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As part of his “armor of God” image used by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians, he writes…
And, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15, ESV).
The Greek word for “readiness” can also be translated as “preparation.” Are we ready to defend the gospel?
Early in my ministry, a student from a liberal seminary asked me questions about the Bible that I couldn’t answer, and knowing that he had defeated me in our oratory combat, chided me afterwards by asking, “Why do you proclaim so loudly what you can’t defend?”
HHHHMMMHHM. Good point.
A few months later, I got out of bed at 4:30 a.m., left the house at 5:00 a.m., and drove for two hours to Cincinnati Bible College for a 7:00 a.m. apologetics class (how to defend the Christian faith). I’m not sure why the wise deans of the seminary deemed it fit to start such a complicated topic that early in the morning, when only a miracle of God could keep students awake.
But I didn’t sleep. I listened and learned. I still have the textbook (massively underlined), and 53 years later, I remember concepts taught during that 7 to 9 a.m. ordeal.
Through my years as a believer, I’ve ardently read many other books on defending the faith and am determined to be, as the Apostle Peter writes…
Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).
Below are notes on what I’ve learned about apologetics and defending the faith today…
The Emphasis Has Shifted
Traditional apologetics focused on the historical, philosophical, and archeological evidence that undergirded our faith. Today, the emphasis has shifted to explaining why Christians do what they do. Social media critics don’t attack the fact of the resurrection because, in the past 50 years, enough evidence has accumulated that they’d quickly lose.
Now the debate has shifted from dishonoring the evidence for the Bible and God to challenging the legitimacy of Jesus because His followers dishonor God with their words and behavior. Unfortunately, in this area, atheists and agnostics continually amass huge amounts of evidence.
Challenges to the Goodness and Greatness of God
We live in an age of doubt and ridicule. Questions abound as to how a good and great God can allow suffering.
The answer involves discussing a God creating people with free will and the cause of all pain in the world rooted in created humans deciding not to follow God. Not wanting a universe of automatons but desiring all of us to freely love Him, God proves His ultimate goodness through the grace that comes from the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
And whereas that’s a general answer for pain and suffering, it gets more difficult (at least it did for me as a pastor) explaining the concept of a sovereign God to someone just experiencing a significant loss. I learned that my explanation (or apologetic) of compassionate listening worked better than a theological rationale.
Are we ready to defend the gospel during the trials of others? Paul encourages that, during personal loss, we should…
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person (Colossians 4:6).
Let’s defend the faith with reason, understanding, and compassion! And let’s walk our talk.