Apologetics: The Basics
Session 1 – Introduction, Part One

Apologia

Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you
for a reason for the hope that is in you. – 1 Peter 3:1

Apologetics – Defending the Faith

This is the intellectual side of the Christian faith…so…
It’s not about what we like, or what ‘works’, but what is TRUE

What we will cover

  • Introduction to Apologetics
    • 12 Principles
    • Tactics
    • Being an Ambassador
  • The 4 Points: the ‘pro’ case for Christianity***
    • Point 1: Truth is knowable
    • Point 2: God Exists
    • Point 3: The New Testament is historically reliable*
    • Point 4: Jesus proved he is God
  • Answering objections
    • Evil and suffering
    • Darwin
    • Genesis 1 and the age of the universe
    • Other arguments
  • 95 PERCENT of likely objections have been covered
  • Final Argument+close

Disclaimer

I am convinced of the truthfulness of what I will share but I make no claim of omniscience…I could be wrong!
FEEL FREE TO DISAGREE!
If you do disagree, do so by examining the evidence and making your own case. I think my arguments are sound and my case is really solid, but your conclusions are up to you and no one else!

Fast pace…don’t take notes…will give references…e.g. 4 Points from Geisler/Turek

Some Benefits of Apologetics

Believers: builds confidence and security, encourages witnessing + a rock during the storms of life

Kids: equips them to face the intellectual challenges of a hostile world
Survive and THRIVE

Pew Research…Why Kids Leave Their Faith

  • Independence
  • Family Breakdown
  • Militant Secularism
  • Lack of role models
  • Church irrelevance
  • Relative Morality
  • Intellectual Doubt
  • Atheist popularity
  • Tolerance Abuse
  • Rebellion

Non-believers: can bring them closer to the truth of Jesus Christ by helping eliminate roadblocks

Culture: re-establishes the uniqueness of Christianity as an intellectually honest faith, not a blind one

Faith And Truth
What is the relationship between faith and truth?

Suggestion… Definition of Biblical ‘faith’
Biblical ‘saving’ faith is an ‘active trust’ that is built on a foundation of truth!

“Faith in the Christian sense goes beyond reason, but NOT against it.” – Paul Little

“For this I was born and for this reason I came into the world, to …”? – John 18:37

“For this I was born and for this reason I came into the world, to TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH”? – John 18:37

The Church’s Great Blunder
“All people want to hear is the difference that Jesus has made in your life”.

“If you keep asking fact based (mind) questions and you keep getting faith based (heart) answers…of course you are going to step away from that version of religion.” – Andy Stanley

Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind. Matthew 22:37

I am the way, the truth… John 4:6

What else does the Bible say about it?

Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. However, do this with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3:15

Test all things. Hold on to what is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:5-6

We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God. 2 Corinthians 10:5

Test the spirits to determine if they are from God. 1John 4:1

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ. Philippians 1:9-10

It has NEVER been knowledge OR love,
it has ALWAYS been knowledge AND love.

Until the last 150 years anyway.

The Greatest Apologists

  • 1st Century: the Apostle Paul
  • 4th Century: Augustine of Hippo
  • 13th Century: Thomas Aquinas
  • 1940s and 50s: CS Lewis
  • 1960s: Paul Little
  • 1970s – now: 
  • Ravi Zacharias, Greg Koukl, Frank Turek, Gary Habermas, many more!

Jesus Christ: Constantly giving ‘evidences’…

  • Luke 5: 17-26
  • Luke 7: 18-23
  • John 14:11

One Final Thought

Thru this series, we give evidences and make arguments…but underneath every syllable is one question…at the end of the day it is the only question that matters…WHO IS JESUS?
So I am going to make and defend the case that Jesus is who he said he is and he did what we think he did…
We are going to take some time to cover a lot of ground and you may be thinking you have way too many other things to deal with…your work, your family, your education…the many concerns of this life that tend to consume our attention…but consider this…
In the Old Testament there is the story of a man who sold the birthright that gave him wealth, power and status..sold it for a bowl of stew. And you would think, as the rest of us do, what an incredibly stupid, short sighted thing for him to do.
And yet, if the case I will attempt to make in this series is actually correct, then at the end of the day it is about giving up something far more valuable than a birthright, for something far less than a bowl of stew.
Jesus told the story of a beggar who spent his life outside the gate of a rich man. But in eternity it was the rich man begging for just a drop of water from the hand of his former beggar.
As Jesus asked, “what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but lose his soul?”

If my case is correct, there is nothing more important than getting this one question right.

Take whatever time you need to get this one question right…WHO IS JESUS?

Don’t trade your birthright for a bowl of stew.

Know WHAT you believe!
Know WHY you believe it!