John 15:18
"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you."
Throughout the centuries, the Gospel has encountered opposition in the world, and as I see it, this is as it should be. They hated Jesus because they hated his gospel.
Think about this, for centuries, they've been in control of grace, and its distribution. Oh sure, they give lip service to God while they do it, but everyone knows they believe in their prideful hearts that it's their work that gives glory. But even worse than this religious reality, the gospel has in many ways become a kind of fad for too many people. When they say "gospel" they don't really mean what the gospel means. Some celebrate a social gospel. Some celebrate a legalistic gospel of moralism. They weren't looking for the gospel, they wanted a better approach for understanding the law. And this desire to refine the Ten Commandments evolved into creating a new commandment. The eleventh commandment, "Thou Shalt Be Nice".
From the very beginning of church history, the Christian faith has been attacked, opposed, and when that didn't work, people made caricatures of Christians. And in response the people of Christ became two things, evangelists and apologists.
What is apologetics? Apologetics is as old as the attack on the Christian faith. It's giving an answer. It's a vigorous defense of the faith. It's not simply quoting scripture, though it does defend what's taught in those scriptures.
Apologetics is derived from the Greek word apologia which means "speech in defense". But what are we defending?
The Right Gospel
The gospel isn't just a word from God to get you saved. It's a word from God to help keep you alive and well in that work of salvation. It's a word from God to keep you on the right path. And it's a guarantee from God that if we believe the right gospel he guarantees the Holy Spirit will seal that promise. Your salvation in Jesus Christ will be sealed forever.
Romans 1:16
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone believing--both to Jewish first, and to Greek."
Ephesians 1:11-14
"In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory."
This is our argument of authority. Our apologetics is speaking in defense of this gospel inheritance. The apostle Paul talks about this authority and this defense of the right gospel.
Philippians 1:7
"It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel."
This right gospel is real and historical. It's a real thing, not just some life changing experience that you have and revive when you need another lift. The apostle Paul speaks of his right, under Roman law and his Roman citizenship, to meet his accusers face to face and to make his "defense" against their charges. His "right" wasn't simply based upon his citizenship in Roman but also in his citizenship in Heaven.
Likewise, the apostle Peter encouraged his fellow Christians in Asia Minor about suffering for Christ's sake, and for his gospel.
1 Peter 3:15
"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,"
We people who are redeemed in Christ, who heard the gospel and believed, ought to declare that faith in good faith when asked. With authority and in truth we give an answer. Verifiable truth not embellished storytelling. We argue from evidence, authority, history, logic, the scriptural wisdom, and not personal philosophy.
Why Mike?
Because we'll eventually embellish that experience until it becomes things it never was or could be. And then the gospel ends up taking a backseat to that experience. Our faith then becomes vanity. We end up gutting the gospel and dumbing it down to our level by making it subservient to our experience. And so, if we want to get the gospel right, and give the right answer when asked, we need to know our faith and know our God outside the confines of our personal experience. We must be able to give an answer that is from the gospel, the whole gospel.
What is the right gospel?
Your gospel must be founded on the basis of Jesus' expiatory death. And on the basis of his burial, resurrection, and ascension.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."
This is the "right gospel". Because if it isn't, then we are all still dead in our sins. If your experience brings you to a faith that isn't founded on these core beliefs and especially in Christ's resurrection, then your faith is in YOU, and you are then the unverifiable authority. The "right" gospel matters when we are giving an answer for our hope. Especially when we stand before Jesus. We won't be giving him our personal story as a testimony of our faith. Our experience, our emotions, our own works of righteousness won't be our testimony.
Only the unadulterated truth stands before Jesus. When we prepare ourselves for giving a reply out there in the world when asked, we are preparing our hearts and minds for sanctifying the gospel in our souls. Because God prioritizes the heart, we too should guard our hearts by preparing our hearts to give a reply.
Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
And for this reason, the starting point of any reply, any apologetics, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That right gospel MUST be built upon solid ground in your mind. Your faith cannot be built upon a hope that is superficial. The demons will see right through it. Every distortion of the gospel and every opposition to that Gospel must be unmasked and refuted because information is not enough.
Apologetics is no mere theoretical endeavor born out of historical evidence alone. It is historically evidentiary, but it MUST be built upon the evidence of the scriptures which REMINDS us about the gospel truth.
2 Corinthians 10:7
"Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ's, so also are we."
Christian apologetics is not merely a college course you take and gain a passing grade for; it's your life and breath; it's everything that God has done and promised. Apologetics starts from the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is practiced in the faith of Jesus Christ. Apologetics reminds us about what Christ has done and promised. Evangelism and apologetics are inseparable. Both have the same purpose but carry out their tasks differently.
Christian apologetics confronts objections by explaining how faith is not irrational or foolish to a worldly fool in a way that a worldly fool can understand. Evangelism on the other hand proclaims the work of the Holy Spirit bringing people to faith by reminding them about Christs work and the scriptural teachings about his work. Together you have a powerful message that says Jesus Christ is our hope. I would argue that there should be an apologetic element in any preaching, but not necessarily the other way around.
