Defending Your Faith LESSON 1

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 1 Peter 3:15

INTRODUCTION

This course is intended for Christians. Its purpose is to help Christians be ready to defend their faith when it is challenged by critics, skeptics, doubters, and anyone who would question what we believe. Each lesson will consist of two parts:

• Home preparation (reading and answering questions)

• In class discussion with the instructor (going through the assigned questions and any additional discussion)

The home preparation should take roughly an hour each week. In class discussion will last from 45-90 minutes, depending on the length of discussion with the instructor. The students will be expected to complete the reading assignment and answer the assigned questions. At the end of the course a final exam will be given.

QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE ARE ASKING

Has anyone ever challenged your faith? Has anyone ever asked you one of these questions:

Why do you believe in God?
How do you know that the Bible is true?
How do you know that there really was a man named Jesus?
Why do you believe in miracles?
Why does God allow people to suffer?

Sometimes the people who ask such questions are not trying to attack us or our faith, but just trying to understand why we believe what we believe. People just want to know. Maybe you have asked these questions yourself, and you would just like to know the answers.

In our world it is no longer enough to know what we believe. It is essential to know why we believe it. At some point, people will ask these questions, and we may need to answer them in order to have the opportunity to share the gospel with them. So we need to be ready to give answers to these questions. The apostle Peter wrote: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect …” (1 Peter 3:15). Peter encourages us to be prepared. We may be asked these questions, or we may not, but we must be prepared to do so. Peter also encourages us to be ready to give “reasons for the hope we have.” Even though our religion is based on faith not “proof”, faith is not believing something that isn’t true. Our faith is based on factual history and we have good reasons to believe the things we do.

Already in the days of the Bible people were challenging and sometimes even attacking the true faith. Jude wrote in his epistle: “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3). Jude was writing to Christians who were being assaulted by false teachers who contradicted many of the teachings of Jesus.

The apostle Paul also encouraged Christians to be grounded in the truth so that they could defend their faith against all who would argue against it. Paul wrote: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

This is especially important if you hold a position of leadership in a Christian church. The apostle Paul wrote to Titus, who was given a responsibility for guiding several churches, reminding him that a pastor “must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9).

So, when we are confronted with questions that challenge the foundations of our faith, we must not shy away. We must be ready to give Scriptural, true and reasonable answers.

QUESTIONS THAT WE ARE AFRAID OF BEING ASKED

Many Christians fear being asked hard questions such as those listed above because they don’t know how to answer them. So we cut off a conversation with someone who needs to hear the truth which we know because we are afraid that we might be asked a question that we can’t answer. Then we may actually miss an excellent opportunity for sharing the gospel.

And when we don’t know where to begin to find answers to the hard questions, we may begin to have doubts ourselves. We may even wonder, “Do I believe in something that isn’t true?”

This course should help us. It will provide some helpful information and resources for us to use when we are confronted with one of those questions that are hard to answer. The lessons of this course will address seven of those dreaded questions. Here is the course outline:

Lesson 1 = Introduction
Lesson 2 = Why do you believe in God?
Lesson 3 = Is Jesus really the Son of God?
Lesson 4 = How Do We Know that the Bible Is True?
Lesson 5 = How can I know the truth?
Lesson 6 = Why do you believe that God created the world?
Lesson 7 = Why does God allow people to suffer?
Lesson 8 = Why do you think that Christianity is the one true religion?

WHY WE DEFEND OUR FAITH

When the apostle Peter encouraged us to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have,” he also wrote, “But do this with gentleness and respect …” (1 Peter 3:15). The purpose in defending our faith is not to win an argument, to make ourselves look smarter or wiser or better than other people, to score points, or embarrass someone who is questioning or opposing the teachings of the Bible. The purpose in defending our faith is to express Christian love and concern for someone who may be struggling with doubts, who has questions that deserve thoughtful answers, or who may have experienced trials that have made him or her bitter toward God.

