"But how do you know? I mean how to you really know the Bible is true? What if someone made it all up?" One of my fourth-grade students asked me this recently. This is an important question, one to be taken seriously. What would you say if you were asked this question? Where do you start?
The defense of the Christian faith is called apologetics, and it is a fascinating subject to study. I spend a lot of my time reading up on apologetics, and have had many discussions with unbelievers who have tried to challenge my faith. What do you say when someone hostile makes assertions about your faith? Or, what about when an honest, seeking heart that has real questions, like my student?
There are a lot of ways to use apologetics. I will briefly touch on a few before going into what I often do. We'll quickly look at support for Creationism, support for the Bible's reliability, and evidence within people themselves. I use all of these to a point, but I'll follow with where I usually start.
Creationism
Some apologists start with the claims of Genesis. This is helpful when you are debating Evolutionists. Ministries like Answers in Genesis do this fulltime, and have a lot of helpful resources. I recently had someone tell me that Charles Darwin completely and unquestionably "proved" Evolution in his observations on the Galapagos Islands (if you're not familiar, in 1835, Charles Darwin observed different species on said islands who had adapted to their environment, indicating micro evolution--that is change within species--but not macro-evolution, which is change from one species to another). This person who made this claim to me was wrong. No one has ever proven the Theory of Evolution as undeniable fact. People make these bold claims without being held accountable, and that boils my blood. As a Young Earth Creationist, I believe there is ample scientific evidence to support my position, and many unanswered questions about Evolution that no one talks about. If you want to read some of my findings, click on my January 5, 2023 post It Couldn't Just Happen here.
Reliability of Scripture
Some apologists begin with evidence that supports the Bible's reliability. The Bible has an unusually large and early manuscript record, plus substantial archeological and extra-biblical confirmations (look it up--it's everywhere). Combined, this gives the Bible more supporting evidence than other ancient books. Consider this. The Bible was written by about 40 different human authors over a period of approximately 1500 years, and yet it agrees and aligns perfectly, including fulfilled prophecies.
About that, the Old Testament contains sixty major prophecies about the Messiah. Jesus fulfilled every single one of them. The probability of Jesus fulfilling just eight of the sixty prophecies is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. Here is an illustration I was always taught, and you can look it up here. To put these odds in perspective, imagine that the entire state of Texas is covered with silver dollars two feet deep and one of them is marked. All of the silver dollars are then thoroughly mixed. A blindfolded man is then instructed to reach down and pick up the marked coin on his first try. The chances of that occurring are the same as Jesus fulfilling just eight of the sixty major prophecies. But consider, He fulfilled them all! The probability of Jesus not being the Messiah is mathematically impossible.
The Bible gives a truthful view of people, not a flattering one most people would try to write. I mean, if you were coming up with a religion, you probably wouldn't suggest man is inherently sinful and unable to save himself, and instead needing an outside Savior. Human ego wouldn't come up with that. Individual people in the Bible have their stories told honestly, sometimes with very uncomplimentary parts in plain view (David's adultery and murdering of Uriah, Jonah's disobedience and bitterness, etc.). This is evidence of it being written from outside humankind.
A claim my pastor in high school always pointed out was the endurance of the Jewish people, and the nation of Israel today, even amidst so many targeted attacks against them throughout history. I know there are fantastic Christians I consiser dear friends who do not think Israel today is prophetic, and I won't make that an argument at the moment, but it's pretty hard to explain the existence of Israel today without a biblical explanation. For many of us, Israel's endurance (even when it wasn't an existing nation) is explained by Genesis 12:2, God's original promise to Abram, and reiterated in Romans 11. If you are one of my beloved fellow Christians with a different theological take on Israel, you don't have to use this argument. The rest will suffice. If you do agree with me about Israel, it adds to an already compelling case.
