Have You Not Read S2E21 - Defending the Faith

Welcome to have you not read a podcast seeking to answer questions from the text of scripture for the honor of Christ and

the Edification of the Saints before we dig into our topic.

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Thank you.

I'm Andrew Hudson.

Joining me today is Michael Durham.

Michael.

We have another question.

This question was sent in by a listener.

How can a Christian? defend his faith.

Rightly, it's a good question.

How can a Christian defend his faith.

Rightly, you know when we think about the ways in which Jesus

spoke with his disciples and Taught them not only Who he

was and what that meant for their lives.

But he also taught them how to conduct themselves as his followers and he shaped their

expectations About the kind of opposition that they would face that indeed they would be brought before

all kinds of governing authorities either Jew or Gentile to make a defense for their faith.

And he told them what to expect and he obviously reminded them of

things such as a Disciple is not above his teacher and the things that Jesus

experienced the kinds of slanderous attacks that Jesus experienced.

He wanted his disciples to know that they would face the same thing.

So As a Christian we think first of all.

I mean.

There's some great Passages that we could look at and in Acts and Colossians and first Peter and Jude and we and we will but

just to begin at ground zero the disciples followed their master Jesus and

In rabbinical fashion when you when a rabbi would have his disciples they would do everything

he did.

So if he if he ate his food in a certain way, that's how they would do it.

I'm gonna eat it that way.

Yeah, if he if he laid down to sleep in a certain way.

That's what they would do if he ducked under a branch of a tree.

That's how they would do it in the same fashion.

So it makes sense to put our attention on Christ,

how did he?

Defend.

His statements.

He came teaching and preaching the kingdom of God the good news of the kingdom.

He said repent and believe for the the kingdom of heaven is at hand repent and believe in the gospel.

And He went about not simply Healing and delivering

the demon -possessed, but he went around preaching the truths of

The kingdom.

And many times he was challenged many times the Pharisees or the

Sadducees or the scribes or the chief priests Would

confront him and oh, yeah, what about this?

Yes, and they would challenge him.

They did not like it when he healed people on the Sabbath and told them to take up their beds and go

home.

They really didn't like it.

When he forgave their sins He they really didn't like it.

When.

He would do things that would challenge Their teaching authority their worldview

what they thought how they thought the world worked and so they would confront him.

So what do we see Jesus doing in?

Responding to his critics.

What can we glean from his example since he is our master whom we follow.

What were some of his ways.

What were some of his approaches.

Well, one of them was.

Have you not read yes.

Great question because he Being the second person of the

Godhead as the one mediator between God and man the Christ

He himself knew all that was written.

In fact, he was the one who brought forth the Word of God by the Holy Spirit that's how holy men wrote

the infallible and errant perfect Word of God and So he would draw

attention to the text of Scripture.

I Remember one time they the Sadducees in particular Who accepted the validity

of only the first five books of the Bible the the Torah?

They rejected any truth about the resurrection of the dead.

They didn't believe in that they couldn't find it in the first five books of the Bible.

So they said well Then we're not going to deal with that.

That's not part of what we believe and he thought it was ridiculous.

They thought it was.

They thought it was very foolish.

And so they tried to trip Jesus up with some strange hypothetical and a.

Long string of husbands.

Yeah dying.

And then I remember one old preacher was preaching on that text and he got to the was it the eighth husband or the

seventh husband.

And then they died and and then he said and mercifully the woman died, too.

But the it's a ridiculous example, you know, right right and then Jesus instructed the Sadducees

about the resurrection when he said from

Exodus he quoted Exodus which was in their wheelhouse.

You know that God said that he is the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob.

I Am the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob.

Present tense.

So he's not the God of the dead is he he's the God of the living.

Have you not read this Sadducees?

Did you not read that that these patriarchs died and yet they they're still living because God is the God of the

living.

So that's that was one of the ways in which Jesus would address his critics is He

would say have you not read and go to the Word of God and point out the truths of God's Word.

So what are some other ways?

That we find Jesus Interacting with and addressing those who would have

opposed his words we can think of.

When he was asked very difficult questions meant to trip him up.

He would respond by asking a related question back, you know, and and I find that very interesting.

We're in like we didn't answer my question.

Well, the point is if you answer the question, I just asked you.

You will be answering the question yourself.

Exactly.

You see and I think that's a very clever way of doing things.

People think it's fair to ask any crazy question.

They want until they are forced to reconcile their worldview with a question coming towards them.

Jesus also would tell stories.

He would tell stories in which the.

Audience who opposed him at some point realize they're like, wait a second.

He's talking about it.

Yes, exactly.

