Apologetis - I

"CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS"
Introduction To Christian Apologetics

In 1 Pe 3:15, all Christians are commanded to be ready to make a "defense" for the reason of their hope in Christ... "but sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord: being ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason ("defense") concerning the hope that is in you, yet with meekness and fear:" The word "defense" is from apologia, which means "a speech in defense of what one has done, or of truth which one believes" The formal use of this word is used by Paul in Ac 22:1 "Brethren and fathers, hear ye the defence which I now make unto you."; 1 Co 9:3 "My defence to them that examine me is this."

Peter, however, uses the word in the context of an informal inquiry by a friend or neighbor...e.g., someone asking "Why are you a Christian?" To such Peter says that we should be ready to give reasons why we believe.

In this series of lessons on "CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS", we shall examine some of the evidence that exists for placing one's faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. In doing so, I hope to accomplish two objectives. To STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH in Jesus Christ. To HELP PREPARE OURSELVES to be able to do the very thing enjoined by Peter in 1 Pe 3:15

In this lesson, I wish to establish some "BASICS" for Christian apologetics that are important for all to realize the Christians faith is "an intelligent, rational faith." It appeals to the "mind" as well as to the "heart." God expects us to use our minds - Mt 22:36-38 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the great and first commandment."; Jn 8:32 "and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." I.e., we do not have to commit "INTELLECTUAL SUICIDE" in order to have faith! This is important, for as one person said, "My heart cannot rejoice in what my mind rejects!" A "WEAK FAITH" may be the result of the heart trying to believe in something the mind cannot accept. But the "STRONG FAITH" God requires involves both the mind and the heart. So it is important that we present reasons why we believe in an INTELLIGENT and RATIONAL manner. "We cannot pander to a man's intellectual arrogance, but we must cater to his intellectual integrity." - PAUL LITTLE

Does this mean we can offer 100% proof? No, because there is virtually nothing of which we can be 100% sure (e.g., who our parents are) Yet, we often make 100% commitments with less than 100% proof; e.g., flying on an airplane. We cannot be 100% certain that we will have a safe journey. But the statistical evidence is strong enough to convince us that we will. So though we may not have 100% certainty of arriving safely, when we step on the plane we make a 100% commitment! So the question becomes: IS THERE ENOUGH EVIDENCE OR PROOF TO WARRANT MAKING A 100% COMMITMENT TO CHRIST? I believe that there is. Certainly enough evidence to commit myself 100% FOR HIM, rather than be 100% AGAINST HIM! There is no other alternative - Mt 12:30 "If you are not on my side, you are against me. If you don't gather in the harvest with me, you scatter it." Jesus is like is like taking a trip on an airplane; either we get on board totally, or we get left behind! So the
Christian faith is to be an INTELLIGENT, RATIONAL FAITH. As an example, consider the next "BASIC".

The Christian faith is "a historical, factual faith." Christianity appeals to history, and the facts of history. "The facts backing the Christian claim are not a special kind of 'religious' fact. They are the cognitive, informational facts upon which all historical, legal, and ordinary
decisions are based." - CHARLES PINNOCK
It will be my purpose in future lessons to present these HISTORICAL FACTS then demonstrate that the CHRISTIAN INTERPRETATION is more logical than any other.

To briefly illustrate that Christianity is based upon historical facts consider Lk 2:1-5 "About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books. These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David's hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David's family. Mary was engaged to Joseph and traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby," 3:1-2 "For fifteen years Emperor Tiberius had ruled that part of the world. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was the ruler of Galilee. Herod's brother, Philip, was the ruler in the countries of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was the ruler of Abilene. Annas and Caiaphas were the Jewish high priests. At that time God spoke to Zechariah's son John, who was living in the desert." Notice the appeal to time, places, people and events that actually existed in history. The Christian faith, therefore, is a historical faith that appeals to certain facts of historical
occurrence. Not a PHILOSOPHICAL faith appealing to philosophies of men, nor a faith based upon MYTHS and LEGENDS.

