Testifying to the Truth: Grasping the Importance of Apologetics 

Sunday, January 24, 2010

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”  1 Peter 3:15

What is Apologetics? Don’t let the word apologetics scare you. It’s not a disease and we’re not apologizing for anything. The English word comes from the Greek word apologia, which literally means a “reasoned defense.” A simple definition would be study of defense of the Christian faith. As Christians, the task of being an Apologetic is NOT an option, it is a command.  This doesn’t mean that you should have a P.H.D. in apologetics and have an answer to every single objection to Christianity, it simply means who should have a firm grasp of your worldview and why you believe what you believe.  There let’s dive into the different areas of apologetics:

Are there different kinds of Apologetics?  Yes, there are many different ways to defend the faith, but there are four main popular ones. Here is a summary of the four most popular:

1) Evidential Apologetics: This is a defense of providing evidences that people can see with their own eyes. What kind of evidence can we present? Archeological discoveries, manuscripts of the Bible that are found, or scientific proof. Examples would be the location of the earth, the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls, the human’s cell complexity or the discovery of the pool of Bethesda in 1888. Basically the evidence is this– if  they can see it, they’ll believe it.

2) Historical Apologetics: This is primarily a focus on historical evidence for Christianity. Such historians that give us proof that the Bible is true in example are Suetonius, Tacitus, and Josephus. Through their writings and others we can confirm that the past supports the truthfulness of Christianity.

3) Presuppositional Apologetics:  This is a defense of Christianity from certain basic assumptions. When presenting this kind of apologetics, the apologist assumes the truth of Christianity without using traditional proofs for the existence of God. Presuppostionalists begin by assuming the Christian worldview and by attempting to show that only by it does it make sense of the world. Simply put, when presenting this kind of apologetics the person asserts that proofs of God’s existence are unnecessary and instead focuses on the truthfulness of Christianity along with why other worldviews fail short of corresponding with reality. 

4) Classical Apologetics: This is the most popular and common way to present apologetics. It’s focus is to provide well-reasoned answers to persons who ask about or object to the Christian worldview. Classical apologists begin by establishing absolute truth and then show evidence for the existence of God.  Next, they proceed to show historical evidence that proves the deity of Christ, his fulfillment of prophecy, and His resurrection of the dead. Ultimately this is a focus on changing a person’s worldview.

Are there limits to Apologetics? Yes, because it is very important to remember that apologetics by itself cannot make anyone a Christian, let alone save them. Apologetics main purpose is to remove obstacles that hinder someone from believing and receiving Jesus Christ. Just because someone knows the truth of the gospel doesn’t make them a Christian. The decision must be made by the unbeliever and by the unbeliever alone. It is not our job to save anyone, it is our job to present the truth and then let the Holy Spirit work in their life to convict them to a relationship with Jesus Christ. It becomes a matter of the heart, not the mind. So apologetics are very important, but by no means can it stand alone.

Why Apologetics?  Simply put, it is unreasonable to believe without evidence. Many atheists, agnostics, and people of many other worldviews assume that Christianity is a blind faith, when in fact it’s their worldviews that require a lot more faith. There is an overwhelming growing number of people who are skeptical of God’s existence, the truthfulness of the Bible, miracles in the Bible, forgiveness of sins, Christ’s resurrection, and some even doubt that Jesus Christ even existed. The fact of the matter is this: if any of this doubts are confirmed to be true, the entire foundation of Christianity falls apart in a heap of dust. This is addressed by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:13-19:  “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men”. Because Christianity is true, the evidence is on our side, so we should not be worried. The key, though, is to research and investigate the truth because the answers are there, it’s just a matter of discovering them.

Why are Apologetics more important today than ever before? We live in the age of skepticism. Never before in our nation’s history has there ever been a loss of truth than now. The popular view among the youth today is that there is no such thing as absolute truth and that it is all relative. Christianity is viewed as old fashioned and for the weak-minded gullible crowd. There are many reasons for this increasing view, but one of the main reasons is that we as Christians don’t know why we believe what we believe. We are ill equipped in presenting proofs and a defense for our faith and this affirms to them that our faith is built of myths and lies. Because we don’t know why we believe what we believe, we blend our worldview with the world’s and our witness is weak and ineffective. When we fail to live out our beliefs, our faith loses its attraction and appeal to non-believers.  Until we recognize the need for grasping our beliefs and comprehending them, the world and especially America will continue to turn away from Christianity.

We are all called to the witness stand to testify the truth.  In our court system, when the defense attorney or the prosecutor wants to affirm what they say is true, a witness is called forward to present evidence to confirm it by giving their view of what they saw. In the same way, Christians are called to testify the truth on how they view the world through the lens of Christianity. There are three steps to effectively do this. The first we just covered,  giving a defense for our faith through reasoned facts and evidence. Also to testify to the truth we need to remember that we are witnesses to God’s creation, His provision, His love, His grace, and His power. So not only do we need to give facts and reasons for our faith, but we also need to give a testimony of how God has changed our lives. How have you changed?, What has God done in your life that’s made you the person you are today?, How do you view the world differently now that you know Christ? These are some of the questions that need to be answered when giving a personal testimony to a non-believer.  Finally, when our actions back up our words we become very powerful witnesses to the world and people will begin to take notice. If we fail to do this our testimony fails to prove any significance and ultimately is seen as false. So to put it all together: we need to present the truths of the gospel, tell others how it’s changed our life, and then live out our beliefs with conviction. This is what is means to testify to the truth! So I encourage you to look deeper into the study of apologetics and begin to grasp why we have a reason to believe the things we believe. Next write a simple testimony and be willing to share it with others when the opportunity presents itself. It doesn’t need to be long and thought provoking, it just needs to summarize how God has impacted your life. Lastly, carry out what you believe into your daily life being a light that shines in a world of darkness. Live the Truth you profess in your testimony. When you put these three steps together, the world can’t help but take notice! So don’t be afraid to take the walk to the witness stand, the world is watching and waiting…

**Next week, I will address a current issue that all of us are dealing with in one way or another–the recession and poor job market and how we as Christians should live in these troubling, hard times. If you want more information of apologetics I recommend reading one of the following books: I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman L. Geisler, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, The Case for Christianity by Lee Strobel, or Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. Also there are a few links to helpful Apologetic websites under the Links page on this website. God Bless.**

Sources: Geisler, Norman/Joseph Holden Living Loud. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002