How to bring men to ChristTorrey, R. A. (Reuben Archer)
Religion
How to bring men to Christ
Torrey, R. A. (Reuben Archer)
Evangelistic work; Witness bearing (Christianity)
result in every case in the skeptic coming out into the clear light of
faith in the Bible, as the word of God, and Jesus Christ as the Son of
God. If the man is not an honest skeptic, this course of treatment will
reveal the fact and then you can show him that the difficulty is not
with his skepticism but with his rebellious heart.
If the man says that he does not know whether there is an absolute
difference between right and wrong, then you can set it down at once
that he is bad and turn upon him kindly and earnestly and say to him,
“My friend, there is something wrong in your life; no man that is living
right doubts that there is a difference between right and wrong. Now you
probably know what is wrong and the trouble is not with your skepticism,
but with your sin.” One afternoon after I had given out an invitation
for any skeptic or any one else who wished to talk with me, to remain
after the meeting, a young man with whom I had dealt some months before
stayed. I asked him what his trouble was. He replied, “The same trouble
that I told you in the spring, I cannot believe that there is a God.” I
asked him if he had done as I had advised him to do in our former
conversation; if he had taken his stand upon the right to follow it
wherever it carried him. He replied that he did not know that there was
any difference between right and wrong. “I do not know that there is
such a thing as right.” I looked him right in the eyes and said, “Is
there some sin your life?”
He said “Yes.” I said “what is it?” He replied, “The same that I told
you last spring.” I said, “You promised to give it up, have you given it
up?” He said “No, I have not.” “Well,” I said, “there is the difficulty,
not with your skepticism. Give up that sin and your skepticism will take
care of itself.” In some confusion he replied, “I guess that is the
trouble.”
3. _Those who doubt the existence of God._
The passages under 1 and 2 can also be used with this class and
generally it is wise to use them before those given under this head.
There are however, three passages that are often times effective with
this specific class of skeptics. Ps. xiv. 1; before using this passage
you can say to the man, “Let me read you from God’s own word what he
says about those who deny his existence.” Often times it is well to
leave the passage to do its own work. Sometimes, however, it is wise to
dwell a little upon it. Call the man’s attention to the fact that it is
“in his heart” that the fool says “there is no God.” He does not believe
there is a God because he does not wish to. You can add that the folly
of saying in one’s heart that there is no God is seen in two points;
first, there is a God and it is folly to say there is not one, and
second, the doctrine that there is not a God always brings misery and
wretchedness. Put it right to the man, and ask him if he ever knew a
happy atheist. Ps. xix. 1, 2; Romans i. 19‒22, are also effective
passages.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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