Our Beliefs and Individual Perceptions

Before we can move into the deep and varied topics that make up the apologetical landscape, we need to understand something that’s very important to every single person in the world; our beliefs. The beliefs that we hold show our individual perception of the world. Belief is foundational to who you are. Beliefs are central to our individuality and we hold so many that you couldn’t begin to count them, including some we wouldn’t even recognize as a belief at all. Tom Morris says, “We sometimes use the word belief to refer to an important conviction.” (Morris 42). He the then goes on to list the following statements about belief:

We share the belief that stealing is wrong.
I hold the belief that there is a God.
He believes that democracy is the best form of government.

Those are some examples of very obvious and profound beliefs, the likes of which will shape not only our lives, but the lives of those around us. Unlike these convictions we also hold beliefs that are less obvious or philosophical.

I believe that the number 2 comes after the number 1.
I believe that I am inside my home writing this devotional.

These beliefs are not essential for me to live my life, but they are my beliefs nonetheless. I also believe that I know these things, but some beliefs are not part of what we would call knowledge.
We want our individual beliefs to be true; we want them to connect us to reality, and to reflect the truths of our world during our lifetime. More than that, we want to be secure in the knowledge that our beliefs are true and not just opinions that we stubbornly and ignorantly hold. So, then, what is knowledge? Tom Morris puts it better than I can. “Our concept of knowledge is first of all an attainment concept. In basketball we shoot in order to score. Shooting is the activity; scoring is the attainment intended. In the life of the mind, we believe in order to know. Believing is, in a sense, the activity; knowing is the intended attainment.” (Morris 44-45).

When we believe something we are usually striving to determine its truth, but, “Just as you can shoot a basketball and not score a basket, you can believe something and not thereby have knowledge.” (Morris 45). So, again, what is knowledge? Knowledge is properly justified true belief. Belief is necessary for knowledge, but belief alone is not enough for knowledge. It is possible to believe something that is not true and think that you know it. In order to have knowledge you have to have actual, identifiable truth.

Truth can be defined as, “that which corresponds to its object.”(Geisler, Turek, and Limbaugh 37). Now, in our society, the philosophy of Relativism is the appropriate school of thought on truth. Relativism claims that there is no absolute truth, but that different things may be true for me than are true for you. Did you notice the problem with that school of thought? Relativism claims that there is no such thing as absolute truth, but Relativism is claiming that this idea of there being no absolute truth is the ultimate, absolute truth about truth. Relativism is making the absolute truth claim that there is no absolute truth! This is contradictory, and Relativism is therefore self-defeating.

Some may say, “Well, I like Rocky Road ice cream and you like chocolate ice cream. That’s relative so Relativism is true.” There are certain small areas of personal taste where a limited relativism is okay. Consider the following statements:

This ice cream tastes good.
The Dallas Cowboys are the best team in the NFL.
It is cold outside.

It could be true that the ice cream tastes good to me, but not to you. It could be true for me that the Cowboys are awesome, but maybe you think that the Broncos are better, and it could also be true that I think its cold outside, but you do not. However, there are things that are absolutely true about these statements regardless of our personal taste. The above statements are very different from saying:

This ice cream is two years old.
The Dallas Cowboys are not an NFL team.
It is 56 degrees outside.

These statements are examples of standard truth claims about reality. It is either true or false, but Relativism blurs that line. Remember, truth is what ties us to the world and our beliefs. We are tied tight to reality by truth, but falsehoods cut our ties to the way things really are. I like the way that Norman Geisler and Frank Turek put it, “contrary beliefs are possible, but contrary truths are not possible. We can believe everything is true, but we cannot make everything true.”(Geisler, Turek, and Limbaugh 38).

Now back to the idea of knowledge. We have seen so far that there are two essentials necessary to have knowledge. The first is belief and the second is truth; but these are not sufficient enough to have knowledge. There has to be some sort of link between our mental state affirmation and the state of reality that makes this affirmation true. What we need is proper justification. What sufficient reasons or grounds are there for a belief to be held and counted as knowledge?

