The purpose of Christian apologetics isn't merely to "make a defense" of the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15). It is to knock down every intellectual barrier erected by the unbeliever until the only one that remains is the offense of the cross.
I'd submit that apologetics is primarily for the believers edification and not for the use of evangelism.
Obviously I am not talking legalistically here.....but think about this for a moment;
(you may have head it before..)
- You witness 100 times to your Uncle Bill telling him that "Jesus died on a cross, that He is God and that He rose again and that you must repent and trust Him"
But one time you tell your Unlce Bill that , ""Jesus died on a cross, that He is God and that He rose again and that you must repent and trust Him and that He was seen by 500 witness!"
Your Uncle is not going to say , "what!!, if you had told me that He was seen by 500 people then I would have believed!"
So many churhces are adopting a method of evangelism that seeks to "prove" Him rather than preach Him.
Blessings
ps. for my readers that are not yet fully fledged Calvinsts I am running this series : http://narrowseventhirteen.blogspot.com/2010/07/comparing-camps.html
Evangelism should always focus on the gospel. Period. Apologetics, while gospel-centered, isn't evangelism. It does edify the body of Christ, but I also think it serves a purpose in dealing with unbelievers.
It can be devastatingly effective in cutting through the nonsensical reasons atheists and agnostics put forward as to why they just can't bring themselves to believe in the God of the Bible. In other words, it seeks to force them to deal with the real reason for their unbelief: sinful rebellion against a just and holy God.
Of course, apologetics is no substitute for preaching the word. After all, "faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17).
But we already have a word for that: iconoclasm.
ReplyDeleteHi Men,
ReplyDeleteMatthew from The Narrow Way here in Australia! :)
Just a quick one:
I'd submit that apologetics is primarily for the believers edification and not for the use of evangelism.
Obviously I am not talking legalistically here.....but think about this for a moment;
(you may have head it before..)
- You witness 100 times to your Uncle Bill telling him that "Jesus died on a cross, that He is God and that He rose again and that you must repent and trust Him"
But one time you tell your Unlce Bill that , ""Jesus died on a cross, that He is God and that He rose again and that you must repent and trust Him and that He was seen by 500 witness!"
Your Uncle is not going to say , "what!!, if you had told me that He was seen by 500 people then I would have believed!"
So many churhces are adopting a method of evangelism that seeks to "prove" Him rather than preach Him.
Blessings
ps. for my readers that are not yet fully fledged Calvinsts I am running this series :
http://narrowseventhirteen.blogspot.com/2010/07/comparing-camps.html
Evangelism should always focus on the gospel. Period. Apologetics, while gospel-centered, isn't evangelism. It does edify the body of Christ, but I also think it serves a purpose in dealing with unbelievers.
ReplyDeleteIt can be devastatingly effective in cutting through the nonsensical reasons atheists and agnostics put forward as to why they just can't bring themselves to believe in the God of the Bible. In other words, it seeks to force them to deal with the real reason for their unbelief: sinful rebellion against a just and holy God.
Of course, apologetics is no substitute for preaching the word. After all, "faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17).