And and then everybody would see through the Simplicity of

these stories yet the power of these stories what the real situation was.

I really liked the the way in which Jesus talked about he said this this wicked and perverse generation.

He talked about Them as a children in a marketplace and if there's ever a group of

children anywhere.

They're gonna probably find some way to play together.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, that's what they do.

They'll find a game out of anything exactly.

And so he tells about children playing in the marketplace now when you have a big group of children.

What do they want to do?

They want to get others to play with them.

The more kids playing the more fun it is.

And Jesus likened the Intellectual elites of his day the

ones with all the objections to his in his day.

To little children whining about who won't play with them.

He said you're like children in the marketplace who you want you're wanting to play Wedding and you want

everybody to sing and dance and we're gonna play a wedding and then John the Baptist.

He wouldn't he wouldn't dance to your tune and he wouldn't celebrate the things that you celebrate and so you

got mad at him.

You said oh, he has a demon, you know.

It's like you insulted him like like little children who were sullen and they become insulting all of a

sudden and then When the Son of Man comes when Jesus and speaking of himself you all of a

sudden you want to play funeral.

Oh, let's have a dirge.

Let's all be sad and walk in procession.

And then Jesus said but I wouldn't lament the things that you lament.

I Wouldn't play that game with you.

And so you said oh, he's a he's a glutton and a winebibber, you know.

Once again southern children insulting those who won't play their games and follow the rules that they make up on the spot.

What a powerful way to Demonstrate is the situation.

Yes, because when the critics are bringing their arguments to bear and they're firing away.

They sound Like they have a good point until Jesus

Puts it into perspective.

It's like, you know, we remember what you and he's calling everybody's remembrance.

We all remember what you said about John the Baptist and now look what you're saying about me.

You you all are so Inconsistent you're just like little children.

And so we see these are some of the ways not all the ways.

But these are some of the ways that Jesus dealt with those who would oppose his message.

So we find in him our premier example for defending our faith.

I think we see flexibility there.

We find an absolute trust in God's Holy Word and we find effective ways of

communication.

For those who are foolishly questioning who are

Not sincere.

How do we answer those fools?

Well proverb says to Do not answer a fool according to his folly Lest you

become like him but also answer a fool according to his folly lest you be wise in his own eyes.

In other words, I don't answer a fool in The same manner of his folly like joining in

in the way that he thinks and expresses himself.

His worldview his paradigm.

Exactly he's looking at things but.

To answer the fool and according to the as how his folly deserves

Demonstrating to him how foolish he is or just simply proving in front of

everyone How foolish he is that his wisdom really was not exactly.

Otherwise, he will be wise in his own eyes the fool's delight in Expressing what they

believe to be unanswerable.

Questions.

Aha, I gotcha.

Yeah, they gotcha question and we saw that the Sadducees and

Pharisees and they tried that with Jesus a lot and at one point we read in the text They got

beat up so bad doing that.

I'm done with that.

No more, please.

Yeah, they decided not act and we're not gonna ask you any more questions for We're done with this and so in

that sense we see Jesus as the master of that wisdom that we read in Proverbs and so.

When the the Sadducees and Pharisees came at him they were coming with their oral traditions their scholasticism the

rabbinicalism.

I try to ask questions that they thought were very tricky.

But they were rather foolish and then Jesus would go straight to the heart of the text or he would go straight to the heart Of the man

and demonstrate that they themselves were inconsistent that they were doing these things out of evil so one

example would be when they accused Jesus of Being empowered by Beelzebul to cast out

demons.

He's like, oh, yeah.

Well.

Yeah, what a ridiculous thing, but Jesus didn't say just he didn't say I don't have time for this foolishness

or he didn't say.

That question is so ridiculous.

I won't honor it with an answer kind of a thing that rhetorical device.

Yeah.

Well, he did he just he just took their logic or lack thereof.

Tell me about your son and he yeah, and he just put it on display like alright everybody Let's

take this accusation and let's bring it out into the open and let's take a really good thorough look at it everybody and

Wow, that was lunacy what you just said and we find that that is a very loving thing for him to

do for all the hearers who might have been taken astray.

By those slanderous claims.

Sure.

There's people on the side like oh, yeah that yeah, that's what's going on here.

There's a demon involved right, but they didn't think it through but then Jesus helps them think it through.

He's the light of the world.

He's like, hey, let's shine some light on this and then all of a sudden like oh.

That makes no sense at all.

Yeah, you're right Jesus.

Yeah, that was ridiculous.

So.

That's that's a very legitimate thing to do.

So if somebody is just being you know, very very cynical so on and so forth and now how do you approach that?