Moreover, the purpose in defending our faith is not to convert the skeptic or win someone over to the faith by means of arguments and reason. No one has ever been argued into believing in Jesus. Faith comes from hearing the gospel, not from irrefutable logic or reasonable arguments.

And let’s never forget that even the best rational arguments and proofs regarding Christ and the Bible are limited in value due to the darkness of the human heart and the spiritual blindness of the sinful nature, which defies all logic, evidence and reason. People without the Spirit will regard the message of Christ as foolish and invalid, no matter how reasonable we may present his teachings. Therefore, we must view the defense of our faith as pre-evangelism, not as a way to convert someone to the faith.

In fact, when we defend the faith, we must always avoid arguing. The apostle Paul wrote: “The Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:24–25). When we defend our faith, we are not seeking to win an argument, but to present the truth on which our faith is based. And this we want to do with gentleness and respect.

And even though this course may help us be prepared with many answers to the questions people may have about the Christian faith, the topic that we finally want to speak about is the Gospel of God’s forgiving love in Christ. It is the Gospel that can change a heart or a mind. It is the Gospel that saves, not anything else. When we defend our faith, we ultimately want to speak about the center of all our faith – Jesus Christ. The chapter titled “Is Jesus Really The Son of God?” will help us with that very thing.

Another reason to defend the faith is to “encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14) as the apostle instructs us. Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ may be intimidated and confused by the questions and challenges of unbelievers. We also may need to combat our own doubts and weaknesses to the degree that they stem from wrong thinking, the wrong use of reason, or attractive yet inaccurate information. And so we must learn to defend our faith so that we are not confused and deceived into neglecting the gospel of Christ.

WE DON’T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS

The first thing we should probably admit is that we don’t have all the answers to every question that might be asked. No matter how smart we are, or how much we have studied, we will never be able to answer every question or objection to the Christian faith. There will always be someone who is smarter than we are and who knows more than we know. As we continue to grow and mature in our faith, we will learn more and become wiser, but we will never have all the answers to every question or objection that people will raise.

And we don’t need to pretend that we have all the answers. There are many things that God has chosen to keep hidden from us, for he has revealed to us only what is necessary for life and salvation. We are limited to what God has chosen to make known to us in the Scriptures. Our hope is based on the Bible and what God has told us in its words. We can be sure of everything that God has revealed to us, but beyond that our knowledge will always be subject to limitations and human error. “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deuteronomy 29:29). Let’s remember that we don’t have to answer every question or objection in order for the Holy Spirit, by the Gospel, to bring people to faith. Once Jesus healed a blind man and gave him his sight. The blind man who was healed was then called in before the authorities who began to question him about Jesus. The blind man was asked all kinds of questions about Jesus: How can he do miracles? Where is he from? Is he a sinner?

The former blind man didn’t have all the answers, so he just told them, “One thing I do know. I once was blind, but now I see.” (John 9:25). Likewise, when people ask us questions, we don’t need to have every answer. We just need to say, “One thing I do know. I used to be on the way to hell, but now I am going to heaven, and it is Jesus who has made the difference.” That’s all we need to know. I used to be going to hell, but now I am going to heaven. Jesus made the difference. That is the only thing that really matters. Four doctoral degrees are not necessary to respond to the hard questions. Trust in God’s word, a desire to share the Gospel, and some basic insight will help us be ready.

Yet, while it is true that we do not have all the answers, we should have SOME answers. The purpose of this course is to help us be able to answer SOME of the questions and objections that are brought against the Christian faith. There are reasons why we believe what we do, and we can be ready to give those reasons to anyone who asks.

WE CAN’T MAKE CHRISTIANITY “LOGICAL”

Another truth that we must acknowledge before we start is that we cannot make the Christian gospel “logical” or “reasonable.” There are many teachings in the Christian faith that defy logic. The doctrine of the trinity (one God in three persons) the virgin birth of Christ, the two natures of Christ (true God and true man in one person), and all the miracles of the Bible are not things we believe and teach because they make perfect sense to the human reason. We believe and teach them because they have been revealed to us by the God of all wisdom.

