I. God
A. Atheist – You can’t prove God exists. Answer – You can’t prove He doesn’t. You can’t
prove a negative.
B. Atheist – Atheism never fought any wars. They are all fought over religion. Answer - What
about communism? 100-200 million dead in the 20th century alone.
C. Atheist – Everything can be explained through natural and material means. Answer – What
about love (self-sacrifice), hope, pain, emotion, thought, morals, and conscience? What
about the origin of life, matter, and energy?
D. Atheist - Human reason can explain everything. Answer – 6,000 years of man proving he is
fallible and proving the Bible is right about man.
E. Atheist – Evolution disproves the Creator. Answer – Name one example of one kind
changing into another (and much, much more).
F. Atheist – There is no Supreme being. Answer – Then there is no basis for morals (right and
wrong). The atheist has to borrow from the believer to even have an argument.
G. Atheist – Why believe in God? Answer – Why not believe in God? (John 3:19-21)
II. The Bible
A. Atheist – The Bible promotes violence. Answer – There was more violence in the Old
Testament because the covenant was with the nation of Israel who initially had to
conquer sinful and divinely judged nations of Canaan, and then defend itself many times.
The New Testament is not based on a particular nation so there is no need for this.
B. Atheist -The Bible promotes sexism. Answer – There were many special laws in the Old
Testament about the honorable treatment of women. There were many great women of God
in the Bible. The New Testament honors women even more. Women fair far better in
Christian societies than they do in any other.
C. Atheist – The Bible promotes slavery. Answer – The Bible did not invent slavery, but it did
make many rules governing servitude and expressly forbad cruelty. It was the influence of
the Bible that brought slavery in the West to an end, although it is still practiced in non-
Christian societies.
D. Atheist – The Bible promotes hatred. Answer - The greatest standard of love is in the Bible.
It demands forgiveness and even loving enemies. Tolerance includes tolerating Christians.
E. Atheist – The Bible promotes bigotry. Answer – Israel always interacted with Gentiles. So
did Jesus and the apostles. The church is the most inclusive organism ever, made of people
from every nation, people, and language. The Bible says not to judge.
F. Atheist – The Bible promotes homophobia. Answer – The Bible teaches sodomy is a sin, but
that sodomites can be saved. The Bible, especially the New Testament, teaches us to love
everyone, although we may not condone their behavior.
G. Atheist – The Bible is full of contradictions. Answer – Name one.
III. Reasons to believe the Bible
A. Historically accurate
B. It has by far the most substantiated manuscripts of any ancient document
1. Masoretic scribes
2. 5,000 KJV manuscripts
3. 20,000 since KJV (25,000 total)
4. Oldest less than 100 years removed from originals
5. Dead Sea Scrolls
a. discovered in 1947
b. copies of parts of every book of the Old Testament except Esther, and a complete copy
of Isaiah
c. these copies were 900 years older than previously known copies
d. they all match
6. Other undoubted ancient manuscripts (no originals)
a. Homer’s Iliad – 643 copies 500 years removed
b. Caesar’s Gallic Wars – 10 copies 900 years removed
c. Herodotus – 8 copies 1300 years removed
d. Plato – 7 copies 750 years removed
e. Tacitus – 20 copies 1000 years removed
f. Pliny – 7 copies 750 years removed
g. Aristotle – 49 copies 1400 years removed
h. these manuscripts have numerous variations, the Bible does not
C. Early authors quote the Bible accurately 36,000 times
D. Prophecy
1. never wrong
2. detailed and specific
3. It has been calculated that the odds of Jesus fulfilling just some of the prophecies is 1 in 10
to the 157th power
E. It is the most attacked book in history, yet it remains uncorrupted and undestroyed.
F. It is the most influential book in history. Despite the opinion of some, its influence is good.
Every place the Bible has gained prominence, freedom and prosperity have come. The
opposite is true in other places.
G. It is the most consistent religious text ever written. 40 authors from varied backgrounds over
at least 1400 years perfectly harmonize.
H. The quality of its content in varied styles and subject matter is unsurpassed in beauty.
I. The Bible is uniquely honest about its heroes.
J. The Bible answers all of the big questions of life. No other book does.
1. Where do we come from?
2. Why are we here?
3. Where are we going?
IV. Reasons to believe in Jesus
A. He fulfilled over 300 prophecies
B. His life was sinless
C. He either was who He said He was, or He was a liar
D. His teachings remain unmatched and unmastered
E. His miracles
F. He rose from the dead
G. His influence on the world
H. My testimony