Well, you know in Colossians, you know, Paul was concerned about this and he said in

Colossians 4 verses 2 through 6 we've read this passage not so long ago on the podcast.

But it's worth coming back to again given the question.

He said continue earnestly in prayer.

Being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.

Meanwhile praying also for us.

That God would open to us a door for the word.

You know, okay Paul.

Well, what's a door for the word?

Well, it's the idea.

I remember Paul's traveling around.

It's the idea of hospitality when you're going from city to city.

What do you need you need a door open to you is that you may enter in and rest and be

welcomed.

You know Paul wasn't going from La Quinta in to Motel 6.

He was going from house to house.

He needed a place to be welcomed.

And so he's looking for a door to be open for the word to speak the mystery of Christ.

So the idea is not simply, you know.

Here's a here's a slight opening where I can say something in about 90 seconds, which if that's all you have.

So you have he's thinking I want to sit at somebody's table and share within the mystery of Christ.

But he says for this I'm also in chains.

But he desires still that door.

He still desires that opportunity that he may make it manifest as I ought to speak so to Paul's mind.

What he is asking for prayer.

Is that a door open for the word means that I'll have the opportunity to make manifest the mystery

of Christ in the way It really deserves to be shared.

Okay.

So now he says to the church in Colossae you walk in wisdom toward those who are

outside.

Right.

Those were outside the church redeeming the time let your speech always be with grace.

Seasoned with salt that you may know how you want to answer each one in other words.

He just said the whole thing I'm praying for here is that I have a door open so I can speak the mystery of Christ as

I ought to make it manifest and That's what he wants the Colossian Church to do.

So their speech being a season with grace a season with salt is not hey I'm

you know, I'm really nice and cool.

And when we get done talking you walk away and you think wow what a cool guy that was.

That's not what Paul is meaning.

He's meaning walking with water and clear wisdom toward those who are outside that you can make it clear.

So this is again back to the question.

How can a Christian defend his faith rightly?

Has to do with Knowing how you ought to answer each one to make that gospel clear.

So I think of somebody for instance who's part of maybe a false church who doesn't believe in In

the Jesus of the scriptures or they don't believe you know that he actually Saves people by his righteousness

that we have to be saved by ours or maybe someone's a part of a actual cult you know like the Mormons or Jehovah's

Witnesses or so on or perhaps somebody who is on the kind of the

outside of the church and they've got a lot of mixed up ideas that they just Kind of gleaned from everywhere and they're

just so confused.

You know how I talk to each one of these people is gonna be a little bit different, right?

They sure will be because because in order to make the gospel clear to a Mormon I'm gonna be doing a whole lot

of different work than I would be to a homeless guy who you know.

Here's some water.

Here's a coat and here's some conversation because you don't have a lot of human contact.

Here we are.

We're going to sit together and speak of Jesus.

It's gonna be different than when I talk to somebody else.

But we we need to walk in wisdom toward These people depending on what their needs are to

make it manifest to them.

So that's gonna be that's why it's gonna be different.

So that's one thing we have to take in consideration if we're going to defend our faith.

Rightly, we have to think about the person that we're actually dealing with and we need to know something Maybe a little

bit about them.

It'll be helpful.

Sure, there's a Different paradigm that someone who has a different set of scriptures has

they must be able to speak towards.

You know Muslims.

They don't believe the same thing that Jehovah's Witnesses do or correct Mormons do yet

they still need to hear the good news and Rightly, so with wisdom so

that is a different approach.

It's not a different gospel.

No, it's a different approach exactly.

And so then we have some passages in first Peter in and Jude and Peter says

in verse 13 of first Peter 3 and who is he who will harm you if you become

followers of?

What is good?

And so Peter's just pointing out, you know, if you're going around blessing others where you can

and trying to help people and Follow the law and you're you're a great subject to the Empire in our

context good citizen of the nation.

Who's gonna come after no one's gonna oppose you for that.

Yeah, no, yeah, but nonetheless.

You know.

Someone's gonna get ticked off that you believe that Jesus Christ is the way the truth in the life and no one comes to the Father except

through him right they're gonna you know, because that has wide -reaching implications.

That's hate speech.

You're killing me.

Exactly violence so verse 14 says but even if you should suffer for righteousness sake you are

blessed.

Let's straight from the Sermon on the Mount straight from his master's mouth.

He he says if you suffer for righteousness sake you're blessed and do not be afraid of their threats nor be troubled.

Don't fear a man.

That's a snare fear the Lord correct verse 15 but sanctify or set apart 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 having a good conscience

that when they defame you as evildoers.

