How Do I Defend The Christian Faith?

What Apologetics Is and Why It Matters

So we are talking about apologetics this morning. We talked about apologetics to the glory of God. And now we're talking about Apologetics to the glory of God and the application of that into the world.

So I should first start by talking about the word apologetics not making any assumptions that we all know exactly what that is. We're talking about the defense of the Christian faith. You could be in a of the Christian faith.

You could be an apologist a defender of Atheism you could be an apologist for Marxism. You could be a defender of Marxism. You could be an apologist for the Biden administration that you know, you can be an apologist for anything so it's about bringing a reason defense for something.

And when we talk about the history of the Christian faith the history of the Christian faith is a history that.

Is.

Filled with Christians who went into the public square and they defended God's truth in the public square. We actually have a command in Scripture that all believers are actually given a mandate by God that you are called to be ready Always be ready to give a reasoned defense for the hope that's within you and to do it with with respect to those that you give it to.

And. We get that from first Peter chapter 3 verse 15. First Peter 3 15. We call this a charter verse of Christian apologetics. Now in the short time we have together tonight will be done by midnight. In the short time we have together tonight, it's not possible to unpack all of these passages.

So I want to encourage you to make sure that you're writing down these passages or go back and watch the video later and make sure That you understand what these passages are saying. It's actually this little section here from first Peter 3 15 is is used often as a charter verse of Christian apologetics.

But there are things I think that are often missed as people sort of Explain that Christians are commanded to always be ready to give a reasoned defense for the hope that's within them with gentleness and reverence and.

And Peter actually begins the inspired Apostle begins.

This.

Charter verse of Christian apologetics with the statement that we are to set Christ apart as Lord in our hearts. Now it gets missed oftentimes as we talk about the defense of the Christian faith as a Christian.

Defending God's truth defending the claims of Christ. It gets missed that we're first called to set Jesus apart as Lord to sanctify something to set it apart as a holy thing. Peter says to set Christ apart as Lord.

I would actually argue there that he's quoting from the Old Testament. And he's actually saying to set Christ apart as Yahweh as God in your hearts. So before we begin this discussion about defending the Christian faith and this command to be always be ready to do so we need to consider that the Apostle Peter first starts with the charge that Christians are to set Jesus apart as Lord in their hearts.

Now I would say that that begins this discussion with Abolishing the myth of neutrality. That we can defend the Christian faith on neutral ground. But the Apostle Peter says that set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts always being ready to give an apologia a Reasoned defense for the hope that's within you.

Apologia, and I'm saying that properly. Dr. White will be very proud of me for saying that properly. Apologia is a word that's like courtroom language. It's the kind of thing you say in a courtroom or in a public debate apologia a reasoned defense of The Christian faith for the hope that's within you and yet to do it with gentleness and reverence.

Oftentimes that gets missed as well. We miss things on the front end and the back end of defending the Christian faith on the front end. Oftentimes you'll have Christian apologists famous Christian apologists who will even go into a discussion.

Publicly with a mixed crowd or in a public debate and they'll say things like I'm not here defending the Christian God. Well, that's not setting Christ apart as Lord in your hearts. That's not that's approaching the defense of the Christian faith without a foot in the Christian faith.

Doesn't make a lot of sense. So that gets missed oftentimes. We we try to defend the Christian faith on neutral grounds and I would say that's unfaithful. Biblically and I would say philosophically it's impossible to do so.

But on the back end oftentimes you'll see people who are very zealous about the Christian faith. They have an an internal desire to glorify God and to defend Christ and his claims, but they'll do it in an abusive manner.

They'll do it in a way that neglects the image of God in front of them. They'll do it in a way that neglects the truths of Scripture about how a person comes to faith to begin with. It's God who opens eyes.

It's God who changes hearts from stone to flesh. It's God who brings dead people to life. It's God who takes enemies and makes them children by adoption. That's what God does. And so what am I in this whole enterprise of Christian apologetics?

