Apologetics
The New Bad Word (and why we need it)
Jesus of Nazareth was born during the reign of Caesar Augustus, a time when Pax Romana was imposed at the tip of a Roman sword. Palestine was a colony of Rome, and Rome expected the leaders of this out-of-the-way colony to rule with an iron fist. The man the Roman Senate confirmed as “King of the Jews,” Herod, had no trouble keeping order in Palestine. Thirty-plus years into his reign Herod was troubled by news delivered by Magi from the East. They had followed a star announcing the birth of the King of the Jews and wanted to worship Him. Herod, as the Rome-appointed King, did not want even a hint of a rival, so he took drastic action to eliminate any threat to his throne, commanding the slaughter all male infants in Bethlehem under age two. His efforts failed, as Jesus’ parents, Joseph and Mary, were warned in a dream to flee.
The young boy Jesus and his parents settled in the Galilean village of Nazareth. There He “…continued to grow and to become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him” (Luke 2:40), starting his itinerant ministry around age 30. He healed the sick, cast out demons, and proclaimed Himself as the Messiah (Greek Christos “anointed one”) who would die for the sins of the world and rise from the dead as proof that He was the Son of God.
According to writings from His disciples, Jesus said “I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18). He later commissioned His followers to “go into all the world and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). Following His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven, the church began on the Day of Pentecost. Jesus’ disciples, who had become “apostles” of this new Faith, began proclaiming the gospel (“good news”) of Jesus offering forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all who put their trust in Him.
The followers of Jesus immediately met opposition to their preaching, but persecution did not dissuade them from spreading the good news. They took the message of Jesus to the ends of the earth, and within a short time the label “Christians” was affixed to His followers in Antioch, Syria (Acts 11:26). The term “Christians” (Greek Christianos), meaning “adhering to” or “belonging to Christ,” was originally used derisively by unbelievers because followers of Jesus honored Him rather than the Roman Emperor. However, within New Testament times, “Christian” became an acceptable self-description for Christ-followers (see 1 Peter 4:16).1
Spiritual Claims Backed up by Evidence
Jesus’ claim that He was the Christ, the Son of God, was often met with skepticism and even mockery. His teachings about spiritual truth were also questioned and often criticized. Jesus responded to the doubters by pointing to His miracles as evidence confirming His claims and teachings: “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father” (John 10:37-38).
Anyone can make spiritual claims, such as “Your sins are forgiven” or “I am sent from God.” But skeptics of Jesus’ claims had a problem. Lepers were cleansed. The blind received sight. The lame could walk. The dead were raised. Jesus’ enemies did not have the luxury of questioning whether He truly had performed miracles because those who had received His healing touch were walking among them. It could not be denied that Jesus healed the eyes of a man blind from birth (John 9:1-34), so His detractors were left with questioning how He was able to perform miracles, suggesting that He used demonic power to cast out demons (see Mark 3:22-23).
Jesus’ immediate followers, taking a lesson from their Master, pointed to the miracles Jesus performed and His fulfillment of Bible prophecy as evidence that He was the promised Messiah. Today, two thousand years after the time of Jesus, His followers continue to tell the good news of God’s love and the promise to be set free from sin by trusting in Jesus as Savior. As in the time of Jesus, presently, many people have questions about why Jesus is the answer. Others have doubts about Him being the Son of God and reject Jesus as the Christ. Christians point these questioners to Jesus’ claims, His miracles, and the reliability of the Gospel accounts as evidence that His claims are true. This approach, supporting spiritual claims with evidence and reason, is how Jesus convinced the multitudes, and is how the New Testament calls upon Christians to convince the world. Proclaiming the good news of Jesus is called “evangelism.” More particularly, when the claims of Christ are supported with evidence and reason, this approach defines a species of evangelism called “apologetics.”
The Term “Apologetics”
A number of years ago I heard a televangelist condescendingly say that Christian apologists “Go around apologizing.” No, Christian apologists give evidence and reasons to show that Christianity is true. Christian Apologetics is a type of evangelism that endeavors to remove obstacles to faith in Jesus. Apologetics has nothing to do with saying “I’m sorry.”
The term apologetics is a transliteration of the Greek word apologia, a term taken from the law courts in ancient Athens that means “make a defense.” A person charged with a crime, or a civil wrong was not guilty or financially liable merely because of an accusation. Even in ancient times civilized countries had some form of due process where the accused had a chance to respond to charges and refute them. This is the essence of the forensic term “apologia.” Presenting arguments to counter the charges against the accused (the apologia) allowed the judge to weigh the evidence before deciding the issue of guilt or innocence (in criminal cases), or liability for damages (in civil cases).
Apologetics in a Christian Context
In the general sense, then, apologetics means “make a defense” and the person making the defense is the apologist. The term apologist is not restricted to Christian apologists since any number of ideas can be defended. For example, regarding economic systems, one might call a person “an apologist for capitalism.” But, in the restrictive sense, Christian Apologetics is the art and science of defending the truth of Christianity through providing evidence and reasons that show Christianity is true. The goal of Christian Apologetics is to bring people to the place where they ask the Philippian jailer’s question, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30) Before some people are ready to ask Jesus into their hearts and follow Him, they must first have their minds satisfied. Apologetics answers questions and clears away the intellectual roadblocks that keep people from coming to the cross of Christ. Salvation through Christ is the goal of Christian Apologetics.
The Biblical Mandate to Defend the Christian Faith—1 Peter 3:15
The importance of Christian Apologetics can be seen in many passages of Scripture where evidence is presented to persuade hearers that the testimony is true. Not only are there examples of Jesus and Paul using apologetics, but there are also commands for all believers to be ready to “make a defense” of our hope in Jesus. 1 Peter 3:15 says:
“…sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and fear….”