In 1 Corinthians 1:18–25 the apostle Paul writes: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”

If we were to try to make our faith logical, then we would all conclude (as human reason does) that we are saved by good behavior and that God must reward people on the basis of whether or not they have deserved to live in heaven. A logical faith is a work-righteous faith that is opposed to the Gospel. As the apostle wrote: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9–10). The Christian faith is a revealed faith, not a reasoned faith. And our faith is not the end product of a logical or rational process. Faith is a gift of God, produced by the Holy Spirit through the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is foolishness to human beings.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

After reading the material above, spend some time giving careful thought to the questions that follow. Record your answers and thoughts in this document or in a separate document. Be prepared to share your answers in class.

Some of these questions can be answered by reviewing the material presented in this lesson, but there may also be some questions that require additional thought and evaluation.

A. Read the following statements and decide whether you agree with the statement or disagree. Be prepared to defend your answer.

Our faith is based on factual history and we have good reasons to believe the things we do. Agree or disagree?
Defending our faith does not mean winning an argument. Agree or disagree?
We can never prove that the Bible is true. Agree or disagree?
If Christianity were not reasonable, we wouldn’t be Christians. Agree or disagree?
A person can be a Christian and still have some doubts. Agree or disagree?
It is never a good thing to question why we believe. Agree or disagree?
We don’t have to have all the answers to be a good Christian witness. Agree or disagree?
Objections to believing the gospel or “tough questions” are often a tactic by which a person is trying to avoid the big question: How do I stand with God? Agree or disagree?
Love for another person requires that we respectfully hear him out, respond only as we are able, but keep returning to the main issue – sin and grace. Agree or disagree?
Once a person has been convinced that the Bible is true on the basis of historical and archaeological research, he will naturally accept all the doctrines of the Bible as true. Agree or disagree?

B. The apostle Peter instructs us: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Describe how you could show respect and gentleness to someone who is questioning or challenging the teachings of the Bible and the Christian faith. Give careful thought to your answer and write it down prior to class.

This course will provide some answers to a few of the most common objections to the Christian faith. What are some objections that you have heard when discussing your faith with your family or friends?

YOUR QUESTIONS

Perhaps this lesson has raised some questions that you would like to ask the teacher. Write down your questions so that you are ready to ask when you meet with him in class.

NEXT LESSON

Lesson 2 is titled “Why do you believe in God?” Before we meet again, allow a couple of hours to read through the lesson and answer the questions at the end of it. In this way we will be able to get the most benefit from this course.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY

The following books are available in English. Some may also be available in Chinese.

EVIDENCE THAT DEMANDS A VERDICT (VOLUME 1) by Josh McDowell Campus Crusade for Christ: San Bernardino, CA 1972 Softcover, 387 pages

THE CASE FOR CHRISTIANITY by Colin Chapman Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids, MI 1981 Hardcover, 313 pages

THE CASE FOR CHRIST by Lee Strobel Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI 2016 Softcover, 336 pages

DISAPPOINTMENT WITH GOD by Philip Yancey Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI, 1988 Hardcover, 255 pages

KNOW WHY YOU BELIEVE by Paul Little Scripture Press: Wheaton, IL 1967 Softcover, 123 pages

BE PREPARED TO GIVE AN ANSWER by Roland Cap Ehlke Northwestern Publishing House: Milwaukee, WI Softcover, 63 pages

FALSE GODS OF OUR TIME by Norman Geisler Jeremiah Films: 1988 100 minute video containing four segments

WHEN SKEPTICS ASK by Norman Geisler & Ron Brooks Victor Books: Wheaton, IL 1990 Hardcover, 346 pages

THE QUESTIONS CHRISTIANS HOPE NO ONE WILL ASK by Mark Mittelberg Tyndale House: Carol Stream, IL 2010 Softcover, 326 pages

THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE by F.F. Bruce InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, IL 1988 Hardcover, 360 pages

CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS by Norman L. Geisler Baker Book House: Grand Rapids, MI 1976 Softcover, 393 pages

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