LIBERTY UNIVERSITY JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
A Biblical Case for the Task of Apologetics
A Paper Submitted to
the Faculty of the School of Divinity
in Candidacy for the Degree of
Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (Ed. D) Department of Christian Leadership and
Church Ministries
By
Mary Gracias
Lynchburg, Virginia
9/2022
A Biblical Case for the Task of Apologetics
A number of New Testament passages are key to helping us understand why we should
engage in apologetics and how we should do it. We will consider each of these passages in the
order in which they appear in the New Testament, outlining principles for apologetics that
arises from them as we do so:
Acts 17:1-4 – “He reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving …”
This passage speaks of Paul’s activity in Thessalonica amongst the Jews. He went to where
they were in the synagogue and he “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and
proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead“. Paul started with what these
Jewish people knew, the Old Testament, and sought to convince them from it of the fact that
the Messiah had to die and rise, so that he could then tell them that Jesus was the Christ. He
was making a logical case for the gospel that he proclaimed, removing the barrier in their minds
that said the Messiah could not have suffered as Jesus did. The result was that some were
persuaded and joined Paul and Silas – their persuasion was a necessary precursor to their
"joining", which implies conversion. The word translated “reasoned” is significant because it
means dialogue. Paul’s arguments were not pre-prepared and pre-delivered, they arose in the
context of interaction, questions and debate. This is a vital reminder that apologetics is an
engagement with people. The same word is used throughout Acts to describe Paul’s approach
in different contexts – in Athens both in the synagogue and the market-place (17:17), in Corinth
in the synagogue with Jews and Greeks (18:4) and in Ephesus, first for three months in the
synagogue and then daily over the course of two years in a rented lecture hall (19:8-10).
Biblical apologetics seeks to persuade people of the truth of Christianity so that they can
believe in Jesus
Biblical apologetics is not a theoretical exercise – it engages in dialogue with real people
with real questions
Acts 17:22-34 – “He has given proof of this by raising him from the dead”
In this section of Acts we find Paul in a predominantly Gentile context. His approach to
proclaiming the gospel is quite different from his approach among the Jews described earlier in
the chapter (see above). With the Jews and Gentile God-fearers he started with the Old
Testament Scriptures which were familiar to them and which they already accepted as true. In
Athens, however, he was among Gentiles who were immersed in Greek thinking. His starting
points in communicating his message were therefore:
a) Greek religion – he used a statue dedicated to the “unknown God” as a starting point to
explain that they did not actually know the one true God who had created them. He had
identified a fault-line in their religious thinking – an uncertainty about the true nature and
number of the gods – and he used this foothold to begin to demolish their worldview.
b) Greek philosophy – Paul was sufficiently well-versed in the writings of Greek philosopher
poets to be able to quote one of them (verse 28). He was able to use the truth within their own
belief system, however limited it was, as a platform from which to proclaim the whole message
of God of which that truth was part.
Using these starting points he then dangled before them a hook – that the one true God
has appointed a man to be judge and that the proof of this was that this man had risen from
the dead (verse 31). Whether Paul was cut short at this point by the opposition of some of his
audience (verse 32) or whether he deliberately ended his speech at this point with a ‘cliff-
hanger’ intended to provoke further discussion we cannot be sure. It is important to notice,
however, that he presents the resurrection of Jesus as a key apologetic evidence for the truth
of Christianity. Other New Testament passages show that this confidence in the resurrection as
the proof of Jesus identity was central to the apostles’ proclamation of the gospel (see Acts
2:32; Romans 1:4; 1 Corinthians 15:3ff.)
This record of Paul’s activity in Athens is sometimes criticised as a failure. It is suggested
that it was an attempt by Paul to foray into a different approach and that because it was
unsuccessful he reverted to his typical approach based on the Scriptures in the next city he
visited, Corinth (Acts 18). This claim is unfair, however, as some, albeit “a few”, of Paul’s
listeners in Athens did become Christians including at least one member of the Areopagus
(verse 34). In addition, as we shall see when we consider 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul did use
reason in his work in Corinth. The smaller response among the audience in Athens is likely to
have been because it was a less receptive mission field, one that was steeped in Greek ideas
and therefore whose people were not easily persuaded. The different approaches Paul took in
different cities and contexts should actually be read as a skilful apologetic approach that
understood the culture and found common ground from which to begin to persuade people of
the truth of the gospel. It is an example of Paul becoming “all things to all men” as he told the
Corinthians he normally did for the sake of the gospel (note he was contextualising the same
unchanging gospel into different cultures) so that he could win some people for Christ (1
Corinthians 9:19-23). Apologetics must work from an understanding of the culture and
worldview of the people being reached. It should then start from their current beliefs to build a
case for the Christian faith. Acts 17 is a helpful biblical example of positive apologetics in a
cross-cultural context. The three different responses of people in Paul’s audience (verses 32-34)
also highlight three aims of apologetics:
Some sneered – apologetics seeks to confront false ideas with truth
Some said they wanted to hear more – apologetics seeks to interest people in the claims
of the gospel
Some believed – apologetics seeks to persuade people to believe in Christ
Once again we are reminded that apologetics cannot be separated from evangelism and
that its goal is not simply to win intellectual debates, but to provoke people to consider the
gospel and ultimately to trust in Christ.