Those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

For it is better if it is the will of God to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Now this is this is a remarkable what a rich passage so full of application here I

think there's a there's something here.

I just want to show there's a dynamic here on the one hand Peter says don't fear man

at the same time he says Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and he also says give a reason

for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

He just said don't fear a man.

So who you fearing?

Well, you're not fearing God.

Exactly.

So there's fear involved and you know when you fear the Lord and you're giving a reason for the hope that is in you.

That's when you can do that in in meekness you can do that with a good conscience

and I think it's remarkable you begin by recognizing the authority of God in

your life and from that You give a defense to everyone who asks you a

reason for the hope that is in you.

So you're not you're not pretending as if God is not Lord.

You're not pretending as if Christ is not King.

You're not being neutral.

You are partisan from the beginning.

I Belong to the Lord and this is going to be proven by the fact that you're doing good.

You're working righteousness and when they defame you as an evildoer.

Right, you know you're evil because you believe in Jesus.

You're evil because you know, you got married to one woman and you're still married and you're having children.

You're evil for having children you're evil for for working hard and keeping a

clean yard and living in a house you're Evil for driving a car you're

evil for voting, you know.

So on and so forth.

Whatever and others.

Other outsiders are looking out and you're like.

That doesn't look evil.

Exactly.

So those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

I think of you know, I think of the people who orchestrated Orchestrated The

FBI raid on the man.

He was a sidewalk counselor outside of the abortion clinic.

Yeah, I know exactly and and so what's happening now.

What's happening now?

Is that all of that detail is being brought out into the open and the people who

authorized that and.

In.

Promoted that.

They're all being very much shamed in front of everyone, you know.

And so Peter just acknowledges.

Hey, this is the way it is, right and it's better right if it is the will of God to suffer for doing good than for Doing evil.

So isn't that the fear though it the fear is that we're going to suffer if we defend our faith.

But defending our faith rightly Does not mean necessarily

That there are no consequences.

You know, like for instance if you're taking brownies out of the oven if you do it rightly there's no

consequences.

You do it wrongly.

You can get your hand burned.

Okay, that's not the way it is but when defending your faith when you defend your faith rightly you might still end up

suffering and That's what Peter is saying, but he's saying don't be afraid of that.

Yeah, don't be afraid of that.

Now we've looked at Colossians and Peter and they they have been looking at the the people from the

outside.

The people from the outside who are pointing the finger at the people in the church.

Scoffing mocking.

Trying to shame them so on and so forth, but there is such a thing as defending your faith against

false teachers.

From the inside we call that polemics versus apologetics.

Apologetics is a making a defense for the faith from those who were outside pointing in.

Then polemics is something we're looking within and the Bible talks about that as well.

So Paul speaks to the elders of Ephesus about preaching Christ.

Preaching the whole counsel of the Word of God.

Making the main thing the main thing and saying that there's wolves that can arise up from among you

and you have to always be on your watch and guarding and then Jude.

Jude also talks about that and so in Jude of course is all one just there's not

doing any chapters.

It's just one.

It's just you it's just Jude.

So in the first verse we read Jude a bondservant of Jesus Christ and brother of James it says to those

who are cold.

Sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ mercy peace and love be multiplied to

you.

I love that greeting.

Oh, it's wonderful.

He says beloved while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation I found it

necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly For the

faith Which was once for all delivered to the Saints.

For certain men have crept in Unnoticed who long ago were marked out for this condemnation

ungodly men who turned the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord

God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

And he goes on to talk about how these are people who have infiltrated the church

and they need to be confronted, but he says contend earnestly for the faith.

Contend earnestly For the faith.

And near the end of his letter.

He says but you beloved building yourselves up on your most holy faith Praying in the Holy Spirit.

So there's a need to build to invest to to labor to establish oneself

More and more in the faith in the gospel in the truth of Christ and to contend

earnestly for it.

Now contending earnestly that has a certain approach, correct.

It's not like advocate occasionally or beguilingly like very skillful

Techniques or anything like that earnest like I'm gonna put all my all into this.

We have concepts of earnest money like hey, I'm gonna do this.

So I have a buy -in here.

So this this earnest defense, it's it's I'm fully in correct.

I remember talking to a couple of gentlemen where we were disagreeing about what does the Bible have to say and

doctrine of sin and.

The person I was speaking with when we were talking about the nature of sin.

What is the biblical definition of sin?

I just mentioned out of first John will sin is lawlessness.

Right.

The law being the express the expression of the character of God.

Sin is that which is against God.

God is the arbiter.

He's the definition of you know, and so we kind of talking about what what sin is.