Think about how Jesus handled these situations. When he faced questions from his disciples, he taught them in ways they could understand and often directly with an unmasked truth. Usually, his teachings would involve an examination of scripture juxtaposed with their cultural philosophies. However, among the carnal or religious hypocrites, he often taught with parables illustrating moral principles through fictitious accounts. He'd compare one entity with another to expose the one for whatever failings they were committing. He basically deconstructs their actions making it possible to see the truth behind their motives. There is a difference in approach based upon the audience. He's not going to get into a protracted circular argument over what the scriptures say with these religious lawyers. He instead exposes their hearts and their hidden motives by putting their logic to the test in fictional situations and characters.
So, the people of faith need to know the right gospel and know their audience.
Why?
The apostle Peter warns the church against the devil who goes around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Confrontations occur because of spiritual disobedience. Yes, it can be said that unbelief and confrontation are a byproduct of Satan's deceptions.
Echoing from the Garden of Eden we hear even now...
“Does God exist?”
“Did Jesus actually rise from the dead?”
“If God is all-powerful and all-good, why is there evil and suffering in the world?”
Here's what giving a reply from the perspective of faith and evangelism does with that:
Q: “Does God exist?”
A: "Yes, and he loves you and is ready to forgive and restore you to himself."
Q: “Did Jesus actually rise from the dead?”
A: "Yes, and he loves you and is ready to forgive and restore you to himself."
Q: “If God is all-powerful and all-good, why is there evil and suffering?”
A: "Yes, and he loves you and is ready to forgive and restore you to himself."
But how does apologetics deal with this?
Q: Does God exist?
Apologetics breaks down the observable objections through the history of mankind. It asks what is wrong with the world. It examines the roots of atheism, and all its alliterations throughout history. Like Jesus, the approach is to examine and understand the motives of those who are objecting. And find out how that motive directs their decisions.
If you're a person of faith that is grounded in the right gospel, you know that the militant atheist’s dismissal of God and religion is baseless and misinformed. Therefore, it is the ground on which their dismissal is founded that must be examined, not their claims about our right gospel. We don't give reply to their distorted claims; we examine their motives by following their logic to its own conclusion in every situation. The error in their logic will find itself out. Their reasoning that employs knowledge to deconstruct and distort our gospel always forgets to employ moral knowledge. And in particular we learn from moral knowledge that all knowledge would not be possible unless God exists. So, if there is wrongdoing in the world then the right thing to do is to rebuke the wrongdoing by exposing its motives.
Conclusion:
Before considering arguments for God’s existence, we need to get our gospel right. Our human hearts are restless without God; therefore, we know that ALL the objections to the gospel come from this broken heart human condition. There is indeed a hole in our hearts that can only be filled by God. Therefore, both the evangelist and the apologist are dealing with the same issue, a broken heart that is affecting the minds of people who don't know God and his love. And because God loves those whom he loves he sends both the evangelist and the apologists to rebuke them and lead them into righteous obedience to his gospel.
Revelation 3:19-20
"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."
Apologetics and evangelism are about God's love for the person with whom we are sharing the right gospel. We love on them because God loved on us. We respond to his love, not to the conditions they've set on God's love.
1 John 4:19
"We love because he first loved us."
His love for us activates our love for one another. And his love disciplines.
1 Corinthians 11:31-32
"But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world."
Proverbs 3:11-12
"My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights."
All this correction and reproof is discipline meant to restore the believer into the right understanding of his gospel which saves our souls. It's important because pride destroys our faith and spirit as we get to thinking that we make ourselves right with God. It's going to happen. You're going to pridefully start thinking that you're the means for your own grace.
"I decided for Jesus!"
"I kept the MASS and met all that was required of ME!"
"I answered God's call!"
"I spoke the words to the saints who heard ME!"
"I accepted Christ, and he agreed with ME!"
"I sang to God in worship and he sent his Spirit to be among us"
That's a lot of "I's"
It's the reverse of what the right gospel teaches.
Jesus knocks on the door!
Jesus died on the cross!
Jesus rose from the grave!
Jesus desired that all should be saved!
Jesus taught the disciples!
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit!
Jesus will come to take his children home!
Jesus is going to bring the new earth and new Jerusalem to us!
When two or three gather together in his name it's JESUS that shows up to be among them!
JESUS DOES THAT!
We do nakedness. We do depravity. We do unbelief. We do lukewarm self-deception.
This is why we must CONSTANTLY be instructed and reinforced in the right gospel. Because we're going to get it wrong.
We are clashing with world views and unfortunately we are hypocrites who are mingling those views into our gospel. Our gospel is being taught to see what the world sees. It's like a map that is orienting our thoughts to head in a direction it wants us to go. And where it wants us to go is far away from where Jesus Christ came to bring us.
The gospel isn't just our personal faith, it's our world view, and it should be helping us to determine our views about God, our purpose in God, about truth and what we believe about God, and it should be informing us about our ethics as we operate in the world that God has put us. In order for us to understand those things we must understand the gospel.
The gospel should be answering these questions for you:
Who am I?
Why am I here?
What is wrong with the world?
And how can the world be made right?
If your gospel testimony is answering those things with an affirmation that Jesus is doing it, then you're close to the right gospel.