Introduction
The term apologetics (Greek: ἀπολογία) simply means to give a "verbal
defense". The biblical basis for this comes from the Apostle Peter who wrote "Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope,
always be ready to explain it." I Peter 3:15 NLT
After reading the books, Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline Letters, and all the other Epistles, one can not fail to understand that the Early Church was following the Great Commission [1] given to us by Jesus -and- defending their faith with words, and signs and wonders. In the centuries that followed, Origen, Tertullian, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Augustine of Hippo were notable apologists who clarified the orthodox theologies that remain today. It was during the Early Church history that the Second Synod of Orange and the First Seven Ecumenical Councils occurrred [2]. They gave us among many other decisions and clarifications, Canons of the Synod of Orange [3], the Creed of Nicaea [4], the Apostle's Creed [5], the Creed of Chalcedon [6], and the Statement of Faith of the 3rd Council of Constantinople [7]. Later on, we had the Calvinism -vs- Arminianism debates within the Church [8]. Still later, notable apologists included Thomas Aquinas, a Roman Catholic philsopher, Martin Luther, John Calvin, William Tyndale, and John Wesley who said, "Give me 100 preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God; such alone will shake the gates of hell."
Today, most evangelical teachers can be termed apologists because they teach apologetics to their congregations to enrich their faith in Jesus the Christ. However, there are notable people who concentrate their teachings in the existence of God and how the Bible is God's plan for mankind. They include Josh McDowell, Ravi Zacharias, Norman Geisler, Lutheran John Warwick Montgomery, R. C. Sproul, Lee Strobel, John F. MacArthur, the late Presbyterian Frances Schaeffer, the late Walter Ralston Martin, the original Bible Answer Man, and the late evangelist D. James Kennedy. We may not agree with every theological view they adhere to, but we agree to disagree because the items we disagree all fall within the realm of non-essentials.
Christian apologetics also includes God creation. David tells us in Psalm 19, verses 1 - 4, "The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world." The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1:20, "For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God." The scientific works of Barry Setterfield [9]clearly show that science and the Bible do not contradict each other, and scientific fact supports Christian apologetics. Furthermore, Setterfield clearly shows how God wrote the Gospel in the Stars [10] for the whole earth, regardless of what generation of mankind, to know the truth and be set free from the bondage of sin. Reading Setterfield's many articles, one can understand how the Bible assists us in our fundamental understanding of how God created the Universe.
In summary, R. C. Sproul makes reference to I Peter 3:15 when he says "The defense of the faith is not a luxury or intellectual vanity. It is a task appointed by God that you should be able to give a reason for the hope that is in you as you bear witness before the world." How can we do the Great Commission without knowing what we believe and defend it ?
1 "And then he [Jesus] told them, 'Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.' When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs." Mark 16:15-20 NLT
2 The Second Synod of Orange (Canons of the Council of Orange 529)
The First Seven Ecumenical Councils, as commonly understood, are:
- First Council of Nicaea (325)
- First Council of Constantinople (381)
- Council of Ephesus (431)
- Council of Chalcedon (451)
- Second Council of Constantinople (553)
- Third Council of Constantinople (680)
- Second Council of Nicaea (787)
3 Canons of the Synod of Orange (Synod of Orange 529) MS Word doc
These canons greatly influenced the Reformed doctrine of Total Depravity.
4 Creed of Nicaea (First Council of Nicaea 325) MS Word doc
5 Apostle’s Creed (Council of Milan 390) MS Word doc
6 Creed of Chalcedon (Council of Chalcedon 451) MS Word doc
7 Statement of Faith (3rd Council of Constantinople 680) MS Word doc
Monothelitism
8 http://carm.org/calvinism-arminianism-grid
9 http://www.setterfield.org/stargospel.html
10 http://www.setterfield.org/