The Lord impressed my heart to preach these two sermons, at my church Free Grace Baptist Church of Yuba City. Here is the order I preached them, with my handout below:
1. Biblical Apologetics: Principles and Practice here
2. Biblical Apologetics: The Existence of the Biblical God here
Biblical Apologetics: Principles and Practice
A. The
Definition of Apologetics(1 Peter 3:15-16)
Biblical apologetics can be defined as a rational defense of the
Christian faith.
B. The Purpose of Apologetics
The purpose of apologetics is
to glorify God (1 Cor 10:31, Romans 11:36).
Why should Christians engage in apologetics?
1.God commands us to engage in apologetics.
2.It can strengthen our faith.
3.It can make evangelism more effective.
4.It can promote zeal for Theology and Evangelism.
5.It can put the unbeliever to shame.
C. The Method of Apologetics
The Apostle
Paul our Example(Acts 17:16-36)
Presupposition: an ultimate belief or conviction that is the standard
for judging, evaluating, and interpreting knowledge, reality and morals.
Worldview: a set of presuppositions (i.e. ultimate beliefs or
convictions that are the standards for judging, evaluating, and interpreting
knowledge, reality and morals).
Paul’s example
shows us the Biblical method of apologetics is presuppositional.
D. The
Practice of Apologetics
We are to
transparently presuppose, proclaim, and argue from the necessity and authority
of God’s revelation in Scripture and nature.
James Anderson explains,
"The core of
presuppositionalism can be encapsulated in two foundational principles: the No-Neutrality
Principle and the No-Autonomy
Principle.42
According to the
No-Neutrality Principle, no one can approach any intellectual endeavor from a
position of strict religious neutrality. Whenever we apply our minds to a
particular subject matter, we inevitably bring with us a host of
presuppositions...
The second principle
states that there are ultimately only two kinds of philosophical
precommitments—those that are for God
and those that are against God—and
that only the former are acceptable. In short, either we are committed to the
idea that God and his Word are our ultimate authority and standard in every
area of life, including our intellectual endeavors, or we are committed (at
least implicitly) to some other ultimate
authority and standard—which amounts to a rejection of God and his Word. Either
we acknowledge that we are creatures whose thoughts should be conformed to the
mind of our Creator or we don’t. And those who locate their ultimate authority
and standard elsewhere than in the mind of God invariably try to locate it in
the mind of man. (What other relevant mind is there?) Consequently, what is
reasonable, plausible, possible, and so on turns out to be what conforms to our
own “natural” patterns of thought. As noted earlier, the word autonomy literally means “self-law.” An autonomous thinker is
one whose mind has become a law unto itself: not subject to any higher
authority or corrective standard. According to the No-Autonomy Principle, this
understanding of human reason must be firmly rejected.
Taken together, these
two presuppositionalist principles assert that everyone thinks with some kind
of religious bias, and that the only acceptable religious bias is one
submissive to the ultimate authority of God and his Word.”[1]
As Christians we are to
practice apologetics from these two principles. Ideally, every argument we make
to defend the faith in some way should conform to these principles.
John Frame’s
Apologetics Method Outline
I. Normative
A.
Always presuppose the truth of God’s Word.
B.
Identify the non-Christian’s presuppositions, vs. his claim to neutrality.
C.
Show his rationalism (belief the human mind is the ultimate criterion of truth)
and irrationalism (the belief there is no ultimate criterion of truth.).
D.
Show that he cannot justify or account for meaning and truth.
II.
Situational
A.
Present facts that confirm the Christian claims, always presupposing the Word
of God.
B.
Present facts that call in question non-Christian views.
III.
Existential
A.
Present your arguments with clarity and appropriate passion.
B.
Show that the Christian faith alone is ultimately satisfying.
C.
Speak the truth in love.
D.
Testify to God’s grace in your own life.
E. Pray that the Spirit will
bring the inquirer to faith.
Tips for Apologetics
1.Study: Study and memorize the
Bible, Systematic Theology, Evangelism and Apologetics to know what you
believe, so you can Biblically preach and defend it. Apologetics presupposes
Theology, and Evangelism. One cannot properly engage in Biblical Apologetics
without engaging in Biblical Theology with the goal of Evangelism.
2.Prayer: In apologetics one’s
defense is only as good as one’s offense. So both study and prayer must be
properly indulged in first before engaging in apologetics with the
unregenerate. Remember all men have a sufficient knowledge of God but suppress
the truth in unrighteousness. Only God can open the unregenerate eyes so we
ought to pray God would do so in our apologetic encounters. Apologetics can
only show the foolishness of rejecting the gospel. But God can make the gospel
and our defense effective.