Biblical apologetics recognises the resurrection of Jesus as a key argument for the truth
of the gospel
Biblical apologetics starts from an understanding of people’s worldview to build bridges
to Christian truth
Biblical apologetics expects a response – it aims to confront, provoke interest and
persuade
Acts 26:24-29 – “What I am saying is true and reasonable”
In Acts 26 Paul is making a legal defence (an apologia, verse 2) against the accusations of
the Jews before the Roman Governor Festus and King Agrippa, the son of the Herod Agrippa
who had reigned during Jesus’ ministry and execution. After explaining the gospel to Festus
Paul was able to say that his words were both true and reasonable – he appealed to Festus to
listen to his message both because it was true but also because it made sense. There was no
contradiction in Paul’s minds between the gospel and reason, proclaiming the message of Jesus
and using sound arguments for it. Apologetics seeks to show that the Christian message is true
and that it is reasonable, both in terms of internal logical coherence and its power to explain
the world and our experience within it. During this same encounter Paul also turned to King
Agrippa, who was present, and asked him if he believed the prophets. Agrippa felt that Paul
was trying to “persuade” him to be a Christian. A key apologetic argument for Paul, as we have
already seen in Acts 17:1-4, particularly amongst Jews was the fact that Christianity fulfilled Old
Testament prophecy. This was also an important line of argument for the Second Century
apologists and it remains so in modern apologetics.
Biblical apologetics seeks to show that the Christian message is both true and reasonable
Biblical apologetics recognises fulfilled prophecy as an important line of evidence for the
truth of the gospel
Romans 1:18-20, 2:14-15 – “what may be known about God … God has made … plain to
them”
These passages are important because they lay the foundation for the classical approach to
apologetics. Paul speaks of two kinds of testimony that are available even to people who have
not known the Scriptures or the gospel. These are what we might call general revelation since
they are available to everyone, but contrast with special revelation (Scripture and the gospel)
which only some have heard. The two witnesses are:
a) Creation (1:18-20) God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, are seen
in what He has made. Paul is not claiming that people can know all that can be known about
God from Creation, but that some things about Him can be known. Most importantly it is
possible, and logical, to know from creation that God exists, and we can also say some things
about what He is like – for example He must be intelligent, rational, powerful and capable of
relationships. As a result, men are “without excuse” (verse 20) if they fail to acknowledge God’s
existence. This phrase is significant as it translates the Greek word anapologētoi – literally they
are “without an apology” or “without a defence”. Paul continues in the rest of chapter 1 to
describe how mankind wilfully abandoned their knowledge about God, replacing Him with
other gods, with the result that God abandoned them to their own desires which, left without a
check, led them to every kind of sinful behaviour.
b) Conscience (2:15) The requirements of the law are written on their hearts. Once again Paul is
not saying that every aspect of God’s law can be deduced from the human conscience or that it
is a fool-proof guide as to what is right and wrong. The conscience has been damaged by sin
and people can even numb their own conscience by repeatedly ignoring it, but still Paul argues
that the conscience can act as a guide in morality. There is a universal law written on human
hearts.
Based on these verses we should expect to be able to build bridges to the Christian faith
from both people’s observations about the world (science) and their innate sense of morality
(conscience). We can construct arguments for God’s existence from the recognition of design in
nature and the experience of goodness and guilt in the human heart. It must be noted that
Paul’s primary concern in Romans 1-2 is with explaining how nature and conscience leave
human beings without excuse and justifies God’s righteous judgement of all people, but it is still
valid to conclude from what he says that these means of ‘general revelation’ can speak to
people about the truth of the gospel.
