Evidence For the Bible
Evidence For The Bible • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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1 Peter 3:15 “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, 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,”
-Have you ever encountered difficult questions about God or the Bible while sharing your faith? If so, you already realize the importance of being able to give thoughtful responses to challenges like: “If God exists, why is there evil in the world?” or, “Doesn’t the Bible demean women?”
Although many Christians have sought out answers to questions like these, some approaches invite an unbeliever closer to considering the truth of the gospel. Others can turn people off to even continuing a conversation about Christianity.
six key questions for Christians new to apologetics
What is apologetics?
What is Christian apologetics?
Who should practice apologetics?
What is the purpose of Christian apologetics?
How do we see apologetic engagement portrayed in the Scriptures?
How should we engage in spiritual conversations?
What is apologetics?
What is apologetics?
Greek word
ἀπολογία (a·puh·low·jee·uh)
Apologia
1. defense (legal) — the speech act of attempting to prove some act or belief to be reasonable, necessary, or right; especially occurring in a court of law.
2. defense (content)† — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to an accusation; especially in a court of law.
What is Christian apologetics?
What is Christian apologetics?
I believe there are two coherent definitions for apologetics:
Center for Public Christianity director Joshua Chatraw and executive director of the Center for Apologetics at Liberty University Mark Allen have this practical view in mind as they define apologetics:
“The practice of offering an appeal and a defense for the Christian faith.”
This definition highlights both the positive (or offensive) aspect of apologetics and the negative (or defensive) aspect of apologetics.
-The appeal refers to giving positive reasons to believe that Christianity is true (e.g., evidence for God’s existence or the historicity of Jesus’s resurrection).
- The defense refers to explaining how a person can reasonably believe Christian truth claims despite challenges raised up against them (e.g., the problem of evil or the idea that Jesus was merely a mythological figure).
-Pray
Why is Apologetics so important for Christians?
Why is Apologetics so important for Christians?
#1) Reason Demands it
- Typically Unarmed (EXPLAIN) College..
- Taught growing up to “Just have faith” (EXPLAIN)
#2) The Bible commands it
-EXPLAIN
1 Peter 3:15 “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, 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,”
Colossians 4:5–6 “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
2 Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:24–25 “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,”
ETC....
-THE GOSPEL!!
Who should practice apologetics?
Who should practice apologetics?
Is this responsibility only for the pastors or nerdy leaders in the church?
Short answer: Absolutely NOT!
Jude 3 says “to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” This applied whether believers were talking to other Christians at gatherings or out in the world.
Apologetics is a task which the Scriptures enjoin upon all believers. It is not a call exclusively for pastors and other Christian leaders.
Why is this?
What is the purpose of Christian apologetics?
What is the purpose of Christian apologetics?
Apologetics can help us strengthen our faith and attract unbelievers to Jesus.
Lincoln Memorial University Professor of Philosophy and Religion Stephen Cowan highlights two goals of apologetics:
[Apologetics is] an intellectual discipline that is usually said to serve at least two purposes:
(1) to bolster the faith of Christian believers
(2) to aid in the task of evangelism
-If you’re like most Christians, your first goal might be to gain a greater personal confidence in the truth claims of the Christian faith.
-After this, a secondary purpose might be to help your skeptical friends or neighbors begin to consider the gospel message.
- This is what Norman Geisler had in mind when he said apologetics is:
“opening the door, clearing the rubble, and getting rid of the hurdles so that people can come to Christ.”
This means seeing apologetics as a loving ministry. Approaching apologetics in this way means listening to people to understand them—not just to order to prepare a refutation or response.
-If we want people to listen to our stories and ideas, then we must first be willing to listen to their stories and ideas.
When we listen to people’s thoughts about God, we are being given a window into their souls—and a view into their concerns which may connect to the gospel.
-Seeing apologetics as ministry also means respectfully engaging in genuine dialog—not debate.
Finally, this approach entails explaining the truth of the Christian faith in a way that helps people work through their doubts and the challenges of radical skepticism, postmodernism, or other systems contrary to the faith.
But what does engagement actually look like?
How do we see apologetic engagement portrayed in the Scriptures?
