Sproul - Defending your faith: an introduction to apologetics

DEFENDING YOUR FAITH

Defending Your Faith: An Introduction to Apologetics

Copyright 2003 by R.C.Sproul

Published by Crossway Books
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission
of the publisher, except as provided by USA copyright law.

Cover design: Chris Gilbert, The Design Works Group
www.thedesignworksgroup.com

Cover photo: Ann Cutting/Photonica

First printing 2003

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible,
English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.Used by permission.
All rights reserved.

The Scripture reference marked KJV is from the King James Version of the Bible.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sproul, R.C.(Robert Charles), 1939
Defending your faith: an introduction to apologetics / R.C.Sproul.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 13: 978-1-58134-519-3
ISBN 10: 1-58134-519-4
1.Apologetics.I.Title.
BT1103.S65 2003
239dc21

2003009625

RRD 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07
17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4

CONTENTS

SECTION I
THE APOLOGETIC TASK

SECTION II
THE FOUR ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES OF KNOWLEDGE

SECTION III
NATURAL REASON AND FAITH

SECTION IV
THE CASE FOR GODS EXISTENCE: FOUR POSSIBILITIES

SECTION V
GOD AND THE PHILOSOPHERS

SECTION VI
THE CASE FOR BIBLICAL AUTHORITY

Years ago I was reading a novel (whose title and author escape my memory) in which a dialogue ensued between a priest and a scientist.The scientist remarked acidly, You give me your faith, and I will give you my reason. This glib exchange underscores the widespread assumption in our day that reason and faith are incompatible and antithetical.Religion has been banished from the public square (except in times of national crisis) and exiled to a reservation ruled by faith.Faith is viewed as a subjective, emotive quality leaned upon by the weak or uneducated.It is the opiate of the masses, the bromide for the unintelligent.Faith is a crutch to support the psychologically crippledthose who lack the scientific and sophisticated view of the real world.

The task of this book is to set forth, in a brief and non-technical way, the basic truth claims of Christianity, and to show that at its core Christianity is rational.That which is irrational or absurd is not worthy of either belief or personal commitment.It is the fool who embraces irrationality.To embrace the absurd is to be engaged not in faith but in credulity.

It is one thing to maintain that Christianity is rational, however, and quite another to confuse Christianity with rationalism in any of its many forms.The term rationalism comes loaded with much baggage that cannot be borne by orthodox Christianity.But the problem with rationalism is not reason or rationality.The problem is found in its suffix, the ism.

It is one thing to be human, quite another to embrace humanism.It is one thing to be feminine, quite another to embrace feminism.It is one thing to exist, quite another to embrace existentialism.Likewise, one need not be a rationalist to be rational.

An apologist in the twentieth century once observed that the church has become suspicious of reason because she has suffered the treason of the intellectuals. The loudest guns of criticism fired against historic Christianity have not been salvos launched from outside the church but have been vicious attacks from inside the church.

Enemies of Christianity have recited the mantra that religion rests on blind faith and not reason for so long that many even within the church have actually come to believe it.This demonstrates the maxim that if you repeat a lie often enough people will begin to believe it.

My hope is that people will begin to see that both rational inquiry and empirical research serve to support the truth claims of Christianity and do not undermine it.I share the biblical conviction that it is the fool who says there is no God (Ps.14:1; 53:1).The wise of this world are thereby shown not to be so wise after all.

Christianity is based on far more than naked human reason but by no means upon less.Though divine revelation carries us beyond the limits of rational speculation, it does not sink below the bar of rational intelligibility.

In this book I restrict my concern to the two most crucial issues of apologetics: the existence of God and the authority of the Bible.These are not the most crucial questions of all; the issue of the person and work of Christ is more important ultimately than the question of the authority of the Bible.But from the standpoint of apologetics the strategic priority of the defense of Scripture is clear.If the Bible is established as carrying the weight of divine authority, then its teaching on the person and work of Christ is thereby confirmed.

Defending the faith to the best of our ability is not a luxury or an indulgence in intellectual vanity.It is the task given to each one of us as we bear witness to our faith before the world.I hope this book will help the reader to that end.

R.C.Sproul
Orlando
Easter, 2003

The Apologetic Task

THE TASK OF APOLOGETICS

One major facet of our work at Ligonier Ministries is helping Christians know what they believe and why they believe it.This is the work of apologetics.The task or science of Christian apologetics is primarily concerned with providing an intellectual defense of the truth claims of the faith.The term apologetics comes from the Greek word apologia, which literally means a reasoned statement or a verbal defense. To give an apology, then, unlike the more current definition of Im sorry, is to defend and argue for a particular point of view.

The work of apologetics rests upon a biblical command.We find a mandate in Scripture to defend the faith, a mandate that every Christian must take seriously.In 1 Peter 3:14b-16, the apostle writes,

Have no fear of them [those who would harm you], nor be troubled, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, alwaysbeing prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you fora reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame (emphasis added).

We are exhorted in this passage to stand ready in case anyone asks us to give a reason for our hope as Christians.This, Peter declares, is one way we regard Jesus as the holy Lord.Secondly, notice the ethical emphasis in verse 16: we are to answer all inquirieseven the abusive oneswith gentleness and respect, so that those who revile Christians as evildoers might be ashamed.In this passage we see the reason for and importance of engaging in the task of apologetics.

Apologetics in the Early Church

The church fathers knew this task all too well, for the early Christian community was accused of participating in many devious acts.Leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D.70, Christianity had been viewed by the Roman Empire as a subset or sect of Judaism.But upon the holy citys destruction and the ensuing Diaspora (scattering of the Jews), the separation of Christianity from Judaism became evident.The problem for Christianity was this: Judaism was a legally sanctioned religion in the Roman Empire; Christianity had no such luxury.The practice of the Christian faith was illegal and subject to prosecution.The Christian intellectuals of the time rose up to answer the charges that were leveled against Christianity.