Well, I'm the apologist and the evangelist. I'm here to use the apologetic methodology to bring this person the gospel. To call them to repent and to believe the gospel but I have to do so in such a way that I remain balanced and I do it with gentleness and with reverence with respect and so what I want to say is as you Begin this discussion about the Christian faith and defending the Christian faith.

Apologetics, Evangelism, and the Book of Acts

Apologetics at a street level and the 21st century. I think it's important for us to do something and that is to make the book of Acts the grounding for our methodology of the Proclamation of the gospel and the defense of the Christian faith.

You see both of those things in the book of Acts you see both things taking place evangelism and apologetics now they are two categories. But I would argue that evangelism and apologetics are supposed to be wrapped up together.

They are categories. One's the defense of the Christian faith. One's the proclamation of the Christian faith the call to repent and believe. But I would argue if you follow Jesus methodology and the Apostles methodology evangelism and apologetics are supposed to be wrapped up together.

And what you see in the book of Acts and terms of methodology is you see the Apostles going about defending the Christian faith and Proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and they're doing it in such a way as it's not.

I say this often Bible studies in basements. Only it's not something where they're just merely calling people into a personal romance with Jesus. It's not something where they are saying this is something we're to keep hidden behind our ears and behind our eyes in between our ears.

They are actually going into the public square into the marketplace of ideas. And they are bringing in the Christian worldview and the claims of Christ into collision with all that the world has to offer.

I want to argue that a failure in modern missions is we fail to recognize that God has given to us a road map. He's given to us a ground for our methodology. What we see are inspired apostles and the leadership in the early Christian Church in the ancient church.

Filled the Spirit of God and they go into the public square and they bring the truth of God into Collision with the world's ideas and philosophies. Now what takes place? I've talked about this this morning.

You can read throughout the book of Acts. There are many instances what takes place. You have the Apostles and conflict with the government itself. The government's telling them don't preach in this name.

Didn't we tell you to stop preaching this name and the Apostle Peter's gives us a methodology. He gives us divine truth. He says we must obey God Rather than men and they take a beating for Jesus and they leave the presence of the council.

Rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And then what they do obey the government take a break take a rest. No, they keep going out house to house proclaiming Christ in the public square.

They're getting in trouble. They're taking beatings in Acts chapter 9 when the Apostle Paul comes to Christ. It says he takes a beeline to Damascus. He goes to Damascus and he starts going to where the Jews are.

Arguing with them proving that Jesus is the Messiah. The Apostles argued with people. Argued for the truth of the gospel argued for the truth and of the claims of Jesus Christ. They went into the public square into the religious context and they argued for the Christian faith.

They believed that this was the truth. Jesus said it. I am the way the truth and the life. No man comes to the father but by me they believed that there was truth and you were either a part of that truth or you were in error or you were deluded and.

So the early Apostles would go into context where they actually brought the Christian faith in such a way that they believed that it was the truth and it could be defended and The result in Acts chapter 9 is actually rather interesting.

I think many times many modern professors.

Or.

People who teach evangelism would probably have some words for the Apostle Paul said maybe. Maybe change your methodology. Maybe invite people to barbecues on the weekend. Maybe maybe spend a couple of years developing a relationship with the person so that you can earn the right to preach the gospel to them.

That's one of the silliest things I've ever heard of my life. Jesus has already given us the authority to preach the gospel. I don't have to earn the right to preach the gospel to anybody. To anybody.

But oftentimes you would have people today say, you know, you really need to create relationships with people so that you know. They can trust you and like you. And I'm all for that. Listen, you should live your life in such a way that you live your life consistently.

So people understand that you are a truly consistent person that you love them that you're not abusive. I'm all for that. But what you see in Acts chapter 9 is actually rather interesting. You see the Apostle going to preach the gospel and argue for the truth of the Christian faith.

And what takes place? It says what that the Hellenistic Jews wanted to kill him many times. We would say maybe Paul should have just done something a little bit different there. He's got people that want him dead.

