There is a word that all Christians should be familiar with: the word is “apologetics.” Unfortunately, it looks very similar to another word that is well-known to us. Let’s say that we were on Jeopardy and had to instantly come up with a definition for apologetics. I suspect that many of us would blurt out something like, “What is the art of saying that you are sorry?” BUZZ Sorry, that’s not the answer.
OK then, exactly what does “apologetics” mean? I read several definitions online, and I chose this one because it is easy to understand. “Apologetics is the defense of the Christian faith.” If I put it in my own words, I would say, “It’s giving reasons for what we believe about Jesus.”
There is a verse in the New Testament that tells us that we should be ready to be an “apologist,” which is a person who is skillful in apologetics. 1 Peter 3:15 says “But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”
The word defense in this verse is a translation of the Greek word apologia, from which we get the word apologetics. Peter knew from experience that he had to be ready to give witness to his belief in Jesus!
OK, now that we’ve got the definition behind us, let’s get down-to-earth. When would apologetics be important in our lives? To summarize what Peter says, we need apologetics whenever anyone asks why our eternal hope is built on Jesus. In other words, we need to know the essential facts about Jesus and what He did that makes him our Savior.
Let’s pretend that we are having a conversation with a small group that includes people of other faiths. What facts about Jesus might we have to defend? It’s not likely that anyone would deny Jesus’ existence. That is well-documented in historical books outside the Bible. And the people in the group would probably agree that he was a great man. Even Jesus’ crucifixion would not be a point of argument, because it is an historical fact.
At what point in the discussion would you most likely encounter unbelieving looks and maybe even angry faces? It would be when you declare that Jesus rose from the dead. Maybe one of the group would even make a scornful remark like, “That never happened!” And then it would be time to put on the hat of an “apologist.”
Do you know that lies about Jesus’ resurrection began within hours of his rising from the dead? When the guards came to report that the tomb was empty, this is what happened:
Matthew 28:11-15 “As they were on their way, some of the guards came into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 After the priests had assembled with the elders and agreed on a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money 13 and told them, “Say this, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him while we were sleeping.’ 14 If this reaches the governor’s ears, we will deal with him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 They took the money and did as they were instructed, and this story has been spread among Jewish people to this day.”
This isn’t the only false report that has been told about Jesus’ resurrection. The resurrection is so essential to Christianity, that Satan has done everything possible to create doubt in people’s minds. How can we avoid that trap? By being sure of the facts! When we read the resurrection accounts carefully, we can be assured that the only possible explanation of the empty tomb is that God raised Jesus from the dead.
In his book “The Case for Christ,” Lee Strobel has put the facts about Jesus together in a convincing way, showing how the true statements about Jesus can proved. The interesting background about Strobel and his book is that he was once an atheist. When his wife became a Christian, Strobel wanted to prove to her that she had been sucked in by a bunch of lies. Strobel was a newspaper reporter, and he used his investigative skills to seek the truth about Jesus. In a wonderful twist of events, it was his research that convinced him that everything his wife had come to believe was true!
Put on your apologist hats this week and begin to think how you would explain your faith to someone who was not a believer. Be sure of the facts, and then be ready to share them!