I am truly a big fan of apologetics. Even when I have forgotten specific answers to skeptical questions about the Bible, I have enjoyed great comfort knowing that there are answers and reacquainting myself with good resources knowing where to find them. I can honestly say that God has used the Christian discipline of apologetics in my life as a means of strengthening my faith and helping others when doubts attack. It may therefore be somewhat surprising to you that even though I teach and encourage others to know how to defend the faith, my confidence in both evangelism and perseverance in the faith is not centered in the discipline of apologetics.
As I have read the Scriptures, I have constantly found that apologetic arguments are a dear servant of the Christian faith and may even be seen as one of God’s means to bring people to the gospel or to calm the spirit of a conflicted Christian. I predominantly understand apologetics to be in such a subservient role for the following reasons: 1. The depravity of man in sin and 2. The sovereignty of God in the power of the gospel.
1. The depravity of man in sin.
Whether in evangelism or discipleship, if we find our confidence in apologetic arguments, we are putting our confidence either in our own ability to convince somebody or their ability to accept a correct argument. Either way, our confidence is in fallible human ability. Particularly when the recipient is a non-believer, Scripture finds no confidence even in the most potent human argument. Writing to the church in Corinth, Paul says that, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). This is a serious statement about the ability of human reasoning. Those not in Christ are under the blinding of Satan, and there is no silver bullet argument that can help them see light.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul said, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14). These verses and many more tell us explicitly that humans need something greater than an argument.
Paul also makes it clear that this blindness to the gospel comes in different ways. Not only are we all impacted by spiritual blindness under Satan and our own natural incapability to discern spiritual truth, we are also impacted by the external influences of our own social backgrounds. In 1 Corinthians 1:22-23 Paul recognizes that “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.” Gentiles and Jews seem to have different social barriers to the gospel. When we add up all of the barriers to Christ that the unregenerate human has, it seems that no amount of good argumentation could possibly bring them to the truth. Is this true? I say, “yes.” So why bother then with anything? Why bother attempting to defend the gospel and give people answers?
Even though it seems clear that no argument will bring people to a knowledge of the truth, I would also be very quick to add that arguments leading to the gospel are totally effective on the basis of God’s sovereign electing love.
2. The Sovereignty of God in the power of the gospel.
Paul often divided the world up into two groups – Jews and Gentiles. So, when Paul says that Jews have a stumbling block in Christ and Gentiles see utter foolishness, he is saying that the entire world is opposed to Jesus as Lord and Savior even if in different manifestations. Paul’s next statement in 1 Corinthians 1 is where we find our absolute confidence in preaching Christ to the world. 1 Corinthians 1:24 – “But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Notice where Paul places his confidence. It is in the electing call of God in and through Christ. Paul’s confidence is in the fact that preaching Christ (the gospel) is not a fruitless exercise no matter who is in front of him, whether Jew or Gentile. He may use different arguments to defend the faith in front of different people, but his whole hope is in God’s call upon the life of the person in front of him through the gospel. That’s also why in the very first chapter of Romans just before talking about the complete depravity of humanity, Paul says that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation first for the Jew and then the Gentile. (Romans 1:16).
The Scriptures constantly show us that the objective truth of the gospel must be defended and explained right alongside our confidence in the fact that salvation is a work of God’s power alone. We are obedient in preaching and defending the objective truth that will only penetrate the heart of another human through the subjective power of the Holy Spirit.
To some this may sound like I am saying that apologetics is a meaningless exercise. Far from it. It is simply a powerless exercise in and of itself. Paul explained to the church in Philippi why he had such a strong love for them. 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.” It seems to me that Paul commends this church because they have supported him and indeed join with him both in defending the faith and looking after him through the consequences that come with it. It seems that they partner as gospel apologists. It seems that Paul and the church at Philippi argue fervently for the gospel of Christ as a means that God uses in power to illuminate and regenerate those he calls into faith.
This says to me that we should all do our best to learn how to defend the gospel in whatever way we can as we seek to point people to Jesus as we rely on God alone to save and keep those he calls. So, our church will learn apologetics on an ongoing basis, and in doing so we will keep our confidence in the gospel of Jesus and our sovereign God who alone is able to make a human blinded by sin to see. Apologetics is pointless, except when it’s serving the gospel in the infinite power of an electing sovereign God…. in that case it connects itself to an irresistible grace. So, defend the faith, preach Christ, and trust God.