How do we see apologetic engagement portrayed in the Scriptures?
In Acts 17:2–4, Luke notes that Jews, God-fearing Greeks, and many women in Thessalonica were persuaded that Paul’s message was true.
Here, he spent three days in a Jewish synagogue reasoning from the Scriptures “explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead” and demonstrating that “Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ” (v. 3).
Paul’s approach to people in Athens shows his ability to contextualize his message in light of his audience’s concerns.
Despite being provoked at the sight of a city “full of idols” (v. 16), he compliments their quest for spirituality (v. 22), quotes a familiar saying about Zeus, and uses the words of a Greek poet, Aratus, in his appeal (v. 28).
This is an example of seeing apologetics as a ministry—service—that connects truth with love.
Jesus brought truth and love together in his ministry.
He healed a paralytic to demonstrate both compassion and to validate his claim to have authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:1–12). The ultimate validation of Jesus’s claims about himself would be his death and resurrection (Luke 11:29).
After Jesus rose from the dead, “he presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).
Jesus demonstrated the truth of his message and his identity over and over again, using nearly every method at his disposal, including miracle, prophecy, godly style of life, authoritative teaching and reasoned argumentation.
In terms of good deeds of love and kindness, the church was meant to be a contrastive community that displayed a transformative faith.
Jesus said “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:13–16).
He prayed for the church: “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me” (John 17:23).
Your good deeds can make unbelievers pause and invite them to see that Jesus is worth following. Seeing Christians who sacrifice for one another or live in unity despite their differences can spark curiosity about Jesus.
This is especially important in our current cultural context, where most people will not care about the truth of Christianity until they are first persuaded that Christianity is relevant and good.
What can love and kindness look like in terms of cultural engagement?
How should we engage in spiritual conversations?
How should we engage in spiritual conversations?
To obey the command in 1 Peter 3:15, we must be willing to do two things.
1) We must do the hard work of studying apologetics so we can not only have more confidence in the Scriptures, but be prepared to share reasons for our faith.
2) We must do the hard work of seeking to understand other people, including their struggles and concerns, so we can have better spiritual conversations.
In this, we need to see apologetics as a way to serve people. This helps us not lose sight of the stipulation that our apologetic engagement must be done with “gentleness and respect.”
What if I run into a hard question or I struggle with a truth that I don’t understand?
What if I run into a hard question or I struggle with a truth that I don’t understand?
Be willing to admit what you don’t know.
No amount of preparation or education will enable you to faithfully and accurately answer every question. Be prepared to admit what you do not know, and express a willingness to investigate and report back to the person or group.
In doing so, you model both humility and perseverance.
Pray for help understanding the intentions of the question and ultimately the answer to the question
Questions and objections can sometimes be diversions to personal conviction.
Take your time with an answer.
Study passages in your Bible that addresses the question or issue.
The best defense is a good offense. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, is always your greatest asset. It’s good to read C.S. Lewis, Blaise Pascal, John Lennox, and other Christian apologists. However, there is no substitute for knowing the Word.
Jesus modeled a reliance on Scripture in his own ministry as he responded to questions and objections. Referring people to the Bible itself is a practical exercise in a reliance on the sufficiency and authority of Scripture. While you may be wrong, the Bible will always be right.
Ask a trusted leader for help
Introduce NEW SERIES on Wednesday Nights
Introduce NEW SERIES on Wednesday Nights
Evidence For The Bible
TOPICS of DISCUSSION:
Understanding Apologetics more
GOD’s existence
Prophecy
Messianic Prophecy
Canon of Scripture and How we got both canons -OLD and NEW Testament
Question: “Has the Bible been changed?” - Can I trust the Bible we now have?
Can I trust the translations we have?
Supposed “Contradictions” in the Bible
Diving into Ancient History, Science, Philosophy, and more
Bonus TOPICS will be on other religions in the world:
Mainly the big three:
-ISLAM
-MORMANISM
-JEHOVAHS WITNESS
THE IDEA:
THIS IS A 101 DISCIPLESHIP COURSE
Starting with basics and building from there.
INVITE THEM AGAIN!!
PRAY