Defending the Christian faith is what apologetics is all about. And as Christians we are to use sound arguments to help strengthen the faith of believers as well as help non-believers have their blind eyes open to the truths of the Bible and the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. And being a Christian means we all should be apologists since we are commanded by Scripture to defend the reasons we believe in our faith. (1 Peter 3:15) makes this clear for we read: “but 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.”
If you have been following my website for any length of time you are probably aware that many of my posts try to show why I am so passionate to present sound arguments for the veracity of the Bible from a variety of sources. For example, I use arguments from history, science, prophecy, nature, archaeology, and a host of other disciplines to show why we can have solid reasons to trust our Bible.
I am also a strong advocate that, in addition to sharing arguments for the veracity of Scripture, it is just as important that we pray the Lord will open the hearts of the individuals we are sharing with. And while apologetics and prayer are a powerful combination, there is one more element, that is often overlooked by apologists, that quite frankly just might be the most important apologetic we can share. I think Pastor David Jeremiah is right when he shared the following insight: “The most powerful apologetic is the faithful lives of God’s people, demonstrating love, faith, and hope in the midst of a hostile world.”1
My friends, arguments for the Christian faith are great, and prayer is essential, but if our lives don’t line up with what we believe, then we defeat the very faith that we preach. When we, not only talk the talk, but when we walk the walk, we make Christianity attractive to nonbelievers. For when they see our transformed lives and our love in action, not only do we make our arguments for our faith intellectually compelling, but we also appeal to the hearts of those we are sharing with.
So, as Christians, we need to arm ourselves with powerful apologetic arguments for the reliability and truthfulness of the Scriptures, pray that the Holy Spirit would open the hearts of skeptics and nonbelievers, and demonstrate our faith in action by living a life of genuine love. This triple combination is the most powerful apologetic that we can share with a world that is desperately confused, hostile to our faith, and downright lost. So, let’s get busy not only sharing our faith but living it out in true Christian love!
1 David Jeremiah – The most powerful apologetic is the faithful… (bibleportal.com)
“If our lives don’t line up with what we believe, then we defeat the very faith that we preach.”
The following quotes may be from previous devotions, I can’t remember; however, they underscore the point of our lives lining up with our witness:
“Out of 100 men, one will read the Bible, the other 99 will read the Christian.” Moody
“I would not give much for your religion unless it can be seen. Lamps do not talk, but they do shine.
The Bible is not the light of the world, it is the light of the Church. But the world does not read the Bible, the world reads Christians! ‘You are the light of the world.’”
Charles Spurgeon
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men.
2 Cor. 3:2
I am reminded of the famous quote from St Francis of Assisi: ” Preach the Gospel and when necessary, use words”. God bless..