“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.”
2 Timothy 2:15-16The more one studies God’s words, the more steadfast you become. Whether it be social media groups or naysayers around you, be careful not to get caught up in discussions that only generate more wickedness. A clear head, a heart fixed on the primary objectives, and a refusal to answer in the flesh will expose the deception far more effectively than heat ever will.
At nineteen I found an error in the Bible I was using. It led me to stay with the King James, no matter what. It also showed me why the church I was in was so dead. Later I began looking at apologetics — not to win debates, but as a means of discovery. What are the root causes of unbelief and the hostility of critics?
Through deception, many do not even know what constitutes true Christianity. They have been so shaped by the counterfeit — especially the system of Catholicism — that they mock and criticise what they have never actually known. Some claim they were once “Christians” and later found “the truth.” Often what they left was never the gospel at all.
Their unbelief is frequently propped up by ignorance of biblical history and preservation. They lean on the corruptions that have been generated against the traditional text, and then treat those corruptions as if they were the original word of God. The foundation of the criticism is already false.
On social media especially, many hearts have waxed so cold that they neither can nor will desire the truth. They will argue tooth and nail to defend a life of sin. Recognising that hardness saves time and keeps the servant of God from pouring endless energy into a closed door.
This shows itself quickly. When people criticise “Christianity,” they often mock the “Jesus biscuit” or talk about doing things to earn a place in heaven. They will boast of having been in church their whole lives, or of having studied theology, or even of having been a pastor for years.
The moment those claims appear, ask: “Can you tell me what the gospel of salvation is?”
The reason is twofold. First, to discern whether the person ever knew the gospel at all. Second, to demonstrate that if they never knew it, there is still hope — the door of salvation is still open. Many who rail against “Christianity” have only ever known a system of works, ritual, and religious performance. They have never stood on the finished work of Christ received by faith.
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”
Hebrews 6:4-6If a person truly knew the Holy Spirit and then turned to deliberate unbelief, that is a serious matter. In practice, most aggressive critics never knew the gospel in the first place. Keep your cool. Do everything out of love. Get to the heart of what will help them see, rather than what will only feed the argument.
Critics also commonly lean on corrupt, fabricated texts for their arguments — the same stream that has altered key passages concerning the deity of Christ, the blood, and the authority of the believer. See Textual Corruption. A criticism built on a damaged foundation has no real weight.
Sharing the gospel should be part of one’s visible life — walking in the truth of God’s words, being obedient, and bearing the observable fruits of the Spirit so that those around us can recognise something real. Love is primary. We are not sent to win arguments on the doorstep or in a comment thread. We are sent to bear honest interest in people and to witness in love.
Witnessing that carries weight comes from knowing why we believe. That knowledge is not built in the heat of the moment. It is built beforehand — in the morning, in prayer, in the quiet work of feeding on God’s words — so that faith is strengthened and the Holy Spirit can lead when the opportunity comes.
Obedience and the fruits of the Spirit make the message believable before a word is spoken.
Honest interest in the person, not a need to prove who is right in the first five minutes.
Prayer and the word beforehand so the Spirit can guide the words in the moment.
Salvation comes by believing in who Jesus is — the Christ. That is the epicentre of every scripture that speaks of salvation. First Corinthians 15:1-4 gives the detailed content of the gospel and points us straight to Him:
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
1 Corinthians 15:1-4Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He rose again the third day. To believe that is to believe in who He is — not a moral teacher only, not a prophet among many, and not “Jesus from Mexico.” The Christ. The Son of the living God. The one who died and rose.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”
Acts 16:31That is the message we carry. Everything else — answers to objections, explanations of hard passages, responses to false systems — serves this centre. If the conversation moves further, we reason from the scriptures. We do not condemn the person. We hold out the same Christ who saved us.
Social media is a merciless ground of study. At the core of most conflict there is unbelief. With a clear head, free from emotional reaction, and fixed on the primary objectives, the deceptions worked against the truth can be exposed. Calm, collected rebuttals offered in love edify those who read them. The fruits of the Spirit stand in open contrast to the spirits of false witness, confusion, and hate.
On these platforms you can often see what drives an unbeliever, how they arrived where they are, and whether demonic deception or plain lies are at work — and what tactics are being used. That insight is useful. It is also dangerous ground. Many are quickly drawn into the abyss of misinformation: corrupt presentations, loaded questions that already contain a lie, and agendas designed to pull the believer into doubt and fear.
