Biblical Christian Apologetics

Apologetics is used to combat unbelief by creating fertile ground for the Holy Spirit to witness to new believers.  As a handmaiden to evangelism (MT 28:19), apologetics can strengthen the commitment of Christians, making them bold evangelists for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
WHY APOLOGETICS?  “Because reason demands it and because God commands it”1 PTR 3:15; In Jude 3, the Bible/God commands us to “contend for the faith.”  “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ”  2 COR 10:5 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me.” HOSEA 4:6; Titus 1:9 makes knowledge of Christian evidences a requirement for Church leadership so that one can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.  God calls upon His people to use reason (IS 1:18) to discern truth from error (1 John 4:6) and right from wrong (Heb 5:14).  Christians should be able to give a reason for their hope (1 PTR 3:15) because, as Norman Geisler says, “an unexamined faith is not worth believing.”  Those who rely on an emotional personal experience can, and regularly do, lose their faith; assuming it was present in the first place. A Christian well-grounded in apologetics could hardly lose their faith, since to do so would be a denial of what they know to be true.  An apologist who fell away would know they are acting contrary to their own eternal best interests and would have to be delusional.   People who rely on a burning in the bosom are practicing the kind of easy believism that can lead them to a Mormon Temple or a Buddhist Shrine.  Paul E. Little was an exceptional early Christian apologist who traveled to college campuses throughout America to meet with student groups and defend, and commend, the Christian Faith.  His books, */Know Why You Believe and Giving Away Your Faith are classics of Christian apologetics and wonderful primers.

Jesus Christ Himself was an awesome Christian apologist.  Erwin Lutzer, in the intro to Norman Geisler’s The Apologetics of Jesus, (a true gem of apologetics literature) writes “What a brilliant idea!  That Jesus should become our model for defending the faith!  Since He spent His entire career giving a defense of who He was and why He came, we can quite naturally learn from how He Himself did it.”  In the most important verse in the New Testament, Jesus expands on the Shema (Deut 6:4-9), commanding us that we should love God with all our minds.  (MT 22:37)  In Romans 12:2, Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God.”  The Apostle Paul was engaged in apologetics every week of his Christian life.  He would regularly “reason”(apologetsemei) in the synagogues every Sabbath (Acts 18:4) in order to give people a reason for accepting the Christian Faith.  Luke was a close associate and companion of the Apostle Paul.  Luke meticulously documents many of Paul’s apologetic activities throughout The Acts of the Apostles.  (Other powerful Bible verses in apologetics are Luke 1:1-4; ACTS 17 all; 18:4-11; 18:27-28; 2 PTR 1:1-16;  Phil 1:16; COL 4:5-6; PS 19:1-4; Romans 1:18-20; 1 COR 15:3-8;

John 5:36; 14:11; 10:37-38; 1 John 1:1-3; 1 John 4:1-5; 1 Th.5:21; COL 2:8; Jude:3-4;  22; Luke 7:19-22; Acts 19:8-11;

2 TIM 2:24-26.)

When the Texas legislature introduces Apologetics into our Texas Public Schools, young people will know the truth of the Christian Faith, and may, if they wish, become Disciples of Christ through the witness of the Holy Spirit.  They can go out and educate their parents, teachers, and even their pastors, on the truth of the Bible and Christianity; and use the activation of the Holy Spirit to bring them to Jesus. If David Wilkerson can use former drug addicts in New York City to spread the Gospel to people in their communities, then we can use enthusiastic, committed young people in to do the same.  If successful, they can use the truth of God’s powerful Gospel message to vanquish the evil of secular humanism.  This Godless worldview/religion has dominated our Texas Public Schools for over 50 years.  Stemming from a Marxist agenda, its insidious influence can be witnessed at all institutional levels within our society.