Part Six: Apologetics Is Highly Affirming to Our Faith and Reinforces Trust in the Bible *

In my previous two blog articles, we saw that (1) Christian apologetics is a vital ingredient of evangelism, especially in today’s secular, post-Christian world. And (2) apologetics is indispensable in terms of preparing young people for what they will encounter in secular universities and colleges—where they will be bombarded with anti-Christian ideologies, worldly values, and erroneous, deceptive views of Christianity.

A third practical value of Christian apologetics is that it is highly affirming to our faith. Since apologetics demonstrates the truth and reliability of Scripture, the reality of Jesus and His resurrection, and other cardinal Christian truths, studying it can be especially rewarding for new believers who wish to have a better understanding of the foundational evidences that confirm the authenticity of the Christian worldview—and who wish to share this insight with their non-Christian friends and family. I’m a perfect example of this.

I didn’t become a Christian until my mid-thirties. At that time, no one in my immediate family and none of my oldest friends were practicing Christians. As to be expected, after my conversion people close to me began ask challenging questions (or made derogatory remarks) about my beliefs. This, along with a desire to get answers to my own questions, prompted me to embark on a study of the evidences for the Christian faith Within months of my conversion, I began reading books written by Josh McDowell, Paul Little, C. S. Lewis, and other introductory apologetic books. I can’t begin to describe how their writings strengthened my faith. They demonstrated that Christianity rested on a solid foundation of historical facts, and that Jesus is exactly who He claims to be. Apologetics increased my zeal to study the Bible and gave me greater confidence to share my faith.

This is not to say that most new believers will want the corroboration provided by apologetics—or experience the same spiritual and intellectual encouragement that I did. This is certainly admirable. Jesus himself said to doubting Thomas, who demanded empirical proof that Jesus rose from the grave: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:24-29). But Jesus still provided Thomas with the evidence he desired (v. 27). Similarly, when John the Baptist’s disciples asked whether or not Jesus was the anticipated Messiah, Jesus pointed to the evidences that confirmed He was (Matt. 11:2-5).

Let me summarize this and the previous two blog articles. Much of the world still rejects Jesus Christ as God and Savior, as well as all the other major tenets of Christianity. Believers willing to share their faith are increasingly confronted by non-Christians who challenge or attempt to refute our sacred beliefs. Apologetics provides compelling, persuasive, and verifiable responses to the toughest intellectual challenges. Many Christians today also benefit from the corroborating evidences of apologetics because it emboldens their evangelism. And finally, God uses apologetics to strengthen the faith and remove the doubts of Christians whose faith may be wavering because of the naturalistic assumptions foisted on them in secular colleges and popular culture.

It is a wonderful and joyful experience for Christians to discover, through spirit-empowered apologetics, that our faith is firmly grounded in objective facts—facts demonstrated by sensible, verifiable evidences.

* This blog article is adapted from chapter one of my book The Christian Combat Manual; Helps for Defending Your Faith: A Handbook for Practical Apologetics (AMG Publishers), which can be ordered through Amazon and most other outlets.