Defending the Faith in a Hostile World
We Are at War!
There is a war going on in the world today, and I’m not talking about Ukraine or other visible wars. This war is against us, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We see it all around us in the perverse and wicked ideologies that have been in the works for decades, but have crept in and taken over most noticeably in the past few years.
We see this all around us, not only in the secular world, but among those who have named the name of Christ. A great many who once professed Christ have turned away. A great percentage of young Christians do not believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Countless pastors, teachers, and counsellors do not believe God’s Word is sufficient for every aspect and instance in our lives, and they are caving in to the ideologies of our day.
It is more important today than ever before, that we know the Lord Jesus Christ not only as our Saviour, but as our Lord and King. And the only way to know Him is to know His Word. If we are faltering in our faith, how will we be able to stand when the battle hits us personally? And it will, if it hasn’t already. It is possible there are those who are unaware of the turmoil and chaos in the world around us — or they see it from afar and think it doesn’t affect them. But it will at some point affect all of us. When that time comes, we must know Whose we are, and Whom we serve.
We are at war, whether we realize it or not. The Bible tells us that, and identifies who the real enemy is. It’s not the government or the people whose ideologies are turning our society upside down. No. The real enemy — the real war — is in the spiritual realm. The enemies we see are only their tools.
Each one of us is here for a purpose. God’s purpose. He has placed you exactly where He wants you right now. Your purpose is to grow in your knowledge of Him, and stand firm for His truth. And you have a job to do. You don’t have to go looking for what that job is — stay close to Him, and He will show you.
Be Prepared to Make a Defense
I Peter 3:12-17
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?
14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may 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.
“Apologetics” is a word you may have heard of, but not known what it means. I’ve been watching a number of apologists online, and always thought, “I could never do that!” Probably I never will be as good as they are, but the truth is, apologetics is a fancy word for something simple that all of us as believers need to be doing.
Voddie Baucham is a former pastor, currently serving as Dean of the School of Divinity at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia. In the video below, he puts it this way…
Apologetics is knowing what you believe, and why you believe it, and being able to communicate that to others in a winsome and effective manner. That’s how we destroy arguments.
Take every thought captive. Think through these things. Develop your own biblical, theological understanding in these areas. Hold fiercely to biblical truth. This is the way we will navigate through these waters.