Common Arguments

In the thirty-odd years that I have been discussing these issues with people of various faiths, I have encountered several common arguments. Below is an index of those arguments. If you click on an argument, it will take you to the page with that argument’s refutation.

  1. The Thief on the Cross
    The thief on the cross went to heaven even though he was not baptized and did not speak in tongues.
  2. The Philippian Jailer
    When the jailer in Acts 16:31 asked how to be saved, Paul and Silas told him that all he had to do was believe.
  3. Do All Speak with Tongues?
    In the 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul asks, “Do all speak with tongues?” This is proof that not all people will speak in tongues when they receive the Holy Ghost.
  4. John 3:16
    John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
  5. Saved by Grace through Faith, not by Works
    The Bible says that we are saved by grace and not by works, lest any man should boast. Baptism is a work.
  6. Abraham Believed God / Justified through Faith Only
    We are saved by faith only. The Bible says Abraham’s faith was accounted unto him for righteousness.
  7. We Shouldn’t Judge People
    The Bible says we aren’t supposed to judge people.
  8. We Shouldn’t Debate Doctrine
    I don’t like to discuss or debate doctrine. I just want to be close to Jesus.
  9. God Looks on the Heart
    God looks on the heart. If a person is filled with the Spirit and then gets killed in an accident before being baptized, God wouldn’t send him to hell.
  10. Quoting vs. Obeying
    What if a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, but is baptized in the titles Father, Son, and Holy Spirit instead of the name of Jesus? God wouldn’t send that person to hell just because a preacher quoted Jesus’ own words from Matthew 28:19.
  11. God Will Judge Is According to What We Know
    God will judge us according to what we know. If a person never heard the gospel, God couldn’t send that person to hell, because the person didn’t know any better.
  12. True Believers of All Faiths Will Go to Heaven
    I believe that true believers of all faiths (Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, etc.) will go to heaven.
  13. Whosoever Shall Call Upon the Name of the Lord Shall Be Saved
    Romans 10:13 says that whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. This is how everyone in my church was saved and it’s good enough for me.
  14. I Knew a Hypocrite Who Spoke in Tongues
    I knew someone who went to a certain church and spoke in tongues, and that person turned out to be a really terrible hypocrite.
  15. I Was Healed (Or Experienced Some Other Miracle)
    I know that I received the Holy Ghost the night I went to the altar and gave my heart to Jesus because I was miraculously healed in my body.
  16. Biblical Tongues Were Known Languages, Not Gibberish
    When they spoke in tongues in the Bible, they spoke in recognizable languages and not the gibberish we hear today.
  17. Acts 2:38 Was Only for the Jews
    Acts 2:38 was only for the Jews, because they killed their Messiah.
  18. The Beloved Relative
    If I believe what you’re saying, that would mean my grandmother (or some other beloved relative) went to hell.
  19. Elohim Is a Plural Word
    “Elohim,” the Hebrew word from which we get the word “God” in Genesis 1:1, is a plural word and proves that God is more than one person.
  20. God Made the Worlds by His Son
    According to Hebrews 1:2, God made the worlds by His Son and that, taken with John 1:1-14, proves that the Son was physically WITH the Father in the beginning, because the Son took part in the creation.
  21. We Will Come Unto Him
    In the gospel of John, Jesus said, “We will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” This is proof of the Trinity.