I mean how many of us and I said this this morning how many of us have ever had people take oaths not to eat Food until we're dead. I mean, was it a failure in missions? These people in the community they've decided not to eat food until you're dead.

You know, you're having to be lowered out of windows and baskets like you're on the run. You're in danger constantly. Like maybe you should change it up a little bit Apostle Paul.

No.

It says on Acts chapter 9 that as people wanted to kill Paul there was that segment that wanted to kill him. It said that what the church was built up it Experienced peace and it was multiplied. So you have those two tracks running together.

You have persecution. You have people wanting him dead. You have riots breaking out you have beatings taking place and you also have the church being built up experience in experiencing peace and Multiplying the world was transforming and I think it's important for us to recognize something.

We have 2 ,000 years of church history behind us huge transformation of the world. I mean just think about it today. We're in Asheville, North Carolina. We've got a mixed audience. We have people in this room.

Different backgrounds different genders different colors two genders, by the way different colors. We've got you know, we're from we have we have just this this very diverse past behind us and most of us I mean how many of you guys are physically descended?

You're Jewish by descent anybody raise your hand. Okay, so raise your hand. Don't be afraid. I don't even know why you're ashamed of that. It's a wonderful thing. Okay, raise your hand. We got one. Is that it?

Okay. Thank you. So we have a room full of basically descendants from pagans. Right Gentiles, you know Asheville, North Carolina in the 21st century. I'm from the desert in Phoenix, Arizona. I got a church same way.

It's filled with all kinds of different people mostly descendants from pagans all worshiping and loving the Lord God of Israel because of Jesus. The world has been transformed is being transformed. We've got to think about something now we've got all the benefits of two to two thousand years of church history behind us and The Christian worldview transforming the world in so many different ways that's all behind us, but Oftentimes people look at the culture around us and they're like, oh man, it's difficult.

The world is so far gone right now. There's all this Homosexuality and you've got all of this this this confusion with gender. You've got all this confusion in terms of truth. You got all the subjectivism all this idolatry all this is going on brothers and sisters.

That's what the world looked like in many ways when the church broke into Rome. You understand that? Yeah, homosexuality was a very big thing then you had pagan temples down the street from your home where you can go into where you Had men acting like women in these pagan rituals.

You had all this going on the first century. You have all this confusion going on in the first century. You've got all this idolatry and you had a state that said that it was God literally Caesar is Lord was a claim to deity ultimately.

Caligula.

Amplified the deity of Caesar and then of course Nero took it and ran with it. But that's what the church broke into and the church don't forget started with some very confused disciples. Small handful of them.

Where this. This small handful of disciples after their master and their Lord and their God and their king. Dies and rises from the dead. They're a little bit confused about what's going on. And before he ascends.

What's he saying?

He says all.

Authority in heaven and On earth has been past tense, by the way has been Given to me on that basis. He says go therefore and make disciples of all the nations Baptizing them and doing what teaching them to obey.

Now here is this. Here is this man who was recently murdered on a cross raised from the dead small handful of disciples in a pagan society Overrunning everything and he says now ready go in the world.

It belongs to me. Right, and that's what they did. So I want to argue the book of Acts should be a model for us when we talk about.

Apologetics on.

The street level in the 21st century. We should be looking at the book of Acts in terms of how did they do mission? How did they how did they proclaim the truth in the public square? They should be our model.

That should be our standard and I want to just argue as I did this morning. You have two tracks there. You see in the book of Acts one Persecution beatings riots all that's taking place and you see the church being built up experiencing peace and being multiplied.

Both of those ready to the glory of God. Both of those are successful missions when done faithfully. I want to argue if you take a beating for Jesus if you're hated by the world and the culture for Christian truth if You're persecuted thrown in jail for a faithful proclamation of the truth.

That is successful mission. It is purely successful mission because God will be glorified in the last day when the final resurrection Happens and and all of this is finally fully renewed and all that takes place.

