Apologetics, debates and atheists

Do you ever feel like you have to "defend God"?

When other people scoff at your beliefs or dismiss them as weakness or fables, it is natural to want to defend those beliefs.

In reality, we aren't so much defending God as we are trying to justify why we believe what we believe.

Right here I’ll stop and make one point very clear; the belief system I am addressing is that of taking Jesus at His word.  That He is, as He declared, the Truth and the ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN.   That God, in the Beginning, Created the Heavens and earth and everything in it.  That our faith must be in Him, not in our church doctrines, our own feelings or the philosophy of others.

Recently on a Facebook post, a well meaning and very polite atheist expressed the opinion that Christianity is as easily dismissed a religion as any other religion practiced on this earth.

I shared some basic Truth, which he, as expected, dismissed or ignored while pressing forward, gearing up for a “fun” debate that would waste out time and perhaps only serve to supply him with some entertainment.

I spoke the Truth in Love and made it clear I would not join him in a debate, as Truth is not open to debate, it STANDS on its own.  Jesus needs no apologies and God certainly doesn’t need me to defend Him. (I did declare I would pray for him, did pray and will continue to pray that the Holy Spirit would deliver him from blindness).

According to the revelation shared by the Apostle Paul, it is both unnecessary and an exercise in futility to spend time on what he calls “endless genealogies” or “vain jangling”. 

Take a look for yourself:

1Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;

2 To Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

3 As I asked you to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that you might charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

5 Now the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: (unfeigned is ‘not false’)

6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

1Timothy 6: 20  O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.

Indeed, there are many mysteries that only God Himself knows and we are ignorant of their origins or how they affect our world and our hearts.  God, being God and Creator, is naturally superior to that which He created.  That is difficult for many to accept or comprehend.  They prefer to bring God down to their own level, debate lofty truths that we have no control over as though they did control them, and reject the very premise of a Creator that would make them not completely and absolutely autonomous in their own being.

As if, in rejecting the existence of God, they could actually diminish or dispel His existence and influence upon the earth and the creatures He created.

IT REMINDS OF THE JOKE ABOUT GOD AND THE SCIENTIST.

That’s the biggest problem with every argument I’ve ever heard from one who dismisses the existence of God.  All argument begins precisely with what God has already provided; LIFE.  They live because God made, formed and created man to begin with and gave man free will to choose to worship and trust God the Creator.

I have always had a problem with lies.  It stems from a childhood that was filled with them, and caused me fist clenching tooth grinding frustration that is with me to this day. When I was raising my children, I used to tell them that as long as we had the truth of any situation, no matter how bad or devastating it might be, we could deal with it.

That is the same way I view the Bible.  I may not understand all of it, I may not even want to agree with all of it, but since it is Truth and it reveals nothing but Truth, there is something substantial to deal with whatever the circumstances. 

Those who reject the Truth – and we should understand that Truth is not a “what” but a “Who”- Jesus Himself! – those who reject that Truth have no premise, no foundation to stand on.  So anything they come up with may or may not resemble reason or logic; BUT IT WILL NOT BE TRUTH.

To be sure, faith is a difficult thing.  Centuries of scholars have written discourse after discourse about it, refuting it, defending it and discussing it at length.  One post here can't even begin to deal with the intricacies of faith and I am not going to try.  What I will say is this; you don't have to have rock solid faith in and of yourself when your faith rests on the Rock Solid foundation of Christ.

When we consider faith only from our own perspective, then losing it, if only for a time at different times, is almost a given.  When things are going well faith is easy and strong.  

When the going is hard, the stuff of life deals us a blow or a defeat or failure, if your faith is based on how "good" you are treated, how often you get not just answer to prayer, but the answers you want - if faith is based on anything other than JESUS CHRIST THE SAVIOR, your faith will fail you.

When you recognize that faith in the Truth is based ON that Truth and not your circumstances or your feelings, you discover faith is steady, stable and continually growing stronger in every situation.

Faith is:

Inquisitive questions with self serve answers

Quite often I'm asked specific questions about life.  Just as often, the person asking, after some gently leading conversation that includes scripture appropriate to the situation, answers the question for themselves.  

This is just exactly as it ought to be, since each of us is ultimately responsible for all our actions, thoughts, deeds and outcomes.

Including our salvation and what we do with it.

Philippians 2: 12-13:  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING....

If you are at all inquisitive, this sentence will have arrested your attention, and you will find yourself asking the question:

HOW DOES THAT EFFECT ME?!?

Most of us have been taught by our church that we are to follow the lead, do as we're told, show up every time the doors to the building labeled "church" are open and conform to the same pattern as everyone else within those walls.

I have to respectfully disagree strenuously with that presumption.
  Have you ever stopped to consider that might NOT be what God has in mind when He created each of us so uniquely individual and DIFFERENT?

One of the favorites of the church is the "What Would Jesus Do?" If you want to know how to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, take a look at how Jesus taught.

He used parables.  These are stories, highlighting examples the people listening could relate to, that gave a general idea of how we should behave and interact and relate to God.

There was never a "one size fits all" rule or regulation in Jesus' teachings.
They were more of a "here's the guidelines, do what works best for you within them" sort of feel to the whole thing.  

Jesus never expected John to behave like Bartholomew.  He never insisted Matthew conform to the same actions as James.  Not once did He ever scold Peter to be more like Thaddeus. (though He did scold Peter for behaving like satan that one time!)  (For those who have read more than one Sunday Sermon, you'll notice I never capitalize the s, it's deliberate on my part, keeping him low, as he ought to be, in my esteem!)

Apostle Paul uses an example to set a guideline as well, in his writings to the fledgling first century church.  He points out that it is WHAT IS IN OUR HEARTS that determines if we are sinning, not the actual actions themselves.  If we eat meat that was offered to idols without regard for the idolatrous offering status, there is no sin involved.  If we eat with thankfulness toward God for whatever it is we are eating, there is no sin involved.

On the other hand, if we regard the idolatry in our hearts, and eat that same meat, to us it is sin!  (ICorinthians 8:4)

From this it is clear that the eating of meat isn't sin.  The day which we choose to set aside as our "sabbath" or day of rest isn't at issue.  Which day we gather to glorify God isn't "right" or "wrong". (Colossians 2:16)

This is all very good, since each of us has different needs, different temperaments and different personalities, as well as different gifts and talents and abilities.

The Lord made us that way for His purposes, and a reading of ICorinthians 12 makes it clear He intends each of us to fulfill different purposes in order to fulfill His purposes.

There are things from which we should NEVER deviate in terms of faith and practice.  Those are also very clear in scripture.  Found in the letters of the New Testament, including Romans 15:4 that exhorts us to know and understand the Old Testament.  (Knowing and understanding being different from doing - we are under GRACE, not the law!)

One of the main things we try to do with our Sunday Sermons is highlight areas of scripture and understanding that can be useful to help others learn and grow, while leaving room for them to work out their own salvation.

If you choose to worship corporately on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday each week - that is a wonderful thing~!  You are fulfilling the exhortation not to forsake the assembling together with LIKEMINDED believers.

If you choose to sing whatever songs, or not to sing at all, YEA - that you've assembled to glorify God!

It is about repenting of sin and surrendering to the Lord - trusting that the Holy Spirit will guide you.  

It isn't about which day, what manner or the labels we've given ourselves.

Romans 15: 6-7 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.