As we consider the evidences for the Christian faith, it is also important to bear in mind that the Christian faith is "an objective faith." It is a faith in "an object"; Jesus of Nazareth! Faith in WHO He was: The Christ, the Son of God. Faith in WHAT He did: He rose from the dead on the third day. It "does" make a difference "what" we bwlieve! The old cliche "It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you believe in something" is
inconsistent with the Christian faith. Consider Jn 8:24 "That is why I said you will die with your sins unforgiven. If you don't have faith in me for who I am, you will die, and your sins will not be forgiven.""; Ro 10:9 "So you will be saved, if you honestly say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death." Note that it is not faith IN OF ITSELF that is important, but IN WHOM (the object) our faith is based!

And then consider that the Christian faith is "based on principles of truth" such as "truth is always open to Examination." So is the Christian faith. For example, Ac 2:22 "Now, listen to what I have to say about Jesus from Nazareth. God proved that he sent Jesus to you by having him work miracles, wonders, and signs. All of you know this." - Peter appealed to the crowd to examine what they themselves knew. Another example, Ac 26:24-26 "Before Paul finished defending himself, Festus shouted, "Paul, you're crazy! Too much learning has
driven you out of your mind." But Paul replied, "Honorable Festus, I am not crazy. What I am saying is true, and it makes sense. None of these things happened off in a corner somewhere. I am sure that King Agrippa knows what I am talking about. That's why I can speak so plainly to him."" - Paul invited Agrippa to examine the evidence. Unlike some religions (esp. "Jehovah's Witnesses" and the "Mormons"), the CHRISTIAN FAITH is open to honest examination.

We also need to consider that "truth is always open to non-truth (falsification)" That is, it is open to be proven wrong. To illustrate, if you don't believe Jesus was raised from the dead. Use the evidence that is available, and attempt to prove by it that He wasn't! Do this and then we shall see which interpretation of the facts is more logical (intelligent and
rational).

Before I close this lesson, I wish to address one last question: "If the Christian faith is such an intelligent, rational, historical and factual faith, then why do many people reject it?" In the days of Christ, it is usually due to one of three reasons. Reason one is ignorance - Jn 7:40-43 "When the crowd heard Jesus say this, some of them said, "He must be the Prophet!" Others said, "He is the Messiah!" Others even said, "Can the Messiah come from Galilee? The Scriptures say that the Messiah will come from the family of King David. Doesn't this mean that he will be born in David's hometown of Bethlehem?" The people started taking sides against each other because of Jesus." Some rejected Jesus as the Christ because they were ignorant of the historical facts concerning
His birth. So, many do today for a similar reason: LACK OF ACCURATE INFORMATION!

The second reason is Pride. John 12:42-43 "Even then, many of the leaders put their faith in Jesus, but they did not tell anyone about it. The Pharisees had already given orders for the people not to have anything to do with anyone who had faith in Jesus. And besides, the leaders liked praise from others more than they liked praise from God." Pride in wanting to be approved by men kept them from confessing Jesus as the Christ. Today, many do not want the RIDICULE or REJECTION one might face for following Christ.

The third reason is a moral problem. Jn 3:19-20 "The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty because they love the dark more than the light. People who do evil hate the light and won't come to the light, because it clearly shows what they have done." Some people reject the evidence because it would mean having to change their LIFESTYLE. Today, many people in efforts to justify their immorality accept only that evidence which supports theories which allows them to continue their lifestyle. They reject any evidence which may support a doctrine which would condemn their behavior and require a change. What it boils down to is this. The rejection of Christ is not so much a problem of the "MIND" but of the "WILL"! It is not so much "I CAN'T" but "I WON'T"! There is enough evidence to convince the honest and sincere seeker, but there is not enough evidence to force a man against his will when he is determined to reject it!

In conclusion it is with these "BASICS" in mind that I shall endeavor to give evidence that warrants faith in Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ, the Son of God. I shall not attempt to prove anything "beyond a shadow of a doubt," for that is not possible. But I shall try to show that it is more logical to believe in Jesus, than for one not to! And we shall begin by examining the evidence that demonstrates Jesus to be a true, historical figure, a person who actually lived!

The Executable Outlines Series, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2000, used by permission.