Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth.”  John 1:1,14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

 

Debates with evolutionists and atheists and anyone else believing different than I is something more and more I refuse to do. 

I don’t find anywhere where Jesus debated unbelievers nor His own disciples, but I do find where He delivered the truth of the Bible to them, leaving them to respond as they pleased, and He would move on.  

Nowhere do I find where any of the Apostles nor other penmen of the Bible debated these issues.  

In all cases, we find that the penmen of the Bible simply stated the truth, that there is the living almighty God and He is the creator and His Son, Jesus is the Savior…no argument. 

Why? God’s preachers and all witnesses are to simply deliver the truth, the Word of God and the Holy Spirit is responsible to enlighten the hearts of men and women, not the one witnessing.  

We can enlighten their mind with the delivery of the Word of God, but the Holy Spirit is the only one that can take up the debate of the heart of the unbeliever.

Even between believers, one believer cannot successfully convert another believer to his or her personal understanding of the Word of God.  

Paul told Timothy in Second Timothy Chapter 4 to simply “Preach the Word,” and to be ready to that very thing at all times. He nowhere instructs in training the young Timothy to debate. Just deliver your understanding on the Word of God and leave it to the Holy Spirit of God to establish the truth in the hearer’s heart. 

John 16:5-14 “5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.“

Read that which is bolded. To debate another is to try to do the work of the Holy Spirit of God. We know the difference between conversation and debate. 

Debate takes up the effort to convince of Biblical truth…God truth.  That is not anyone’s job except the Holy Spirit. 

State the truth and move on.  

We are to love each other enough to share and live the truth, but not create a debate that will alienate each other from living and working together in our community that God has given us to live in and improve together. 

Turn your differences with others over to the Holy Spirit to change others. 

 

Charles Empey is the Interim Pastor of Cove Baptist Church, Orange, Texas.