A well-known Christian apologist once visited a museum dedicated to the post-modern worldview. Its architecture illustrated its beliefs. There were staircases and hallways leading nowhere. There was no symmetry, balance, order or purpose in its various structures. At the end of the tour, the apologist raised his hand. “That was a very illuminating tour. I have just one question. Did the builder of this museum follow the same worldview when he made its foundation?” The answer was “no”.
Ask any builder — foundations are important. Over the last two months, we’ve looked at eight topics which built a foundation for the Christian faith. Here’s a quick summary.
Eight Topics
Three topics focused on the word “unique”. We looked at the uniqueness of the Bible and noted that in spite of its incredible diversity, its theme and message had amazing unity. We studied the uniqueness of Christ in his birth, life, death and resurrection. And we investigated the uniqueness of the Gospel (Good News) message and saw that the Cross is an unearned gift and that the Christian faith is a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus.
Four topics focused on the word “evidence”. The evidence for Creation argued that the complexity and ingenuity of both the vast universe and the flora and fauna of our world points to an omnipotent and omniscient Creator. The evidence for the Resurrection undermined the alternate explanations and reinforced the claim that Jesus returned to life after his crucifixion as he had predicted. The evidence of Archaeology sampled the wealth of material that confirms what the Scriptures say about people, places and things. And the evidence of Changed Lives presented several dramatic examples of how individuals throughout history have been changed when they believed in Jesus and surrendered their lives to him.
And, finally, one of the eight topics concerned the Fulfillment of Prophecy and showed how biblical predictions have been fulfilled (sometimes in amazing detail) throughout human history.
You can visualize these eight topics as foundational layers supporting the truth claims of the Christian faith.
Three Questions
A key verse which explains why apologetics (defending the faith) is important is 1 Peter 3:15. It says, “But in your hearts revere 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.”
This one verse answers three key questions: What, why and how. The first part of the verse tells us what believers should do – “…Always be prepared to give an answer”. Studying and knowing the evidence for our faith provides and prepares us with good answers.
The middle part of the verse tells us why we should be prepared – “…to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Not-yet believers are curious why people who call themselves “Christ-followers” live their lives with purpose and meaning on earth while keeping their eyes on heaven.
The last part of the verse tells us how to give our answers – “But do this with gentleness and respect.” Even when people have differing convictions and worldviews, the dialogue should always be respectful with the aim of seeking greater truth and not just winning an argument. This humble attitude involves both listening and sharing.
One Hope
All this research, effort and activity has a good purpose. It is designed to point inquirers and seekers to an all-important thing – hope. This sure hope is an abundant, purpose-filled life on earth and a joyful, eternal life in heaven. For believers, that’s a treasure too precious to keep to ourselves. We should desire to share it with others so that (they too) can “revere Christ as Lord”.
And that’s why I’ve taken eight weeks to share it with you.
Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor.