This is why it is vital to remain grounded in the perfection of God’s words. One small change of wording can mean the difference between a solid refutation and a never-ending rabbit hole. Answer what is actually said. Do not accept the false premise buried inside the question. Hold the line of scripture and let the word do the work.
Emotional reactions feed the conflict. A calm answer, rooted in the text, exposes the spirit at work without joining it. The reader who is watching will see the difference between the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of the flesh.
Many challenges are framed so that any direct answer already concedes a falsehood. Name the false premise. Return to what God has actually said. Do not chase every side-path that was laid to waste time and stir fear.
Scripture commands us to reprove, to mark those who cause divisions contrary to the doctrine we have learned, and to contend for the faith once delivered. That work is done with the word, not with insults. The goal remains that some might believe.
Even online, the primary aim is not to prove who is cleverest. It is to hold out the truth in a way that the honest reader can receive. If the exchange turns only to strife, it is often wisdom to step back and leave the word to stand.
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”
Ephesians 5:11“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
2 Timothy 4:2“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
1 John 4:1“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”
Romans 16:17The same principles apply wherever the opportunity comes: personal conversation, written word, online exchange, or quiet faithfulness in ordinary life. The visible walk of obedience and the fruits of the Spirit often open more doors than a forced speech.
Street-corner preaching has its place in the history of the church, yet it is frequently received by unbelievers as hostility and, in many settings, yields little lasting fruit. That does not forbid public proclamation where the Spirit leads; it does caution against methods that harden the hearer before the message is even heard. Relationship, presence, and a life that matches the words remain the stronger testimony in most ordinary circumstances.
Frequent criticisms and misunderstandings directed at biblical Christianity. Each has a short summary. Fuller studies will be linked as they are completed.
James is not contradicting Paul. He is dealing with a dead profession that produces no evidence of life. Abraham was justified by faith long before the offering of Isaac; the offering showed that the faith was real. True faith works. It does not earn salvation. The gospel remains: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. James describes what living faith looks like, not a second condition added to the finished work of Christ.
Fuller study →He did — in word and in the way He received worship, forgave sins, and applied to Himself the names and works that belong to God alone. “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). The Jews understood the claim and took up stones. Thomas confessed, “My Lord and my God,” and was not corrected. The issue is not lack of claim; it is whether we receive it.
Fuller study →Most alleged contradictions dissolve when the passages are read in context, with attention to who is speaking, to whom, and for what purpose. Different angles on the same event are not errors. Apparent tensions often rest on imported assumptions rather than on the text itself. The scriptures interpret the scriptures.
Fuller study →If Jesus is who He claimed to be, then His words settle the matter: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). That is not cruelty; it is clarity. Truth by nature excludes what contradicts it. The gospel offers the way freely to all who will believe.
Fuller study →Operational science — observation, testing, repetition — is a gift and does not contradict the scriptures. The conflict is usually with historical narratives and philosophical assumptions (deep time, unguided origins) that are read into the data. The word of God is not overturned by theories that change with the next discovery.
Fuller study →Hypocrisy among professing believers is real and grievous. It does not cancel the truth of who Christ is or what He has done. The gospel is not “follow imperfect people.” It is “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” The failures of the messenger make the need for a perfect Saviour more obvious, not less.
Fuller study →God is love, and God is also holy and just. He has provided one sufficient way of escape — the death and resurrection of His Son — and offers it freely. Those who refuse remain under the judgment their sin has already earned. Hell is not God failing to love; it is the settled outcome of rejecting the only remedy.
Fuller study →God is not unjust. He judges according to the light given. At the same time, the scriptures declare that the gospel is to be preached to every creature, and that faith comes by hearing. Our part is not to sit in judgment on the unreached; our part is to go and to send, trusting the Judge of all the earth to do right.
Fuller study →There is one God. The same holiness, justice, mercy and patience run through both Testaments. Jesus affirmed the Law and the Prophets and spoke more about judgment than many modern readers notice. The cross is the meeting place of the severity and the kindness of God.
Fuller study →The manuscript evidence for the scriptures is vast. The traditional text of the New Testament is witnessed by the overwhelming majority of Greek copies, and the Hebrew Old Testament rests on a carefully preserved stream. Variants exist; the claim of wholesale corruption does not. See the articles on the Book of the LORD, lineage, and textual corruption.
Fuller study →Study to shew thyself approved. Walk in the truth. Love the person in front of you. Speak from a life that has been with God in the morning. And when you open your mouth — online or face to face — hold out the same Christ who died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.
See also Salvation, Textual Corruption and The Book of the LORD.
This fuller study is being prepared. Check back soon.