Biblical apologetics can develop arguments for God’s existence from the nature of the
universe and from human nature
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 – “We demolish arguments … and we take captive every thought”
In these verses Paul describes his ministry in terms of warfare against spiritual strongholds
that take the form of arguments and pretensions set against the knowledge of God. This
provides a basis for offensive apologetics (the sense is of actively storming strongholds rather
than taking a defensive stance), although it is likely that this will not be the task of every
believer but a specific calling of some, like Paul, whom God has called for this purpose. It is
essential to remember that apologetics is a spiritual enterprise, no less than evangelism, and so
we should approach it prayerfully and with care.
Biblical apologetics is part of spiritual warfare against powers hostile to God – it must be
surrounded by prayer
Biblical apologetics at a higher intellectual level is a ministry entrusted by God to specific
individuals
Philippians 1:7, 16 – “defending and confirming the gospel”
Paul is in prison because he has engaged in defending the gospel (verse 17). This process
includes both defending and confirming the message – clearly Paul engaged in both defensive
and offensive apologetics. Notice, however, that it is the gospel that Paul defends and confirms.
For him the task of apologetics always led to the gospel. We must never separate apologetics
from evangelism, since it is the gospel that saves, not simply evidential and philosophical proofs
of God’s existence and Christ’s historicity. We must seek to lead people to the message of the
cross, the claims of Christ and the implications for their lives.
Biblical apologetics involves both defending the gospel against attack and proactively
building a case for the gospel
Biblical apologetics should always lead to the gospel, since it is the gospel that saves
1 Peter 3:13-16 – “Always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have”
This passage provides a firm basis for defensive apologetics (dealing with questions people
ask) as it envisages believers providing an answer to those who ask them why they have such
hope. It teaches several key principles for apologetics. Firstly, apologetics is the task of all
believers, not simply an intellectual elite – all should be prepared to give a defence. Secondly,
arguments cannot be separated from the power of a provocative lifestyle – people should see
our hope and ask us about it and our good behaviour should make the strongest case for the
truth we declare. We should be eager to “do good” and this includes being eager to share our
faith with others. Thirdly, our confidence comes from knowing that Christ is Lord (Peter’s quote
from Isaiah 8:12 in verse 14 of his letter actually identifies Jesus as the LORD Almighty) – fear of
Him is the antidote to fear of man. Fourthly, our attitude in engaging should be humility (not
placing confidence in ourselves but in God) and fear of God (“respect” in verse 15 really means
reverence for God, not respect for the people who ask us or for their beliefs, although proper
respect is also important in our witness according to 1 Peter 2:17).
Consider the following tagline from an apologetics website:
Designed to help you engage your neighbors with hard-hitting evidence as to why society
cannot survive without Christian truth, and why it is indeed true. It is vital that believers be
equipped in the battle to defend Christian truth.
It is difficult to see how this language is consistent with humility here. Do we really need to
be “hard-hitting” in our answers and do we really want to “battle to defend”? Of course, we
realise that there is a spiritual battle ongoing (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-5) but we need to realise
that the enemy is the spiritual forces that blind and ensnare people rather than the people
themselves. We can use strong arguments without being “hard-hitting” towards the people we
speak to. Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli write:[11]
Apologetic arguments are like military hardware... In this warfare we defend reason as well
as faith, for reason is the friend of truth, and unfaith is untrue. In defending the faith we take
back territory of the mind that is rightfully ours, or rather God’s... But the warfare is against
unbelief, not unbelievers... The goal of apologetics is not victory but truth. Both sides win.
This passage helps us to overcome some common barriers Christians identify when thinking
about evangelism and apologetics:
• Lack of interest:
a) On their part – “everyone who asks you” – our different lives should provoke an interest
in them
b) On our part – “if you are eager to do good” – we ought to have a desire to bless others by
sharing our hope
• Lack of distinctiveness:
a) Our actions – “good ... conscience ... conduct” – we must have clear consciences to have
confidence in sharing
b) Our attitude – “Do not fear their fears ... your hope” – do we react differently to the
challenges of this world?
• Lack of confidence – fear of:
a) Rejection – “do not be afraid. Rather set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts” – who do we
fear? Man or God?
b) Getting it wrong – “with humility” – we don’t have to have all the right answers; we point to
Christ, not ourselves
Biblical apologetics at the level of explaining the reason for our hope is the task of all
believers – all should be prepared
Biblical apologetics is pointless without a consistent Christian lifestyle – our hope and
goodness is the greatest apologetic
Biblical apologetics draws confidence from the Lordship of Christ – fear of God eliminates
fear of man
Biblical apologetics must be practiced with the correct attitude – humility and
dependence on God