3.Respect: Respect the unregenerate
as made in the image of God. Don’t assume you know what the unregenerate
believes even if he associates himself with a particular religion. Let the
unbeliever articulate his views and arguments. When refuting the unbeliever
always refute and articulate the unbeliever’s position accurately. Further,
always refute the strongest argument the unbeliever can make in favor of his
position.
4.Wisdom: When dealing with the
unbeliever’s arguments against or from the Bible always read the scriptures in
context and look up the original Hebrew or Greek meaning. Since often times the
unbeliever takes scriptures out of context or twists the original meaning of
any given passage. Moreover, we
should anticipate the unbeliever’s objections and arguments.
5.Fellowship: Talk among believers
about theology, evangelism, and apologetics. Fellow Christians can learn and
encourage one another. Moreover, Christians possess spiritual resources,
skills, and experiences that can be shared to proclaim and defend the
faith.
2. It is inconsistent with
the unbeliever’s faith in philosophy and science. Since both support the
beginning of the universe.
Philosopher Peter Kreeft
gives a helpful analogy:
“Suppose I tell you there is
a book that explains everything you want explained. You want that book very
much. You ask me whether I have it. I say no, I have to get it from my wife.
Does she have it? No, she has to get it from a neighbor. Does he have it? No,
he has to get it from his teacher, who has to get it. . . et cetera, etcetera,
ad infinitum. No one actually has the book. In that case, you will never get
it. However long or short the chain of book borrowers may be, you will get the
book only if someone actually has it and does not have to borrow it. Well,
existence is like that book. Existence is handed down the chain of causes, from
cause to effect. If there is no first cause, no being who is eternal and
self-sufficient, no being who has existence by his own nature and does not have
to borrow it from someone else, then the gift of existence can never be passed
down the chain to others, and no one will ever get it. But we did get it. We
exist. We got the gift of existence from our causes, down the chain, and so did
every actual being in the universe, from atoms to archangels. Therefore there
must be a first cause of existence, God.” [3]
Christianity makes sense of
the origin of the universe.
2. Teleological Argument
(Col 1:16-17)
Unbelievers appeal to
evolution to dodge design. However, if God didn’t design everything, we cannot
trust our minds to tell us any truths.
Unbelievers appeal to chance
and evolution.
Problems
1. If evolution is true we
cannot trust our minds.
2. If the universe is a
byproduct of random chance then anything can happen in the universe (e.g.
Donkeys popping into existence from nothing).
3. We cannot make sense of
chance without the presupposition of order.
Christianity accounts for the
exquisite: fine-tuning, order, purpose and design in the universe.
3. Moral Argument (Romans 2:14-15)
1. If God does not exist then
objective moral values and duties do not exist,
2. Objective moral values and
duties do exist,
3. Therefore, God exists.
Unbelievers claim there are
no objective moral values.
Problems
1.Their actions betray their
beliefs.
2.There would be no
distinction between right and wrong.
Christianity makes sense of
objective moral values and duties.
Christianity makes sense of
logical (e.g. If p, then q, p therefore q), conceptual, (e.g. “necessity”
2+2=4) and causal (every effect has a cause) necessity.
5. The Resurrection of
Christ (1 Cor 15:3-11)
1. Jesus died by crucifixion
2. Jesus’ tomb was
found empty.
3. The origin of the
Christian faith: Jesus’ disciples were transformed and sincerely believed that
He rose from the dead and appeared to them.
4. Paul, the church
persecutor, was converted to Christianity and willing to die for his faith.
5. James, the skeptic,
was converted to Christianity and willing to die for his faith.
Unbelievers respond by
the swoon, hallucination, conspiracy, and twin brother explanations. Yet all of
these alternative explanations are historically discredited.
Christianity makes sense of
the resurrection of Christ.
6.Transcendental Argument
(1 Cor 1:20)
Unless Christianity is true,
we cannot prove or know anything.
Unbelievers charge this
argument as fallacious. They say given enough time they will be able to provide
a foundation for human thought and experience without Christianity. However
centuries have passed and unbelievers are still without a foundation for human
thought and experience. To resist Christianity with hope to find an alternative
foundation is blind faith. Consequently, by admitting Christianity provides the
foundation for human thought and experience unbelievers acknowledge
defeat.
Christianity makes sense of
human thought and experience.
7. Personal Experience
(John 14:21)
Christianity makes sense of
Christians’ personal experiences.
James N. Anderson,
“Presuppositionalism and Frame’s Epistemology,” in John J. Hughes, ed., Speaking
the Truth in Love: The Theology of John M. Frame (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R
Publishing, 2009)pp.447-448.
[2] William Lane
Craig, Reasonable Faith;
Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books. 1994 p.92.
Biblical Apologetics: Principles and Practice
II. Knowing God Exists
III. Showing God Exists
1. Cosmological Argument (Col 1:16-17)
2. The universe began to exist,