God will be glorified in two ways in his justice and in his grace. Right people that are coming to Jesus Church being multiplied proclamation of God's truth. God's glorified in this grace. They didn't deserve to be saved.

None of us do if you know your heart, you know that and Then over here when you have people persecuting the truth on the basis of Christian truth being proclaimed and defended God will be glorified in his justice.

He can say to the watching world on that final day. He can say I sent my people with my truth and you hated them. You persecuted them. You're such an enemy of God that even when my truth is brought before you you hate me.

God is glorified in missions when his truth is proclaimed. Faithfully and I'm gonna argue here's the sidebar. I want you guys to make sure hanging on to God is not glorified. God is not glorified in the defense of the truth.

That is coming from a neutral position or a pretended neutrality. We're Christians and the only foundation of knowledge or wisdom in the first place is Jesus Christ. I'm gonna go to the text here. Follow me to Colossians chapter 2.

Colossians chapter 2. For some of you guys that were here earlier today. You'll recognize this but I want to make sure everyone has these in your toolbox. Colossians chapter 2. Just a quick background as you get there the Apostle Paul and the Apostle John have to engage with the early beginnings of Gnosticism in the first century you see them responding to Gnostic thought or directly to the Gnostics as the Apostle John does in his letter.

But the Apostle Paul here is is responding in part to some of those things and I want to point you to what's being said Here about Christ is the foundation of knowledge. He says in Colossians chapter 2 verse 1.

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and For all who have not seen me face to face that their hearts may be encouraged being knit together in love to reach all the riches Of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery mystery, which is Christ in.

Whom are.

Hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

That is a bold bold bold claim.

You got people running around in the first century claiming the secret knowledge. They've got secret knowledge. They've got the secret wisdom the secret understanding. You got to be with them to understand it.

You got to get their stuff and the Apostle Paul says Christ. It's in him who are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. You want knowledge? You want wisdom? You want understanding. It's hidden in Christ.

Avoid Christ. Don't stand on Christ. Don't have Christ as the reference point and There's no real wisdom and knowledge available. It's gonna be confused. He says this. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

For though I'm absent in body and I'm with you in spirit rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ therefore as you receive Christ Jesus Lord so walk in him rooted and built up in him and established in the faith just as you were taught abounding and thanksgiving and here it is see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty could deceit according to human tradition.

According to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ. So for the Apostle Paul, he doesn't want you to be robbed. He doesn't want you to be robbed by Philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ.

So there is a philosophy Which is according to Christ and there is one that is not according to Christ and the Apostle Paul says I don't want you to Be robbed if you want knowledge if you want wisdom if you want understanding if you want the truth.

It's in Christ and I don't want you to be robbed from all these treasures that are in Christ. By following a philosophy that is not according to Christ. So for the Apostle Paul It's a bold claim you realize that This discussion about knowledge and wisdom and understanding and reason and truth There's been going on for ages and ages and ages and you have the whole history of philosophy.

Is one philosopher saying they all got it wrong. I've got it, right today today in universities all over the world. You've got philosophy professors saying this is the way no, this is the way no, this is the way the whole history of philosophy is just confusing and filled with fools.

People who refuse to start their thinking with Christ as the reference point the question of knowledge. How do I know and I want to argue actually that's one of the Foundational things one of the pillars in the discussion of apologetic to the street level.

How do you know? How do you know and I'm gonna argue that apart from Christ knowledge isn't really possible. It can't be justified apart from Jesus Christ. It's all hidden in Christ. Now. I'm gonna just say something really important when you tell Christians today who are engaging in a world that's been so impacted by the Christian worldview and unbelievers have adopted and borrowed all of our capital.

That Christianity has given to them and you say no, but I really need to be able to reason well in this area. And I'm gonna argue. Yes, you need to study those evidences. You need to study these different things and facts and it's all a benefit mostly to Christians.

You do but when you say listen, you need to start with the foundation that knowledge isn't even possible outside of Jesus. A lot of times people go that's kind of you know, really I Mean really like it's it's not you can't justify knowledge apart from Jesus.