And then He mentioned that, you know, oh, yeah, you know, that's a great definition.

Classic and all that kind of thing.

So these are talking about a definition of sin that he really found compelling from someone who came

up with the definition of sin that was.

That sin is that which opposes human flourishing.

That which opposes human flourishing.

Flourishing in what way.

What are we talking about here exactly.

And that becomes very difficult to define.

Because everybody's version of human flourishing looks different.

Does that mean.

That's everything that's good for me like in my.

Viewpoint.

Well, they would say well what what's good in God's viewpoint, obviously.

But in this definition of sin the man who put that forward and was really promoting it and has been

for a long time said now the reason why God is against sin is because

he is for human flourishing and.

So his ultimate ends are I don't want to mistake ends and means here.

But in the end, he's he's just thinking about what's best for me.

Exactly.

That's what occupies God's mind and that's right.

That's because that's what's good.

That's what he's all about is human flourishing.

So so the reason why he's against sin is not because it is contrary to his holy character.

He's against sin because it's against human flourishing.

He is for human flourishing.

Therefore he's against sin and to me that is You know a wonderful

sounding way to end up in all manner of terrible places.

Doctrinally, and so I contended earnestly Saying that isn't you know, that is not a

biblical definition.

And in fact, it puts God in orbit around human flourishing along with the rest

of us.

Right.

God's not the center of that definition.

That's not fearing God.

That's putting man and human flourishing at the center and God's just in orbit with us.

So I pointed that out to the to the PhD I was talking with and and he said

Hmm.

Well, I suppose that his position is open to that criticism.

Oh.

Now that is not earnestly contending for the faith.

Like well, this is an interesting position on this idea of the Bible.

This is another interesting position on this.

Oh, this is a very novel position over here and most certainly they'll be open to various criticisms.

That's not Contending earnestly for the faith these things matter.

It's not an intellectual exercise.

So I would say if you're gonna contend rightly for the faith, you should have some skin in the game.

You're building yourself up on your most holy faith.

And this is where I think sometimes It can be very challenging when when you're talking with somebody

and they are Contradicting your dearly held beliefs you could go the

other way instead of being some, you know, kind of Professorial irenic, you know, I'm just going to

ponder all the possibilities.

Oh, that's very interesting.

Isn't it to and just be very, you know detached from it?

The other side of that is if anybody says anything that even dares

Look askance at my dearly held beliefs.

Yeah, I'm gonna blow my top.

Yeah.

And that is where the passage in first Peter helps us because we are not

to be afraid.

Right.

The reason why we would get angry and maybe yell or or just go over overboard is because

we're actually fearing those Who are challenging what we believe?

But if we're fearing God for sanctifying the Lord God in our hearts and we're fearing him rather than man then we can

give a reason for the hope that is in us with meekness where strength is under control instead of.

Out of control.

My wrath isn't doing anything.

Good.

Yeah, the wrath of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

So we have to and we have to have that in order and I think that's probably one of the more difficult Things is to be able to

talk with people who are saying things that if they are true

There's no salvation.

The Bible is not true.

You know.

Everything that I believe is a lie.

How do I deal with people saying those things in a way where I'm not becoming sinful

myself in in my wrath?

Yeah, I'm letting your emotions Take over.

Yeah. All right.

Thank you for addressing how we can defend the faith rightly.

Michael what are you thankful for?

Well, I'm I'm thankful for books.

Thankful for resources that that are put together by Brothers

of mine.

I've never met and One day I trust that I will but they've done a lot of labor

a labor of love in the text of Scripture.

And they have they have written to exhort their fellow believers in the riches and the

beauties of Christ throughout the scriptures and I can reach over and Open up that

book and and read the things that they have they have studied and they have learned to be benefited by those.

And I'm very grateful for that.

That's that's a that's a treasure and I'm very thankful to the Lord for for good books.

I'm thankful to God for his giving of different giftings and roles and offices

here in his body.

Bringing us into maturity through his spirit to look like his son.

One day will will be like his son and it's a it's a beautiful thing.

Meanwhile.

The brothers and sisters who are laboring for his sake here in the body are a great blessing.

And which I'm very thankful for.

There are many people who are be quote -unquote behind the scenes.

Really just the people who are making things happen.

They're not always mentioned by name.

But we are so grateful for a each and every member of our body.

There are different roles we can't all be hands when he feet to.

We need other members who are not seen and Protected and cherished.

So we're thankful to God.

I am for all our brothers and sisters here working and laboring for the sake of Christ.

And that wraps it up for today.

We are very thankful for our listeners and hope you will join us again as we meet to answer common questions and

objections.

With having not read.