by Rob Lundberg
Some time ago, we were walking through a great little apologetics book by Norman Geisler and Joseph Holden, entitled Living Out Loud: Defending Your Faith, as part of our family apologetics discipleship and training in our home.
In thinking what apologetics does and what apologetics does not do, I am often reminded that there is difference between having an “accidental faith” (having a faith “that” something is true) versus what it means to have an “evidential faith” (having “faith in” something being true). What is the difference between these phrases?
A Common “Real Life” Illustration
I am sure many folks might share this real life illustration that I am about to share. Allow me to start off by saying that many professing Christians today have what could be considered an “accidental faith.” They “believe that” there is a God that exists. They “believe that” Jesus died on a cross for our sins. They “believe that” He rose from the dead. All of these facts are true, and embraced by all Bible believing Christians. But if you were to ask the average believer, they really have not been equipped to articulate why these cardinal truths are true.
One of the most annoying sounds for anyone is hearing fingernails going down a chalkboard. Something very similar is when someone who is big on old fashioned evangelism has told me that one does not need to have reasons for their faith. What is the rationale to this statement?
For the one making this comment, the thinking is that in sharing the gospel you are going after the conscience. But the conscience is where conviction resides. What produces convictions? Facts that are true, once investigated, produce the conviction for those facts being true. Investigating facts involves using the mind, which is part of the soul. The soul, being a multichotomous{1] facet of our being, is popularly broken down to the mind[2], the will, and the emotions (which are seated in the heart [3]). So if one uses the mind, evidences cannot be avoided.
In fact the King James Bible calls faith, “the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” So if evangelism goes after the conscience, “belief in” is not a mindless exercise. Also if we are to say that one does not need reasons to believe, why believe anything to be true? Why believe that I need Jesus to be my Savior? It makes no sense what so ever.
So having said all this as preamble, the purpose of this post is to discuss this whole idea of the difference between having an “accidental faith” is insufficient for a truly biblical faith; and how an “evidential faith” makes a real biblical faith robust.
Where does apologetics begin and stop?
The first thing we need to get straight here is that apologetics has its limits and really cannot make anyone a Christian. At the same time it does and is used by the Holy Spirit to clear away obstacles that are hindering saving faith. Think of a snow plow pushing the piles of snow that some of us might experience during the winter. The plow pushes the snow away so that we can drive on our roads. Or if you are the agrarian type, think of the farmer with a plowing the field, breaking up hard ground, so that the farmer can sow his seeds. In like manner, spiritually speaking, apologetics clears away the questions and the doubts, so that the gospel can burst through to the unbeliever.
Let me see if I can give you another illustration. You have heard the expression that “you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink?” The horse is the only one who can make the decision to drink from the trough. It is very similar with regards to salvation. Apologetics shows an unbeliever that Jesus is the Water of life, but there must be a conviction, and a work of the Holy Spirit drawing to make the decision to “drink” the evidence. The unbeliever is drawn to the decision to drink and accept the gospel truth. This is difference between what I have put in the title, “faith that” and “faith in.”
How does apologetics help?
Apologetics helps the unbeliever see that Jesus is the way to salvation. But it is the role of the Holy Spirit to convince and draw the unbeliever to place his faith in Jesus. Check out the last verse of John’s gospel, “but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)
So, apologetics can demonstrate that Jesus is the way to Heaven by providing evidences who He is, what He accomplished in His life, death and resurrection. “Faith in” Jesus can only be achieved through the conviction of the Holy Spirit drawing the person to make a decision. That decision may be aided by apologetics but it is apart from apologetics because of the Holy Spirit working in both the pre-evangelistic conversation and the sharing of the gospel (Romans 1:16).
To put it another way, apologetics can only go so far. Limitations do not lessen the role of apologetics and the part it plays in this post Christian culture in bringing someone closer to Christ. The unbeliever cannot believe in God until he first believes that God exists (Hebrews 11:6).
Let me conclude with an illustration
Here is a summation on how all this fleshes out. . .
|
Faith “that” God exists |
Faith “in” God |
|
Is an area for apologetics |
Is an area for evangelism |
|
Addresses the mind |
Addresses the will |
|
The Holy Spirit uses reason and evidence |
Requires the Holy Spirit |
|
Comes before faith in |
Comes after faith that |
|
Points the person to Jesus |
Encourages trust in Jesus |
You see, if one just places their trust in Jesus without any reason for it, their faith is blind, and will not last when difficult times come. Apologetics and evangelism are not enemies. And as I mentioned in my most recent podcast, evidence is the not the enemy of faith.
In fact at this time in our history more than ever we need to consider changing our method of reaching people without compromising the message. We need to revert back to the type of evangelism done by the first century apostles, by doing pre-evangelism (apologetics, a.k.a “conversational evangelism”) with many people who do not have faith in Christ or even have no intention of believing in Him.
To omit apologetics in our evangelism in a post truth culture, is foolishness and irresponsible to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
If we leave out the Holy Spirit in evangelism, we have only shown the unbeliever how smart we are and affirmed to our brothers and sisters holding to an “accidental faith” that we are nothing more than rationalistic Christians.[4] But if we leave out apologetics in our evangelism, particularly in our post truth culture, we show the skeptic that we have our faith in Jesus with no reasons to believe what and why we believe it to be true.
On a practical Christian level though in the midst of difficult times, we may need to tap into some apologetic reasons to help us believe that the God of the Bible has given us His Word so that we can believe in, trust in, and have faith in its truthfulness.
Conclusion
If you do not think apologetics has any relevancy in today’s culture, here’s what we’re left with. If we go after the mind, we have an opportunity to get to the will through the leading and work of the Holy Spirit. The result is a faith that Christianity is true which will bring forth a conviction and a faith in Christ. IF we go just after the will, what is the result? The product is a faith that has no reasons to believe when it comes under fire. IF we have a faith which has no reasons to give when the questions come from professors and skeptical peers we have the potential to be talked out of our blind faith. Sure, you have a biblical faith in Jesus. But why do you have a biblical faith that Jesus is worth believing in? Why not believe that Muhammad or Buddha provide the right way of faith?
Apologetics is not an enemy to evangelism. It is in fact the biblical handmaiden to evangelism. We need both. To not have both leads to a faith that produces no strong convictions. We need to be able to lovingly and humbly articulate why Christianity is relevant in a culture that shows a church becoming more and more irrelevant in many arenas of our culture. To do otherwise is disobedience to Scripture, starting at the Great Commandment of Matthew 22:36-37, 1 Peter 3:15-17 and several other passages.
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Notes
[1] A big word to denote something being divided into three or more pieces.
[2] The mind is not the brain, as some materialist atheists might presuppose.
[3] The heart in this context is not the organ, but the seat of the emotions.
[4] I had a well meaning Christian challenge me asking me where is my faith because I had the ability to share all kinds of evidences.
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Rob is a blogger, writer and public speaker on a mission to equip the believer to think and articulate what they believe and to communicate the message of the gospel to a confused culture in a confused, chaotic, “brave new world.” He is available to come and speak to your church, college club, or group. Find out what people are saying.
If you would like to book Rob for a speaking event, you can do so by emailing him at roblundberg@ratiochristi.org If you have other questions about apologetics or doing apologetics, or if you are looking for apologetics resources, contact our ministry by email.
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