The Bible itself claims to be God's word (Second Timothy 3:16, Second Peter 1:21, Hebrews 4:12, not to mention the 400+ times the words thus saith the Lord appear in scripture, meaning what follows is directly from God's mouth). That is a bold claim. It is either true or untrue. If true, it is vital. If untrue, it should be entirely ignored. It can't be a book people hold up when they want to win an argument, but ignore the rest of the time. C.S. Lewis summed it up by saying, Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
The Bible is an all-or-nothing book, and Jesus is an all-or-nothing Savior. Jesus goes hand in hand with the Bible. He says He is the only way to God (John 14:6). He said he was one with God (John 10:30). That's why people who claim He was "just a good teacher" can't be right. A good teacher would never claim to be God if it wasn't true. That is where the argument "Liar, Lunatic, or Lord" comes from (associated with C.S. Lewis and later popularized by Josh McDowell). With the claims Jesus made, He must be concluded to be either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord. Many of us have concluded He is Lord. One of the best-known apologists of our day is Lee Strobel, whose book The Case for Christ gives some excellent evidence he discovered when, as an unsaved journalist, he examined the claims of scripture (which won him to Christ.).
People as Evidence
Another argument for Christianity is people themselves. Everyone has a conscience. Some ask others where they get their sense of right and wrong. As Christians, we know that is God-given. In fact, Romans 1:19ff says that everyone really knows the truth, because God has made it obvious to them. But man chooses sin every time anyway, without the Holy Spirit's intervention. The Bible is right about us. You don't have to look very far to see that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23).
Another aspect of humans being used for apologetics is the testimony of lives changed by Christ. Throughout history, there have been Christian people who, so compelled by love for Christ, sacrificed everything, even their very lives, for the sake of the Gospel. This is even more powerful when you look at some of these people before they knew Christ. Peter denied Christ as a frightened young man, but after receiving the Holy Spirit, he became a bold and powerful witness who led countless to Christ, and later gave his life for the Gospel. Saul (later Paul) went from being a murderer to being martyred--and in-between, he led countless to Christ, started many churches, wrote much of the New Testament, and followed the Holy Spirit's daily guidance in his life. These are not just stories of people who learned their lesson and decided to change. These are people powerfully transformed by Jesus.
While testimonies can be powerful, we have to be careful. People of many different beliefs have sacrificed for their faith. Many have made claims that impressed people. That doesn't automatically make them true. Combined with other truth shared, though, Christian witnesses can be persuasive.
My Tactics
How do I usually begin? I use all of the above methods, because they are powerful. However, my favorite starting place is the highest point of the Christian faith--the Resurrection of Jesus. I look at proofs for the resurrection before THEN going to the other methods mentioned above:
The empty tomb. The tomb was empty, and no one has ever produced the remains of Jesus. It would have been impossible to steal His body. The tomb was heavily guarded, and a huge stone was rolled across the entrance. All who saw it testified the tomb was empty. If those remains had been found, you know someone would have paraded them publicly to dispel the claim that He had risen. It never happened because He did rise again--there were no remains! The tomb was empty.
Jesus' Prediction. The next piece of evidence is found in what the angel said to the women at the tomb in Matthew 28:6, ...he has risen, just as he said... Jesus Himself had said he would die and rise again before it happened. The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) record three different times he made this prediction. The first prediction was recorded in Matthew 16:21, Mark 10:33, and Luke 9:22. What was happening here was that Jesus taught that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer at the hands of religious leaders, be killed, and be raised on the third day. Peter rebuked Him, and Jesus responded sharply, underscoring the divine necessity of His mission. The second prediction was in Matthew 17:22-33, Mark 9:31, and Luke 9:44. In this instance, He again told His disciples He would be delivered into human hands, killed, and raised on the third day. The disciples did not understand and were distressed or afraid to ask further. The third prediction was in Matthew 20:18-19, Mark 10:33-34, and Luke 18:31-34. Here Jesus gave the most detailed foretelling: betrayal, condemnation, mocking, flogging, crucifixion, and resurrection on the third day. The disciples still failed to grasp the meaning. In addition to the synoptic reports, the Gospel of John also records references to His death and resurrection prior to it happening: In John 2:19, He said, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up (referring to His body). In John 12:7-8, 13:33, and 14:25, Jesus makes further reference to it. He knew what was going to happen--and it happened!
