Winning Souls Through Apologetics

Apologetics is not about winning arguments; it is about winning souls…….

The starting point for anyone defending the truth is to establish the existence of God. When this is done first, all other issues of apologetics become easier to defend. If God exists, He is the absolute, objective, He is the transcendent standard of truth. There is evidence that God exists but not everyone finds this evidence convincing. Not everyone can grasp the essence of who God is. Because our culture today rejects the evidence, this does not mean that the evidence does not exist.

We must stand firm and hold to the truth……….

2nd Thessalonians 2:15- So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

Paul connects God's call to salvation and the believers' future glory to the obligation his readers have to stick with the truth. Many false teachers were trying to pull the believers away from the truth, and persecution and trials were buffeting them; so Paul urges his readers to hold their ground against the false teachers' influence. He also urges his readers to keep a firm grip on the teachings they had received from him, whether he had given them when he was in Thessalonica or communicated them by letter. The New Testament often warns against drifting from the truth towards some different, false belief.

Galatians 1:8-9- But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9- As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

It is possible to slip back from a position of love for God and His Word. The risen Savior rebuked the church at Ephesus for having abandoned the love it had at first (Rev. 2:4). He admonished the church to "remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first" (Rev. 2:5). We must constantly love the God of the Word and the Word of God.

Though Apologetics is a task given to us as Christians, and we are to be responsible in the handling of the truth claims of Christianity, Apologetics may aid in the planting and watering of the seed, but only God can bring forth the “increase” of faith.

1st Corinthians 3:6- I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

Paul planted the gospel; he introduced the people in Corinth to the message of the forgiveness of sin through faith in Christ. This parallels Jesus' description of gospel evangelism as sowing of seeds. Paul describes Apollos as watering this seed. Likely, he means Apollos provided additional teaching, helping the seed of the gospel to take root in the hearts of the Corinthians. It might also mean Apollos was there to begin guiding the believers of Corinth in their discipleship. Both men served God by doing the tasks given to them. God, though, is the one who caused the seed to grow. As Paul described in the previous chapter, God gave to the Corinthians the ability to believe the gospel through the Holy Spirit. In the end, God's work among the Corinthians is the work that mattered most.

While we must defend the faith, we must also find common ground………

Identifying common ground between you and the opposition is an advantageous way to begin the discussion. Some benefits are respect and empathy. Opposers of Christianity have oftentimes gone through a hardship or sin struggle preventing them from believing. If you strive to build a relationship, these elements of the other person's story will emerge, and you may be able to make points of connection from your own spiritual journey. Another area of common ground is through God's common grace, which is His benevolent attitude toward all of creation. Through this grace, God bestows His truth and righteousness to the unbeliever. In this way, unbelievers can possess an amount of biblical truth even in their faulty worldviews. We can acknowledge this and point them to the originator of these values.

Love is the key………..

Colossians 4:6- says, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person." In any debate or communication in defending the faith, we must remember to be kind, gentle, and humble. As Christ's ambassadors, we represent the kingdom of God and must demonstrate godly character. Remembering that we were graciously saved and forgiven by the love of God, by the Holy Spirit, we too can express the love of God in order to have considerate discourse. Our love might, in turn, move the unbeliever from an opposer to a friend and fellow member of God's family.

Use God's Word alone as your primary source of information, as it is the first-hand account of God's working in the world.