Apologetics Within the Church

Introduction

I now want to turn our attention to apologetics within the church. Apologetics has always been done within the church. There examples throughout church history that we are going to look at today. When we think about apologetics within the church there are two primary ways to think about it, the first is by the pastor from the pulpit. That was the topic of my discussion last night for the ministers so we will not dwell there today. The second is in all of the other areas of the church even into the church members.

As we get started lets prime our brains by asking what are some apologetic issues that you might face within the church?

Biblical inerrancy

Deconstruction

Cultural issues

etc.

So with so many issues that face us within knowledge of apologetics within the church is paramount for church life.

The Early Church

In the early church it was somewhat common for someone to write an apology, and no this is not someone saying that they are sorry. An apology is a written defense of something in the faith. It is related to the word apologetic.

Has anyone read any of the early Churches apologies?

Lets think about some of these and then we will see how they can be relevant to us today.

Justin Martyr’s first and second apology

In this time Christians were being accused of atheism and immoral behavior because they refused to worship pagan gods. This writing is addressed to Emperor Antoninus Pius and it defends against these accusations.

The work tells us that Christians are loyal and moral citizens so they are not threats to the empire. Through this he also tells that Christianity is true philosophy that fulfills what philosophers are seeking. He then goes on to explain basic beliefs about how Christians worship, what the Lords Supper is, and baptism.

In his second apology he follows this up with addressing further misunderstandings. This focuses in on persecution and martyrdom.

In this work he shows that it is irrational to persecute Christians for their faith, and that the hope of Christians is set in resurrection and eternal life. He also exposes pagan gods as demonic.

Here is a quote that captures the essence of some of the things that he was saying;

“We worship God alone, but in a reasonable manner, and we gladly proclaim and teach as we have been commanded and as we have learned from Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.” (First Apology, Chapter 6)

Why do you think he was writing this to the emperor?

Origen’s Contra Celsum

This next one I want to mention is different from Justin Martyrs, this apology acts as a response to a work called The True Word by the philosopher Celsus. This work by Celsus is a critique of Christianity.

The themes that Origen covers are the compatibility of faith and reason, he refutes claims that Christianity is irrational or unoriginal, and then defends the divinity of Christ, the resurrection, and the reliability of the gospels.

Here is a quote from this work that will give you a feel for it;

“We do not disregard the knowledge that is useful in life; rather, we aim to distinguish between that which is true and that which is false, taking the truth as our guide and rejecting the falsehoods.” (Contra Celsum, 1.11)

How does the purpose of this writing differ from that of Justin Martyr?

Irenaeus’ Against Heresies

There are so many that I could cover here today but I want to end looking at early church apologies with Irenaeus’ Against Heresies. This writing refutes the heresies of gnosticism and other heresies that distort Christian doctrine.

In it he argues for the unity of the Old and New Testaments, the centrality of the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ, and the affirmation of the apostles teaching and the scriptures.

Here is a quote from this writing;

“We have learned from none others the plan of our salvation, than from those through whom the Gospel has come down to us, which they did at one time proclaim in public, and, at a later period, by the will of God, handed down to us in the Scriptures, to be the ground and pillar of our faith.” (Against Heresies, 3.1.1)

How is this apology similar to that of Origen?

Early church wrap up

In all of these there was a different purpose. Justin Martyr defended the faith against the Emperor to protect Christians. Origen defended it against another writer that was spreading lies about the Christian faith. Irenaeus defended it against a heretical group that was gaining prominence in his time.

Each of them also only addressed issues that were pressing towards their purpose and the false beliefs of the time. Later the Trinity will become a prominent topic that needs defending but it is not for these three guys.

How can we take this practice of the early church and apply it today?

Points for the Modern Church

I think that there are a few points that we should grasp in the modern church so that we can defend the faith inside and out.

1. Confront Issues

The first is that we should be more ready to confront issues. In the past when a major issue came up they didn’t brush it off, they wrote a stinking book over it. Yes often these books were addressed to specific people but how do we read them? Because they were available.

In what ways can we confront the issues we face in the context of our church?

2. Know Doctrine

The second thing that I think we should do is know doctrine, even down the the last church member. We should all be well versed in the doctrine of the church, the doctrine found in the Bible. In the early church the guys that were writing these apologies and confronting these issues were no slouches, they knew their stuff.

In the days of the Roman Catholic church before the reformation the Bible was not in the language of the people and the services were conducted in a language that many did not understand. They were at the helm of their leaders who often led them astray. Personal knowledge of doctrine can help you to defend the faith in every day life and it can also help you defend the faith from false teachers from within. If you don’t know your Bible and don’t know doctrine your pastor can get up there and say whatever he wants and you can’t tell the truth from the lie. This is why this is so important, within the church we need to defend the truth and stand for the word of God. We need to do this in our public life as well as in our church life. Sometimes the issues that we need to confront are within.

How can we study doctrine specifically for the purpose of apologetics? What about in a church setting?

Conclusion

So whether there is an issue outside of your church that is attacking it or a debate from within apologetics should play a part in the handling of these issues. We should not shy away fro them but we should know our Bible well enough to confront these issues and defend what the Bible truly says through them.

This can be an outside organization that is coming at you, it could be an issue that comes up through a discussion in a Sunday school class. Just know that you do not have to be the pastor to defend the truth in church. Now there may come a time where the pastor needs to get involved and at that point you continue to defend the truth under his leadership.

Through doing this within the church, the church will be strengthened. Biblical knowledge will be sharpened, and unity will be made. So do not separate apologetics from the church.

Is there any other relevant points for apologetics within the church that were missed and you want to discuss?