Believers who decide to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ with nonbelievers have three arrows in their quiver. Each one is a sure sign from God of his existence. The first arrow in our quiver is creation and I’ve previously shared my list of 23 physical proofs of God that we can see and know about our universe and also the additional physical proofs of God that we see in the human body. When you witness for Christ more than likely you’ll encounter people who don’t believe in the existence of God at all so the physical proofs of God are usually the best place to start with everyone who receives your witness. You may run across someone occasionally who does believe in God but maybe doesn’t believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God or who doesn’t believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. It happens. That’s why you have to question the nonbeliever to find out where their hang up is with the truth of God so you can shift your witness to first cover those areas. When you share your witness for Christ you’re eventually going to cover all three arrows anyway; it’s just a matter of in what order.
Proverb 11:30 – The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
Proverbs 14:25 – A true witness delivers souls, but a deceitful witness speaks lies.
Matthew 9:37-38 – The harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
The second arrow in your witness arsenal is God’s Word, our Holy Bible. Scripture says the word of God is foolishness to nonbelievers so we have to build a logical defense of the Bible based on verifiable facts. There is overwhelming evidence that the Holy Bible is a revelation of God for all men. As believers who witness for Christ all we have to do is lay out all the evidence for the nonbeliever so they can absorb the truth of God themselves. I came up with seven proofs that the Bible is God’s word which I’ve written down as bullet points we can share with nonbelievers; here they are:
1. The Holy Bible contains 66 books by 40 different writers written over a period of 1500 years. Writers included kings, prophets, learned men, uneducated farmers and illiterate fishermen. None of the Bible writers ever contradict each other or walk over what the other is saying. The Bible reads like there is only one author because every word comes from the Lord. The central theme in every book of the Bible is the coming of Jesus Christ to save fallen man. The books of the Bible all fit together like a glove and without any errors or inconsistencies. The same consistent message of the Bible is God’s love for man and salvation through faith in his son, Jesus Christ.
2. The Bible is 27% prophecy and over 500 of the 1000 plus prophecies contained in God’s word have been fulfilled and documented as fact. Prophecy fulfillment has been 100% to date. Not one prophecy has failed to be fulfilled in its due time. God gave us prophecy for two reasons. First, God wanted to reveal himself to us and share his commandments for us to follow. Second, God wanted to prove to us that he is God. As the author of history only God can tell the future. That’s one of the ways we can be sure we’re dealing with God and not an impostor. Throughout history Satan has sponsored numerous fake religions and false god to hide the truth of God from man. There’s not one single prophecy that has ever been fulfilled by any of the fake religions that have ever existed throughout history. They can’t because they’re all fake religions and Satan can’t tell the future.
3. The Bible is the inerrant word of God and no mistakes in the Bible have ever been proven even though critics have been trying for 2000 years.
A. Critics said there was no such person as Jesus but Roman and Jewish historical records prove otherwise.
B. Critics said the walls of Jericho never fell all at once. Recent archeological discoveries prove the walls all fell at the same time.
C. Critics said there was no such person as King David. In 1933 a stone was discovered confirming there was a house of David in Israel.
D. Detractors have said for centuries the Bible had to be false because there was no such country as Israel. While that was true for many centuries all that changed on May, 14, 1948, when Israel once again became a nation; all in a single day just as God said it would be.
E. For centuries detractors said the Bible couldn’t be true because there was no way all the people of the earth would be able to see Jesus set foot on the Mount of Olives. At one time that may have been true but now we have cable TV that broadcasts worldwide news 24/7 which verifies what the Bible says.
4. The Old Testament contains over 60 prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, the son of God. During his birth, ministry and death Jesus fulfilled every prophecy concerning him; proving beyond any doubt that he was the Christ, the Messiah, the only son of the Father, the creator of heaven and earth and everything in it. The odds of any one person fulfilling all these prophecies and not being the son of God is a staggering number, something like the number of atoms in our universe times five. That means Jesus Christ is without a doubt the son of God and our Savior.
5. To make it perfectly clear to man that he is God, in the book of Isaiah God prophesied he would free his people from 70 years of captivity and God actually provided in Scripture the name of “Cyrus” as the man God would use to free the Jewish people. God did this not once but twice in Scripture to make sure we understand Jehovah is God! Exactly 70 years after the Jews were taken captive to Babylon as slaves King Cyrus of Persia captured that kingdom and freed the Israelites so they could return home to Israel just as God said he would. When I read this in the Bible I was dumbfounded. God couldn’t speak any clearer. This Scripture alone is proof enough to me that God is who he says he is.
6. All Scripture was written by men as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. The writers didn’t understand everything that they wrote. The Bible contains verses with information and experiences the writers knew nothing about and discoveries that wouldn’t be made for thousands of years in the future. For example, Isaiah 40:22 says the earth is a circle when everyone at that time thought the world was flat. Psalm 104:6 says there are mountains under the sea when people in ancient times thought the earth was flat and that the bottom of the ocean was smooth like a bowl. Job 26:7 says the earth hangs in space, on nothing. Job 28:5 says the earth has a molten core. Amos 9:6 says there are water volcanoes under the sea and the earth and sky are composed of layers. Hebrews 11:3 says everything that is visible is made from things that are invisible (atoms). Psalm 8:8 says there are currents in the oceans. Psalm 135:7, Psalm 104:6 and Ecclesiastes 1:7 each refer to the earth’s hydrological cycle where water vapor from the oceans turns into rain which fills the rivers which run to the oceans of the world in a continuous cycle to replenish the earth. All of these things were true but unverified for many centuries after the words were written.
7. People have a hard time believing the Bible story about Noah’s ark because it sounds so incredulous. Noah’s ark was a major stumbling block for a friend of mine who also happened to be an engineer. The ark was very large but you have to remember it took Noah and his sons 120 years to build it. God provided Noah the specific dimensions for the ark. As it turns out, large ocean-going vessels must meet specific engineering guidelines in order to be seaworthy which the ark certainly was. This was the first large ocean-going vessel ever built so nobody knew how it should be built. It wasn’t until thousands of years later that engineers corroborated that God’s ark dimensions were correct. The existence of Noah’s ark is proof of God.
Acts 20:32 – So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
John 17:17 – (Jesus speaking) – Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
John 15:7 – (Jesus speaking) – If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
To use the proofs of the Bible in your witness it’s important to read the Bible regularly and to actually study God’s word so you can answer any questions the nonbeliever may have. You can’t fake Bible knowledge; you have to put in the study time and earn it. If you don’t abide in God’s word the Holy Spirit won’t be there to give you revelation about the Bible or strength when you need it and you won’t have the passion for God you need to effectively witness for Christ. The words you speak in your witness for Christ aren’t as important as the nonverbal cues you give off. If you have a passion and love for God then nonbelievers will be able to feel that from you. That can’t be faked and the nonbeliever will feel your emotions and may believe what you say is true. The Bible is the revelation of Jesus Christ and God’s salvation plan for man. Boldly show your belief in God to the nonbeliever.
Isaiah 40:5 – The glory of the Lord shall be revealed (the Second Coming of Jesus Christ), and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Proverbs 30:5 – Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
Psalm 119:9 – How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
Isaiah 44:28 – Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” and to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”‘
Isaiah 45:1,4 – Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held – to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut. For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name.