Think Update #12 — Defending the Truth God's Way

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Some Housekeeping

Before we dig into the meat, here are a few hors-d'oeuvres 

You can now access the Think Update archives here. There's a lot of great content that was just gathering dust in the proverbial Think Institute attic, and I'm glad to break these bad boys out and let them see the light of day again. Feel free to peruse them and tell me what you find that's helpful.

#ThinkPod

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If you haven't done so yet, please let us an honest, five-star rating and review. That really helps us get the word out. 

For those new to the ThinkPod, here are three recent episodes to get you started: 

Discipling Your Kids?

Big thanks to everyone who's bought a copy of Catakids! lately. I hope it helps you train up your young'ns in the way they should go. Anyone can get a physical copy of that on Amazon for about 5 bucks US or as a download for free on the Think Institute website. 

Calling All Christian Culture Builders

Recently I hosted a live "room" chat with some brothers from the Christian Culture Builders group on Facebook. We carried on for way too long, given that most of us had early mornings ahead of us, talking theology, church life, marriage, winning the culture for Christ and other strategic matters, etc. It was a great time, and you can get in on the next one by joining the group here. There is a lot of valuable information shared in that group about, well, building Christian culture. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, c'mon in. 

This Is One Of The Coolest Things We Do

Coming soon: The Hammer & Anvil Society will be opening up for applicants from anywhere in the world. This is our semi-secretive, "sinister-saintly society" (as my friend Romi Olariu puts it), which focuses on investing men with the knowledge, skills and motivation to win "decisive points" for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their cities and neighborhoods. I don't have any info for public consumption on this right now, but email me if you want to learn more: thethink.institute@gmail.com. And watch out for more news on this.

Two New Podcasts From Guys You May Already Know

Oh, and if you like podcasts on theology, philosophy and apologetics (and I'll just bet you do), check out these two new podcasts from friends of the Think Institute: 

Apologetics and Holiness

Later this week, I'll be down representing the Think Institute at the Cruciform Conference down in Indy, where I'll be teaching a breakout on apologetics.

Apologetics is the spiritual discipline of defending the truth of the Christian message (John Frame's definition), and the theme of Cruciform this year is "Holiness." So I'll be teaching on the relationship between holiness and apologetics.

Now 1 Peter 3:15 is often called the "charter verse for Christian apologetics," and we can get a pretty good picture of the relationship between apologetics and holiness by studying that verse in its immediate context. 

1 Peter 3:13-17 reads like this: 

"13 Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them or be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16 Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil."

The apostle begins (vv. 13-14) and ends (v. 17) with the recognition that suffering for the sake of righteousness is a very real possibility in this world. Because we live in a fallen world, filled as it is with unbelievers, our interactions with our neighbors will sometimes be characterized by friction.

We've all experienced this. 

This friction can take the form of outright mocking and slander (v. 16) or worse, or it can be something as simple as being asked to to explain why you seem to have so much joy (v. 15). Peter says when friction arises, you must be ready with a defense. The Greek word in verse 15 translated as "defense" is ἀπολογία (apologia), from which we get our word apologetics. And in this short passage, Peter lays out some guidelines for how to do apologetics right.

The big idea in this passage is this: Effective Apologetics is rooted in holiness, not fear.

To unpack what the Apostle has to teach us about apologetics, I want to ask three questions of the text: 

  1. What should be our motivation for apologetics?

  2. What is our standard for apologetics?

  3. What is the goal of apologetics?

Let's start with...

The Motivation for apologetics.

Before Peter tells us what should motivate us, he tells us what shouldn't. And that's fear. He says (quoting Isaiah 8:12) that we should not "fear them or be intimidated" (v. 14). In other words, we should not let fear reign in our hearts.

This is often easier said than done. After all, persecution, in its most extreme forms, is scary. It's something we want to avoid. We don't like pain—whether physical or mental. And even less-extreme instances can present the possibility of real mental pain. We want to be perceived as smart; we fear being looked at as ignorant, anti-intellectual or simpleminded. The idea of being ridiculed hurts. In all instances, fear can be a factor.  