There must be evidence that points to a belief being reasonable to hold. We cannot just believe something because it’s the latest fad, or because someone else just told us it was true, or because we don’t like the idea of dealing with the consequences of our belief should we come to find out it’s wrong. Without some kind of link, reason, or evidence to bridge a belief and count it as knowledge–there is no proper justification for holding that belief.

Christian apologetics provides the link between my belief that God is real and my knowing that God is real. The evidence, the reasons, the proof is out there. God has revealed Himself in wonderful and amazing ways; we just have to look, and apologetics is one way of looking. I hold the properly justified, true belief that God is real, and that Jesus loves us all, and I want to share that knowledge with you.

Sources:
Morris, Tom.Dr.PhD.1.Philosophy for Dummies. Foster City, CA:IDG Books, 1999.

Geisler, Norman L., Frank Turek, and David Limbaugh.I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be
An Atheist.Crossway Books, 2004.

What is Apologetics?

 

What do you think of when you hear the word apologetics? Do you think of feeling sorry about or to someone? Or do you think of defending your faith? Apologetics is not Christians expressing regret for the beliefs that they hold. It comes from the Greek word apologia, which means to give a reasoned defense, as in a court of law. The Bible tells us that we are to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us questions about why we believe.

“Always be prepared to give an answer (apologia) to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV).

We will be re-visiting this verse later as it has more to say, but for now we’ll focus on this aspect of it. There are schools of thought that maintain that engaging in apologetics is unbiblical. They teach that our approach to evangelism should be solely to preach the gospel and let the Holy Spirit do His work. But there are others, myself included, who believe that Jesus showed us that this is not entirely true. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t preach the gospel or that the Holy Spirit cannot work with just that (or even less), because I know from experience that He can. What I am saying is that as Christians we are also called to do apologetics and I believe Jesus and the apostles affirmed this.

As we read about Jesus it’s clear that he used miracles and quotes of prophecy now fulfilled to prove that His claims to be the Messiah were valid. In their letters and teachings the apostles used quotes of fulfilled prophecy, Jesus’ miracles and His resurrection to prove to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. When they were dealing with the Gentiles, the apostles used lines of reasoning to show the existence of God through His handiwork in nature. The apostle Paul also appealed to eyewitness testimony of Jesus’ resurrection to show that Christianity is true. I believe that it’s clear that both Jesus and the apostles were not afraid to provide evidence to prove the truth of their claims. We make reasoned arguments for our faith and trust the Holy Spirit to use our argument and evidence to bring people to God. Using apologetics is just as valid and biblical today as it was in Jesus’ day.

Now, we can to return to 1 Peter 3:15.

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV).

We’ve taken a look at the part of the verse that tells us to always be ready to answer those who ask us about our belief in Christ, but there are two other important points I’d like to make that are contained within this verse. First, the beginning of the verse tells us to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts. This brings up an interesting question, why do we do anything at all in the name of Christ?

We can give someone proof for Christianity and share our experience with them, but ultimately we are doing this in the name of Christ because we believe He died for our sins and was raised from the dead, and we want to share the love that He has for us with others. We have set Him apart as Lord in our hearts and His love is overflowing to those who do not know Him. Without this love and the working of the Holy Spirit the evidences we bring forth mean nothing.

The last part of the verse is just as important, notice the attitude that we should have while giving our answers or defense. We are to be gentle and respectful. William Lane Craig (a Christian philosophical apologist) writes,

“Apologetics is not the art of making somebody else sorry that you’re a Christian! We can present a defense of the Christian faith without becoming defensive. We can present arguments for Christianity without becoming argumentative.”(Craig 14).

It’s not about giving our proofs and reasons in a manner that is aggressive and confrontational. It’s about giving our proofs and reasons in a way that glorifies God. We should not be angry that we are being challenged; we should be glad to have an opportunity to share Jesus with people. The bottom line is that engaging in good apologetics involves, “speaking the truth in love.” It’s our love for Christ–the very fact that we have set Him apart as Lord in our hearts–that allows us to give good reasons for the hope that we have. Apologetics is all about loving our God.

