Apologetics and Practice

One of the key things we sometimes forget when we “do theology” is that the Bible is not interested in theology for theology’s sake. What is written is for our instruction that we might be thoroughly prepared “unto all good works.” The Bible, in other words, is intended to help us put principles into practice. Now, obviously good theology is necessary. How can we know which principles we should be putting into practice unless we understand what principles the Bible actually teaches? But it should never stop there – when we understand what is taught we need to discover how to put it into practice and then we need to do just that.

It is significant, for example that when the old Testament speaks of the people of God as not hearing him it is not referring to hearing the words of Scripture. It refers to their obedience (or, more specifically, their lack of obedience). In some cases they knew what God wanted but imagined that if they gave him what they thought he’d like he would ignore their disobedience. That was King Saul’s reasoning when he decided to keep King Agag alive and save the best of the Amalekite cattle for sacrifices to God. Samuel told him and, through him, us that God doesn’t want us to stop at having the principles and the responsibilities straight, he wants us to go ahead and actually do what his Word says needs to be done. Our freedom of choice ought to be guided by God’s purpose.

Now, when it comes to evangelism (or apologetics – if you want the more formal designation) there are certain principles which govern a sound approach to the subject. These principles lead to implications which, in turn, drive us to act in a certain way. The best evangelist was, of course, the Lord Jesus himself. The Gospels show us how we went about “preaching the kingdom.” This element was only a part of his task on earth. John tells us his purpose. John announced that Jesus was the “Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.” So preaching the kingdom was a part, an important part, of the work of taking away sin. The sacrificial system was the visible lesson God used to teach his covenant people that sin was an ever present evil and that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for that evil. It also indicated, by the constant repetition of the sacrifices, that a better system was to come.

John’s announcement was that the day of the better system was here. Jesus’ teaching, therefore, was a part of making Israel aware of their sin and of their danger if they ignored the provision God had made. The miracles he preformed were designed to confirm that fact. His interactions with the people of his age show a versatility which many of those who produce books about evangelism and apologetics do not. One of the things that was consistent in his interactions was that Jesus dealt with their spiritual needs beginning with their perceived needs. This, it seems, is a legitimate pattern to follow. Each interaction was designed to bring about a change – in some cases a radical one, as with the rich young ruler.

Radical or not, as we present the reasons for our faith our presentation ought to be such that a listener is led to recognize their sin and need of the provision God made in sending his only-begotten son to earth approximately 2000 years ago. We may not have the opportunity to present all of it but we ought to have thought it through and in our own words because, after all, it’s how we ourselves became followers of Christ.