Rather than fear, what should reign in the Christian's heart? Answer: the holiness of Christ. Don't be alarmed, Peter says, "but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy..." (v. 15). The verb Peter uses, ἁγιάζω (hagiazo), translates best as "hallow," which is a wonderful, vintage English word meaning  something like "consecrate" or "venerate." This veneration of Christ, this "hallowing him as Lord," is the proper foundation for apologetics. 

The holiness of Christ is the motivation for apologetics.

Now how will we know if we're doing it right? This brings us to...

Our Standard for Apologetics.

What should your apologetic look like? How should it be done? And how will you know if you've done it right?

Well, it would make sense that if we start with Christ's holiness as our motivation, then our standard would also be related to Christ. That is, our apologetical approach should look a lot like Christlikeness. And that is what Peter says, is it not? Look at verse 16, where he says to give your defense "with gentleness and reverence." Do those words not describe our Lord? 

So then, just as we are not to be motivated by fear, neither are we to conduct ourselves with brashness or disrespect toward our opponents. As a disciple of Jesus, you are to do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:31); even while engaging in robust apologetical debate, we must never lose sight of the fact that your opponent is a fellow image-bearer of God (Genesis 1:27), and that, while today he may disbelieve, tomorrow he could be your brother in Christ (1 Corinthians 6:11). 

This is extra challenging, because the world does not play by the same rules. Worldlings may feel free to slander (v. 16), to lie about you, to abandon all reason and logic in debate, pulling out all the stops to utterly obliterate you—to "cancel" you. This can't be the case with you, Christian. With Christ's holiness motivating you, your apologetic, your defense, must be characterized by gentleness toward your opponent, and reverence toward God and the one who bears his image. 

Peter isn't the only one to lay out this expectation, either. Jude and Paul give similar commands: 

"Have mercy on those who waver; save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh" (Jude 1:22-23) (emphasis added).

"The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth" (Paul, in 2 Timothy 2:24-25).

In other words, be gentle. Make it your goal to see your opponent saved, and comfort yourself in such a way that, should he become your brother in Christ, you'll have nothing about which to be embarrassed or to apologize for.

This is our standard.

Now, finally, let's discuss... 

The Goal of Apologetics

The goal is readiness—you are to be ready with a defense at all times, according to verse 15—and to give your defense in such a way that your opponents are put to shame. You want them to become embarrassed. That's not me making that up. Read verse 16 for yourself again: 

"Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame" (emphasis added).

That this is our goal is clear by Peter's use of "so that." In the Greek it is ἵνα (hina), meaning "in order that." Peter says that the intended purpose, the "in order that" of your apologetic is to shame your opponent.

And what is it that shames your opponent? It is the combination of your ready defense and your "your good conduct in Christ."

Put together everything Peter is saying here. He says that you should expect to be mistreated and slandered, even when you've done nothing wrong. You should expect to have your hope challenged, and you need to be ready to present an apologetic for the reason for your hope, with gentleness and reverence, not resorting to slander or dirty tactics yourself. And then your opponent, who so badly wants to pin some bad behavior on you, will have no way of substantiating his slander. And he'll be made to look foolish, and he will be ashamed. 

Now the outcome which we ultimately want to see is not just the embarrassment of our opponent, because even that is a means to an end. Go back and check out 2 Timothy 2:25 again to see what I mean: "Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth." So how could embarrassment lead to repentance and conversion? The Lord often uses such circumstances to humble or shame a person, so that he or she will see the futility of trusting in self, and see the need for trusting in Christ. 

A well-executed apologetic, then, delivered according to God's standard, can go a long way toward our opponent's salvation, especially when our apologetic is motivated by Christ's holiness and not fear of man. 

What Does Apologetics Motivated By Fear of Man Look Like?

In my talk at Cruciform, I'll dive deeper into apologetical approaches that often stem more from fear than to Christ's holiness. I will also lay out a simple, biblical, three-step method for defending the faith. But that will have to wait for another Think Update, because this one has gone on long enough. If you're still reading, kudos to you!

 By the way, my talk is going to be called, "How to Embarrass Your Opponents While Glorifying Christ." If you'd pray for me as I continue to plan and present it this week, I'd appreciate it. 

Until Next Time

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I'm glad you're joining us on this journey. As I always say to close out the Think Podcast, I hope it made you think.

Your brother in Christ,

Joel Settecase

Founder | The Think Institute

thethink.institute@gmail.com

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