What if you could destroy someone’s worldview with just two simple questions? Two very powerful, but very careful questions. It is interesting to see that when Jesus uses this same tactic of asking the right questions, He is able to silence the religious leaders of His day. In Mark 11:30 Jesus asked a question that forced the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders to retreat in silence. His question put them between a rock and a hard place. These were the well-educated, the smartest and the brightest, the foremost teachers of the day. Yet a great question was able to stop them in their tracks. You can do the same thing, and here are a couple of questions that will shut the mouth of the unbeliever.
The first question is designed to get the unbeliever to admit that you have a “path” to certainty; the second simply points out that he does not.
Question #1: Is it possible that the God of the Bible could reveal some things to us in such a way that we can know them for certain?
With this question the unbeliever is forced to say yes. If he says no, he would be giving an absolute statement that he cannot support. How could any intellectually honest individual say that an omnipotent and omniscient being could not reveal some things to us in a way that we can know them for certain?
Once he has admitted that the God of the Bible CAN do this, then you are ready to ask question number 2.
Question #2: How do you know anything for certain?
This question focuses on the fact that ultimately an unbeliever will have to say that he cannot know anything for certain—which, of course, is a “certain” or “absolute” statement. How can we say that we can’t know anything for certain? Even my 7-year-old daughter saw through that one. I was discussing with her the fact that some people believe that we can’t know anything, to which she responded, “How do they know that?” I could not help but see the simplicity of the argument at that time.
The Christ follower has an avenue to truth; the unbeliever’s own logic cannot account for knowledge. You either have to know everything to know anything, or you have to know someone who knows everything to know something! Think about that!
