This is our fourth post to help you to be as clear as possible in speaking with unbelievers, explaining why some common Christians phrases shouldn't be used in witnessing encounters as they are either unbiblical or are very easily misunderstood by the unbeliever.
The fourth phrase not to use is: "Ask God if he is real".
Why not to use it:
• Puts God to the test: The Bible is clear in never putting God to the test (Matthew 4:7) and a phrase like that encourages a person to do exactly that. God has never said for people to ask Him if He is real.
• Provides the person an excuse: "I tried that, and I didn't hear back from God so he mustn't exist."
• Everyone knows that God exists already: The Bible says that we all know God exists already because God has shown it through the things that have been made (Romans 1:20). Therefore God doesn't need to provide and has never promised to provide more proof than He already has through the creation.
Instead, it's better to say:
• "If you look at a bus, you know it had a busmaker. You look at a building, you know it had a builder. So if you look at the universe, since it had a beginning, it must have had a creator."