conscience, reason, and experience), which His Spirit can use to bring them to salvation.  Also, God often uses the world's natural revelation about Himself to prepare people to respond to the Gospel once they do hear its message. 

Adapted from True for You but Not for Me: Overcoming Objections to Christian Faith, copyright Paul Copan. Published by Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, Bloomington, Mn., www.bethanyhouse.com. 
Paul Copan (PhD, Marquette University) is the Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida. He lives with his wife and five children in Florida.