Why is Apologetics Important?

William Lane Craig has provided a list of reasons that I would like to share with you about why apologetics is important:

First, it can help shape culture. Some secularists (unbelievers) have made it their life-long goal to eliminate religion from the world, specifically Christianity. If we can provide clear and reasonable answers to the objections raised to Christianity we have the ability to show the world the true identity of the God we love.

Second, apologetics strengthens believers. Knowing why we believe makes us more confident in our own faith and in sharing that faith with others. Apologetics will help you keep faith during times of struggle and doubt. Emotions carry us only so far and then we sometimes need something more substantial to answer the questions we may have. Studying apologetics will make you a deeper and more interesting Christian. The culture that we live in is extremely superficial and self-indulgent. Engaging in apologetics is going to help take you past all of that to life’s deepest questions and you’ll probably never be the same again.

Third, the Holy Spirit can use your reason and answers to bring unbelievers to Christ. Providing someone with clear, concise answers to their objections or questions gives them room to think about these things and shows that our faith is not just a blind faith. You have planted a seed and the Holy Spirit can make that seed grow into full blown faith in Christ.

Just the beginning

Studying apologetics takes us through a wide spectrum of topics. It encompasses all kinds of topics like mathematics, philosophy, biology, archaeology, cosmology, evolution, and any biblical study topics that you can imagine. What I hope to do on this site is get into these topics in a (hopefully) easy to understand way, ask the questions that are out there and provide answers that are logical and clear.

Resources

Craig, William Lane. On Guard, Defending Your Faith With Reason and Precision. 3^rd ed.

Wheaton: David C Cook, 2010. 14 – 22. Print.

The Purpose of a Testimony

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8

When you tell others about what God has done for you, you are sharing your testimony. A testimony is when you share the story of how you came to faith and every Christian has one.

The events and paths leading to our stories come in many different forms. Some people have been raised in God’s word, sharing a personal relationship with Him and having seen Him work in their lives. Even though it seems as though you have known Jesus since the beginning of your life, the gospel was shared with you at some point and it made a lasting impression.

Some have had to come to what I call the “rock bottom” moment in life for their hearts to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. (This is where many dramatic testimonies come from).

For some people, they are in-between.

Some Christians have dramatic testimonies where they tell of being delivered from a life of drug addiction or crime. Other’s don’t have testimonies that are quite as dramatic – but they are just as significant

Then there are testimonies where people tell how much they have given for Jesus. They say things like, “I gave up this or that for Jesus. I have made such sacrifices for the Lord. I have done it all for Him!” (Greg Laurie).

I have a question, what is wrong with that type of testimony?

It’s the wrong attitude. When you use your testimony in that way you are trying to take the glory from God. Part of your purpose on this earth is the glorify God and when we make it about what we did for Him we are stealing His glory. It is through him that we can do everything.

Your testimony is not about what you do for Jesus.

The testimony you share is a powerful tool in evangelism. You can provide proof for the existence of God, for the Resurrection, etc, but when you get down on a personal level with someone and share the details of what is possibly the deepest emotional relationship you have; amazing things can happen. God can use you and the story of what you have been through to bring people close to Him.

Your testimony can also lift fellow Christians up. Sharing testimonies with one another helps us understand that we are all human and that we all have difficult trials in our lives.

Your testimony serves a unique and divine purpose.

It’s all about what God gave up for you and how a relationship with Him has changed your life; not how you have changed His life. Don’t share what you have done for Jesus. Share what Jesus has done for you.

If God had not sent Jesus and if Jesus had not died on the cross would we have salvation?

No, salvation is a gift from God.

Ephesians 2:8 – “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is a gift from God.”

Jesus is the one who has done the work. It is Jesus whom we are proclaiming.

A good, strong testimony will lift up what Christ has accomplished. The fact of the matter is that all of us were sinners hopelessly separated from God, traveling in the same boat on our way to hell; and the gospel came and transformed us. That is the testimony we all share (Greg Laurie).