No, you can't not a coherent way and that's what the Bible says through and through. I'll give you another example of it. Go to Proverbs chapter 1. It's the book of wisdom. How to apply God's truth and Knowledge and in Proverbs Chapter 1 so we said by the way, if you've if you've read Proverbs, you should already know this it's chapter 1.

So if you like you, you know, you didn't finish at least you got chapter 1 and it's it's 7 verses in I think we can all handle that Proverbs chapter 1 it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

Fools despise wisdom and instruction another bold claim coming from Scripture. Don't we miss it sometimes? I mean, I'll confess this book is glorious. I have not even begun To tap this thing. It is so powerful and so amazing and we all miss things things.

You zip right past us all the time like a statement like that. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

That's huge. Knowledge.

Begins with reverent submission and awe to God. You want to truly know something? It begins with reverent submission and awe before God. That's a that's a bold bold claim. And that's what the Bible teaches.

I'm not ashamed of it. And When you defend the faith in the public square on the street level You shouldn't be ashamed of it either and you shouldn't be afraid to say it either. Because God is the central reference point.

This is his world. It's his universe. That's his image bearer that you're talking to who's at war with him. This is God's truth. It's God's indestructible truth and Knowledge isn't possible apart from God.

And so you shouldn't go into the public square or on the street level fearful of standing on the Word of God saying God says and that's how I know now that could be defended in very very strong rigorous Philosophical terms you can do it and at a very sophisticated level.

But essentially the Christian faith comes down to this is God. It's his authoritative word. That's how I know God says so. That's the beginning. Foundations is that God is the foundation. Christ is a central reference point now this conversation about doing this at a street level.

Starts with a big word. We talked below earlier today, but I'm gonna go into some more detail right now. Epistemology, how do you know what you know? Now this is a big deal because when the Mormon comes to your door, they're making truth claims.

They're saying I've had a personal revelation from God. I've prayed about this. I've had a burning in my bosom. I Testify to you that Joseph Smith Jr. Is a prophet of God and this is the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

They're making knowledge claims at your doorway when you go into the university and your professor is telling you all of these things about critical race theory or Telling you things about how the glories of Marxism or oh goodness, um, or or anything in terms of like the history of Anthropology the history of mankind and where we came from and ethics and all those different things.

They're making knowledge claims. Moms and dads you're doing it daily. So when I say something like epistemology Sometimes the modern Christian just checks out like I don't even care about that that highfalutin Philosophical stuff listen, this is about stuff like when you tell your child You are not to punch your brother in his face.

Right, you're saying that's wrong. It's immoral. You're making a knowledge claim. You're saying I know Ethically that it's immoral for you to haul off and punch your brother in the face for no reason.

Or when you say to somebody yeah, I think it's important that we love our neighbors rather than eat our neighbors. You're making knowledge claims, right? You're making knowledge claims when people talk all the time.

This goes everywhere. It goes from the home. It goes to the church. It goes to the university and it goes to government. What are people doing in government daily? When they legislate they're legislating moral issues.

They're making moral claims anytime a politician puts a bill in they're saying I believe that we ought to Do this that it's a moral responsibility for us in government or as human beings to do this Thing and not this thing.

What are they doing? They're legislating based upon Ethical appeals to knowledge. They're saying you ought to do this. We had it's fairly recently in our history when what took place Supreme Court is arguing about an ethical claim to knowledge.

Should a man and a man be able to quote-unquote Marry one another or should a woman and a woman be able to marry one another now. Of course, we know where that went. They made the ethical claim. Yes, we know that they ought to be able to get married.

So you got one claim over here by the United States Supreme Being I mean court.

And.

You've got another claim being made over here by the truly supreme being God. Who says a man shall leave his father and his mother cling to his wife and become one flesh? That's God's knowledge claim.

He says this is what I did. This is how I made things. This is the order of the world in my creation. And of course over here, you've got human beings a war with God and they're making different knowledge claims.

