Why Apologetics?
I want to begin by first saying thank you for your interest in this season's posts and allowing us the opportunity to feed your spiritual hunger in this area of our Christian faith.
In the previous post, we discussed the definition of apologetics and explained what it is about. Today, we’re going to explore the question “Why do we, as Christians, need to know and be able to use apologetics?”
The first answer is simple. It is because Scripture tells us so. Being Christians, we know that the Bible is the Word of God. We all agree that the Bible is our written source of information which contains history, truths, evidence, and examples necessary for the understanding of our Christian faith.
In a letter to Timothy, Paul reminds him of the power and necessity of Scripture, especially for his ministry of evangelism. Paul tells Timothy that, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2Timothy 3:16-17 HCSB).” Every work you do for the Kingdom, led by the Holy Spirit, is good work!
I wish to encourage you to memorize it. I would like to impress upon you the importance of opening your Bible and reading these verses prior to going out and evangelizing, at least until you get it etched into your heart and spirit.
Secondly, in 1 Peter 3:14-16, Peter tells us, “…but honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” Here Peter tells us that we bring honor to our Lord and Savior by defending our faith. By doing so, we are demonstrating great faith by standing on the firm foundation only His Holy Spirit can build.
Additionally, Jesus warns us that there will be false prophets (whom also can cause false teachings that will lead people astray) in Matthew 7:15-16. This is also why we need apologetics.
In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul warns us (paraphrasing) of a time when people will dismiss the truth and turn to lies and false teachings that appeal to their fleshly nature. We know these today as “feel good” or “sugary” messages, spoken from behind the pulpits and lectern. Once again paraphrasing, Paul says they will multiple because of the addictive nature of the “sugar” to the taste. This is why we need apologetics. There are those who are lost due to being mislead. If we who know the truth say nothing, then how will the truth ever be heard?
Finally, in 2 Peter 2, Peter warns us that, “Many will follow their unrestrained ways, and the way of truth will be blasphemed because of them. They will exploit you in greed with deceptive words.” Studying out these verses, we can conclude that because of these people, many will be led astray and deprived of the truth. This is also why we apologetics. Keep in mind that we must exercise patience and grace when speaking to those who have been deceived, for at one time, we too were like them in certain areas of our understanding.
Why Apologetics? We should never want to leave someone in a state of ignorance because it allows the possibility of them to spread it to another.
As I am writing, it reminds me of a conversation Crystal and I had when we were on the subject of false teachers. She said, “You have to be careful of who you let sow into your soul.” This is very true!
To try and limit the length of this post, we will temporarily stop here. Because I do not feel completely released to move on to the next subject of “how to”, I will pick up where we left off, on the next post.
May God bless you richly in all areas of your lives, anoint you with a holy boldness to share the Gospel, and gift you with a teachable heart. Thank you for your attention, support, and God bless you all. – Kevin
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