When the Apostle Peter wrote this verse he was writing in the Greek language. The English words “make a defense” is the translation of the Greek word apologia. Peter is admonishing followers of Jesus to “always” be “ready” to make a defense. Clearly from this verse Christian Apologetics is not restricted to Bible scholars or theologians. Rather, anyone who has hope in the promises of Jesus is called to be ready to “give an account” (i.e., “explain”) as to why we have that hope. The “account” can be in many forms, including one’s personal testimony, evidence from history, evidence for the reliability of the Bible’s claims, and evidence from Bible prophecy regarding the divine inspiration of Scripture.
Jude 3
The Epistle of Jude is the next-to-last book of the Bible, and one of the shortest books, containing a mere 25 verses.1 Jude is believed to be a son of Joseph and Mary, brother of James and half-brother of Jesus (see Matthew 13:55). In his short letter, after a greeting Jude explains that his intent was to “write about our common salvation” (verse 3). However, he immediately digresses to something of great importance, exhorting the readers to “contend earnestly for the faith…” Here Jude uses “faith” as a noun, referring to the body of truth that Christians believe in, i.e., the “Christian Faith.” The words “contend earnestly” are a translation of the Greek verb epagonizomai. The root of this verb, agon, refers to a “struggle for victory,” and is the root behind the English word agony. The use of the preposition ep (shortened version of epi) intensifies the verb, leading many translators to add the word “earnestly” to convey the intensive force of the preposition.2 For Jude to switch gears so early in his letter, especially when he is setting aside his intended discussion about something so lofty as our “common salvation,” means readers should carefully take note.
What was it that prompted Jude to exhort readers to “struggle for victory?” There were people who had crept into the church with false teachings and immoral practices, even to the extent of denying Jesus (verse 4). When anyone denies Jesus, they are denying the gospel that Jesus died for the sins of the world and rose from the dead as evidence that His death offers salvation to all who believe. Jude’s exhortation to “contend earnestly for the faith” was a call to battle to defend “the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (verse 3). Contending and defending are actions that together summarize the work of Christian Apologetics.
St. Paul’s Appointment as an Apologist
The Apostle Paul was instrumental in writing 13 letters (“epistles”3) that are incorporated into the canon of Scripture. His zeal to proclaim the gospel permeates his writings (cf, 1 Corinthians 1:17, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel….”). Inherent in Paul’s preaching was his use of evidence and reason to persuade hearers to believe his message of Christ crucified as God’s means of salvation. By his own words Paul was “appointed for the defense of the gospel” (Philippians 1:16). Paul’s appointment as an apologist and his methods of defending the Faith are covered in detail in chapter three of this book.
Apologetics—a Good Word, and Why We Need it
From Peter, Jude, and Paul we see apologetics mandated—not to a chosen few, but for all Christians who are to “be ready to make a defense,” “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” and recognize that all followers of Jesus are “appointed for the defense of the gospel.” “Apologetics” is not a bad word. Unfortunately, its meaning and purpose are misunderstood by some to be merely an intellectual exercise reserved for scholars, or worse, human arguments designed to replace the work of the Spirit in convicting people of their need for salvation through Jesus. Christians are called to proclaim Christ crucified as the hope of humanity, and inherent in the command to proclaim the gospel to the world is the need to defend the gospel against challenges, unbelief, and distortions of the truth.
“Apologetics” is a good word, because Christian Apologetics has for two millennia cleared away roadblocks that keep people from coming to the cross of Christ to be saved from their sins. There are many obstacles that keep people from faith in Christ, including misconceptions about Christianity, intellectual questions, pride, false teachings from cults and non-Christian religions, and choosing a sinful life. Apologetics can remove the intellectual obstacles, clear up misconceptions, and expose false teachings so that the unbeliever has no excuse for unbelief. To be effective, the Christian needs to become familiar with the evidence that confirms the truth of the gospel message and become conversant with ways to answer the questions and challenges to Christianity.
Apologetics is for Everyone
This book presents sound and simple ways to make a case for Christianity, broken down into three sub-cases: The case for God, the case for the Bible and the case for Jesus. In a courtroom, the judge weighs the evidence before rendering a verdict. Those who hear the gospel are the judges who consider the evidence and reasons to trust Christ. With study and practice all believers can become skilled at sharing their faith and respond appropriately to questions, challenges, and misconceptions. Whether one is a new Christian or a lifelong follower of Jesus, if hearts and minds are prepared to reach out to non-Christians, there can be a harvest of souls. When Peter challenged believers to “be ready to make a defense for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15) he was talking to all Christians. This should resolve the question of who should engage in defending the faith, because it is evident from the words of Jesus, Paul, Peter, Jude and others that apologetics is for everyone.
1Wuest, (1973) p.19. Despite the original negative connotation, “Christian” eventually gained positive recognition by Herod Agrippa, who told the Apostle Paul, “In a short time you are going to persuade me to make a Christian of myself” (Acts26:28). Later Peter wrote, “but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed….” (1 Peter 4:16). By the turn of the 1st Century the term “Christian” became the common term for both believers and unbelievers to refer to followers of Jesus.
2The verse and chapter divisions in our modern Bibles are not found in the oldest copies. Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury provided the chapter divisions used today, creating them around the year 1225; modern verse divisions were created by the Parisian printer Robert Etienne (known as “Stephanus”) in the 1551 edition of his printed Greek New Testament.
3“Epistles” are a type of letter that Paul utilized and expanded to communicate with churches and individuals regarding the function of the church and the application of the teachings of Jesus.
