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A Guide to Personal Work
Finis Jennings Dake

PART TWO - Quick answers to excuses

In doing personal work 3 things must be done by way of preparation:

  1. Learn to give at least 2 Scriptures to answer each excuse given by the one dealt with
  2. Memorize the verses that best answer the various excuses
  3. Learn the meaning of the verses and be able to answer excuses intelligently

Excuses of the weak and fearful:

The following is a list of the most commonly used excuses and scriptures that will answer them

  1. I am too weak to live a Christian life (Mt. 1:21; Isa. 26:3; 2 Cor. 9:8; 1 Pet. 1:5; 1 Jn. 4:4; 5:4; Jude 24)
  2. The Christian life is too hard to live (Pr. 13:15; Mt. 11:28-30; Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 10:13; Gal. 6:7-8; Jas. 4:7; 1 Jn. 1:9)
  3. I will have to give up too much (Mt. 6:33; Mk. 8:34-38; 10:29-31; Rom. 8:32; 1 Cor. 2:9; Ps. 34:9-10; 84:11)
  4. My friends and relatives would make fun of me (Mt. 5:10-12; 10:36-37; Jn. 15:18-20; Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; 1 Pet. 4:14)
  5. I am afraid I cannot hold out (Rom. 14:4; 1 Cor. 10:13; Phil. 1:6; 2 Tim. 1:12; Heb. 7:25; 1 Pet. 1:5; 2 Pet. 2:9)
  6. I am afraid I cannot forgive my enemies (Mt. 6:14-15; Mt. 18:27-35; Lk. 17:1-5; Eph. 4:32; Phil. 4:13; Col. 3:8)
  7. There are some things I cannot give up (Rom. 6:11-23; 8:1-5, 12-13; 2 Cor. 5:17-21; Col. 3:2; Tit. 2:11-12; 1 Jn. 1:9)
  8. I do not have enough feeling or conviction (Mk. 16:16; Jn. 1:12; 3:16-21; 16:8-11; Rom. 1:16; Eph. 2:8-9; 1 Jn. 1:9)
  9. It is too hard to get saved (Jn. 1:12; 3:15-22; Acts 2:38-39; 3:19; Rom. 1:16)

Excuses of the deceived:

  1. I believe all will be saved (Mt. 7:13-14; Mk. 16:16; Jn. 3:18; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Rev. 21:8; Ps. 9:17)
  2. I will have another chance after death (Ps. 9:17; Pr. 29:1; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21; Rev. 20:11-15; 21:8; 22:14-15)
  3. I must become better before I become a Christian (Isa. 1:18; 55:7; 64:6; Jer. 13:23; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5; 1 Jn. 1:9)
  4. There is no harm in living like the world (Jn. 15:18-19; 17:16; Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; 1 Jn. 2:15-17; Jas. 4:4)
  5. Salvation is not for everybody (Jn. 3:16; 6:37; Rom. 1:16; 10:9-13; Tit. 2:11-12; Rev. 22:17)
  6. No one can really know that he is saved (Jn. 3:36; 5:24; Rom. 8:14-16; 2 Cor. 5:17-18; 1 Jn. 1:9; 2:3; 3:15; 5:13)
  7. I am satisfied with my religion (Mt. 18:3; Jn. 14:6; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21; Rev. 21:8, 27; 22:14-15)
  8. If I live right it matters not what I believe (Mk. 1:15; 16:16; Jn. 3:14-21; 8:24; 14:6; Acts 2:38-39; 3:19)
  9. I keep the law, so I will be all right (Rom. 3:10-23; Gal. 2:16; 3:6-29; Eph. 2:8-9; Jas. 2:10)
  10. All men are children of God (Mt. 13:39; Jn. 8:44; Acts 13:10; Rom. 8:9-16; 2 Tim. 2:19; 1 Jn. 3:8-10; 4:1-5)
  11. I lead a good moral life and do the best I can (Isa. 64:6; Lk. 16:15; 18:9-14; Rom. 3:10-23; Jas. 2:10; 1 Jn. 3:8-10)
  12. God will save me when He wants to (Mt. 18:3; Mk. 1:15; 16:16; Lk. 13:1-5; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9; Rev. 22:17)
  13. God is too good to damn anyone (Mt. 7:13-14, 21; Mk. 1:15; 16:16; Lk. 13:1-5; Jn. 3:16-18; 5:40; Pr. 1:24-33)
  14. There are too many things I cannot understand. (Way of salvation simple, Jn. 1:12; 3:16; Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Jn. 1:9)

Excuses of open rebels:

  1. I do not believe in God (Ps. 41:1; Mk. 16:16; Jn. 3:16-18; Rom. 1:20; 3:1-20; Rev. 21:8; 22:15)
  2. I do not believe the Bible to be the Word of God. (See Bible in Index)
  3. I do not believe in hell (Ps. 9:17; Isa. 66:22-24; Mt. 10:28; 13:38-50; 25:41, 46; Mk. 9:43-49; Lk. 16:19-31; Rev. 14:9-11; 19:20; 20:11-15; 21:8; 22:15)
  4. I do not believe in the atonement (Lev. 17:11; Mt. 26:28; Rom. 5:6-21; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:20; Heb. 9:22; 1 Pet. 1:18-23)
  5. I do not believe in any church (Mk. 1:15; 16:16; Jn. 3:16; Rom. 1:16; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 2:8-9; 1 Jn. 1:7, 9)
  6. I cannot believe what I do not understand. (Point out many things one does not understand; 1 Cor. 2:14; 2 Cor. 4:3-4)
  7. I do not believe in the virgin birth (Isa. 7:14; 9:6-7; Mt. 1:18-25; Lk. 1:31-35; Rom. 8:3; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 2:9-18)
  8. I do not believe in a hereafter or immortality (Mt. 17:3; Lk. 16:19-31; 23:43; Rev. 6:9-11. See Immortality in Index)
  9. I do not believe in the diety of Jesus Christ (Isa. 9:6-7; Mic. 5:1-2; Mt. 1:18-25; Jn. 1:1; 5:19-23; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:15-18; Heb. 1:1-8; 1 Jn. 5:7-8)
  10. I do not believe in the bodily ressurrection of Jesus Christ (Lk. 24:39; Jn. 20:20-29; 1 Cor. 15; Zech. 13:6)

Excuses of backsliders:

  1. God will not take me back (2 Chr. 7:14; Ps. 51; Mt. 18:21-35; Gal. 4:19; 6:1; 1 Jn. 1:9; 2:1-2; Jas. 5:19-20; Rev. 2:5)
  2. I have committed the unpardonable sin (notes on Mt. 12:31-32; Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26-29)
  3. I cannot be lost regardless of what I do (Rom. 6:16-23; 8:12-13; 1 Cor. 3:17; 6:9-11; 9:27; Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Th. 3:8; 2 Tim. 2:12; Heb. 3:6, 11-12; 6:4-6; 10:26-29; Jas. 5:19-20; 1 Pet. 2:20-22; Rev. 3:5; Ex. 32:32-33. See Backsliding in Index)

Excuses of procrastinators:

  1. Some other day; I have plenty of time (Pr. 27:1; 29:1; Isa. 55:6; Lk. 12:20; 2 Cor. 6:2; Heb. 2:3; 3:15)
  2. I am too young to be a Christian (Eccl. 12:1, 13-14; Isa. 55:6; Pr. 8:17; Mt. 18:3; 2 Cor. 6:2)
This information is taken from Dake's Annotated Reference Bible, © 1961, 1963 by Finis Jennings Dake, and is reproduced on our web site with permission from representatives of Dake Publishing.