“That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.” 2 Timothy 1:14
How many court dramas have a lawyer saying something like, “And that, your honor, is why this mother is guilty of extreme neglect”? Then perhaps, “I rest my case.” Drama in real courtrooms can draw packed crowds. People like to witness wars with words. When we do Christian apologetics, we do more than merely watch. We enter a real-life exchange of ideas. And the spiritual issues under discussion carry more weight than worldly crimes because eternity is on the line.
Apologetics refers to making a case—like lawyers do. But in this instance, we mean a case for biblical Christianity. And just like in court, the most solid cases are defensible in principle and discussed skillfully in person. Evangelism shares the gospel. Apologetics defends it. For those who have not yet trusted Christ, apologetics helps remove objections to the gospel.1 For those who have found new life in Christ, apologetics increases confidence in that true faith. In short, a good apologist knows what to believe, why to believe it, and how to discuss it with folks who have all kinds of different perspectives.
All of this may seem unnecessary. After all, since God can do anything, He can make His own case better than we could. But for some reason, He told us that He wants us to make a case for Him! Jude wrote that he “found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (v. 3). By “contend earnestly,” he meant to strive with great diligence. Surely this means investigating and exposing truth claims that oppose the living Truth, especially when those claims come cleverly cloaked.
Early Christians did apologetics. Paul considered himself and the Philippian believers united “in the defense and confirmation of the gospel” (Philippians 1:7). How do we defend and confirm the gospel? Doing apologetics like this means speaking words that might persuade others, like when Paul defended himself and the faith before King Agrippa in Acts 26, or when he strengthened the Corinthians’ confidence in the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15.
Paul noted the Christian task of “pulling down strongholds, [by] casting down arguments” (2 Corinthians 10:4–5). Here, strongholds built to resist the gospel truth are made of false, man-made ideas. The apologist exposes their flaws, but always with grace and gentleness, as those intent on reconciling sinners to a holy God.2,3
Why do apologetics matter? Because the world’s reasons for rejecting Jesus are weak and ready to fall. Because the gospel message is true, powerful, and worth defending and explaining. Because we want God’s Son to one day say to our Father about those who believed Him after we made a case for Christ, “She trusted in Me, so I applied My death payment to her penalty. And that, Your Honor, is why this mother’s crimes no longer count against her. I rest my case.”
References
- The gospel spells out the good news that even though our sins deserve everlasting separation from the Father (i.e., death), He sent His Son Jesus to pay our death penalty and rescue from death anyone who repents of sin and trusts in Him.
- 2 Corinthians 10:1.
- “Let your gentleness be known to all men” (Philippians 4:5).
Dr. Thomas is a research scientist at the Institute for Creation Research and earned his Ph.D. in paleobiochemistry from the University of Liverpool.