Here's the thing epistemology is the theory of knowledge. How do you know? So moms and dads. When you challenge your child when they sin against their sibling or sin against you and you say you are not to do that and The child comes back to you and says why not?

After the beating. Just kidding. Don't beat your kids. Spank him don't beat him. What are you saying to them? This is this is the fundamentals of life. What do you say to them when they say why should I do that or why are you telling me not to do that?

What are you saying as a Christian? Are you are you just saying on your own authority? Well just because I say so no all of us know as parents. What do we do as Christian parents? We say God says God says when you tell your child at home, you shall not steal.

You're borrowing. You're borrowing the knowledge claim. You're appealing to an authority that is ultimate. Right, you're not saying to your child. You should not steal simply because it's my own personal preference.

You're saying you shall not steal is an absolute and the child says, how do you know that and what do you say?

God says.

See the Christian worldview. People may not like it. You might not like the simplicity of this but this is how God brings his authority into the world. It's with a self attesting revelation.

He.

Says and by the way when God became a man and the Incarnation was here in this dirt and in this air in this world when God became a man you see that in Matthew 15. That's exactly how Jesus handled controversies in his day.

You had a controversy in Matthew 15 where Jesus was actually dealing with something kind of complicated. You had the people of God That had what they saw was a divine tradition that sort of like ran alongside the Bible.

They would say I've reverenced the Torah. I reverence the Tanakh. The Old Testament is the Word of God when the call of the Old Testament, but this is the Word of God. These are the words of God, but they had what they considered to be a divine tradition that sort of rose up alongside the Bible.

So you had the Word of God authoritative and a divine Tradition running alongside of it. How did Jesus handle that controversy? We got two different voices. Two different knowledge claims how Jesus handled it.

What did he point people to he said to them? He said he said this he said you say and then he quotes the Korban rule and.

He says.

Moses says.

So he takes two voices to knowledge claims. He puts them alongside one another and he says this thus you invalidate the Word of God for the sake of your tradition. You make it void. So what did he do?

He said this is the authoritative Word of God. This is the reference point your tradition contradicts this therefore your tradition is invalidating the Word of God. This is supreme. God says and you say and that's how I know Epistemology the theory of knowledge.

How do you know what you know? This is what's gonna happen when you get into an engagement with a Mormon with the Jehovah's Witness with the Rosicrucian with the Christian scientists. With the atheists with the secularists with the humanist with the Marxist, whatever the case may be.

It's all about Knowing how do you know on what basis? Do you know and the Christian claim always has been God says and that's how I know. This is his truth. That's how we should bring the Word of God into the world and you have different kinds of epistemological systems.

I can't go through them all now. There are Varieties within each one, but there are some main ones. These are the ones you're typically typically you're gonna run into the most some of them are hitched up together.

Some people are just confused and they're sort of a combination of all of them. But when you hear it, you'll kind of recognize this is where this person is that you have Rationalism and this is as old as the hills.

Rationalism is the idea that it has to be rational. It has to be consistent. It has to be logical. I know things on the basis of logic and reason now, by the way I want to just say this if you're a Christian you get that too if you have the Word of God in the Christian worldview you get all the benefits of Rationalism that the rationalist wants to have but actually is not allowed to have considering a system.

But you got a rationalist the person that says say they're a humanist. They're an atheist. They believe that their ancestors were fish. They believe in the evolution myth and fairy tale. They believe that we got here through random mutations that speciation happened and one species just sort of like leapt into another one.

We're all African apes and this is a cosmically in different universe and we're just stardust and they say the way to get at knowledge. The way to get at truth is through reason. Okay. You also have people who hold to essentially the same kind of position today.

There are people like Richard Dawkins people like Sam Harris and the late Christopher Hitchens. And they'll oftentimes made the claim. No, the only way to know something is that you got to test it. You got to be a scientist.

You got to have a scientific mind. You got to actually observe something. You got to test it use a scientific method. You have to observe it empiricism. I need to see it in front of me. I has to be testable.