Old Testament witnesses. Not only did Jesus Himself predict His death and resurrection, but the Old Testament predicted it as well. David wrote in Psalm 16:10, For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. Later in Acts 2:25-31, Peter reveals that the Holy One referred to there is Jesus the Messiah and that God raised Him up in fulfillment of this passage. Isaiah 53 is all about the coming Messiah suffering for man's sin, and verses 10-11 say Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. This passage envisions the resurrection after the payment for sin was complete. Hosea 6:2 is even clearer: After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live in his presence. This not only mentions the Messiah's resurrection, but the fact that is would take place on the third day. Additionally, the story of Jonah being in the big fish three days and then coming out is a type of Christ, and in Matthew 12:40, Jesus used this as a sign.
Hundreds of Eye-Witnesses. First Corinthians 5:6 says there were over 500 witnesses to the Risen Christ. If 500 people testified the same thing in court, I think a jury would be able to reach a verdict. It would be impossible for 500 people to plan an elaborate lie and keep their stories straight. There are a lot of individual accounts of Jesus appearing to people after His resurrection. The women at the tomb encountered Jesus in Matthew 28:9-10. Mary Magdalene met the risen Lord in John 20:11-18. Two disciples met Him on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-35, and shortly after this, Jesus appeared to ten of His original disciples in Luke 24:36 (Judas was dead, and Thomas was absent that day). He appeared to them all again with Thomas present in John 20:24-29. Later in First Corinthians 15:7, it is said He appeared to James (almost undoubtedly referring to Jesus' half-brother), and the next verse says Jesus appeared last of all to Saul (later Paul). We know that that appearance was after His ascension into Heaven, but Paul really did see Jesus with His eyes on the road to Damascus in Acts 9. There's something about these eye-witnesses. Many died for their belief in what they had seen. People aren't usually willing to die for a lie. There are even hostile witnesses whose testimony inadvertently support the belief in the resurrection, such as Flavius Josephus, Tacitus, Celsus and others.
Once I have established evidence for the most powerful claim in our faith, I then visit these other things--evidence of scripture, scientific observation that seem to support Intelligent Design, etc.
Important things to keep in mind
Don't expect people to drop to their knees in repentance when you share evidence to support your faith. Many people have long-held beliefs that won't be undone in one conversation. Just expect that God used you to give them something to think about. You might have planted a seed. You might have watered an earlier-planted seed. And in some instances, maybe you will be the one God uses to harvest it.
Be respectful, even when your opponent isn't. It undoes your testimony when you state truth in an unkind way or insult the opposing view. Being polite earns you the right to share with them.
Most importantly, persuasive arguments won't ultimately save anyone. Knowing apologetics is useful to bolster your own faith and give people things to consider, but Romans 10:17 says, Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. God's Word, in the hand of the Holy Spirit, will open people's eyes to their need for Christ. Extra-biblical evidence is helpful, but our faith needs to rest in God and His word. We can be encouraged by outside evidence, but that can't be where we rest our faith. I know I have a tendency to get really wrapped up in apologetics, but I can lose sight of the main thing--the actual Bible itself. While we're defending our faith, we need to keep reinforcing it in our own lives. Stay in church. Stay in the Word. Stay accountable to other Christians. Stay faithful in prayer. Witnessing can be apologetic, but first and foremost, it is sharing God's message from His word, relying on the Holy Spirit to convict hearts. Paul wrote in First Corinthians 2:4, And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. It can be so easy to get into man's wisdom, but God's word is sufficient. Apologetics helps, but the Bible and the Holy Spirit are primary.
The next time someone asks you for the reason of your faith, I hope you are ready! 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 you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (First Peter 3:15).
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