This Saturday is for a Different Kind of Article

(It is a sad thing to get older and watch your formerly wonderful memory start playing tricks on you.  In this case, I can’t remember what I wrote my newspaper article on this week, to find it in my computer files.  So, instead of driving myself crazy, I’m just going to post one of my entries in the recent-released Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics, edited by Ergun Caner and Ed Hindson.  Please note that this material is copyrighted by Harvest House [2008]).  Enjoy!

HOLY SPIRIT, ROLE IN APOLOGETICS.  It is certainly possible to be involved in apologetics without the power of the Holy Spirit.  However, it is impossible to be effective in apologetics without the work of the Spirit in both the apologist and the hearer. 

This can be discerned initially simply by considering the most well-known verse in the Bible about apologetics.  1 Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to every one who asks you to give an account of the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (NASB).  The Greek term translated “defense” is apologia, from which the English word “apologetics” is derived.  Sadly, though, many with great zeal for the much-needed ministry of apologetics seemingly ignore the last phrase of 1 Peter 3:15, thus overlooking the expected attitudes with which biblical apologetics is to be carried out: “with gentleness and reverence.”  What is the source of these attitudes?

APOLOGETICS WITH GENTLENESS AND REVERENCE

            In the process of doing apologetic ministry, it is very easy to either get defensive or be offensive in regard to the person(s) with whom you are interacting.  Since mankind is not so objective as to overlook your attitudinal reactions, both defensiveness and giving offense can undermine your witness.

            This is where the end of 1 Peter 3:15 comes into play.  “Gentleness” (Greek prautetos), which should be the apologist’s attitude toward the hearer, is a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in the believer’s life (Galatians 5:23).  Thus, the control of the Spirit is needed for the attitude of the apologist, which speaks volume by itself, to be right.

            The NASB wording “reverence” renders phobos, which is most commonly translated “fear.”  This obviously does not mean to be afraid of the person to whom you are speaking.  Instead, in the context of 1 Peter 3:15, it could be taken as having the shade of meaning of “reverence” (as, e.g., NASB) or “respect” (as, e.g., HCSB).  If the intended nuance here is “reverence,” it is probably restating the first part of verse 15 in seeing apologetics as properly requiring a reverent attitude toward the Lord: “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.”  If the better understanding is “respect,” though, it apparently means that the Christian apologist should approach the hearer with general respect, even if only for these two reasons: 1) he or she is a person for whom Jesus Christ died (John 3:16); and 2) he or she is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).  Such respect must include specifically respectful words, because of the great potential spiritual damage done by a tongue out of control (James 3:1-10).

APOLOGETICS WITH LOVE

            The late apologist Francis Schaeffer aptly referred to love as “the final apologetic.”  He noted that, long after a person rejects even the most effectively presented intellectual arguments, they may still be wrestling with their inability to explain away your godly life, especially your love for other Christians (John 13:34-35).  In addition, if anything, they will have an even more difficult time getting beyond your love for them.

            Love also is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and it no coincidence that it is listed first among the fruit.  It is the obedience required by both the first and second commandments (Matthew 22:34-40) in our relationship to God and to all other people, which includes non-Christians.  Fortunately, the apologist does not have to force love by an act of the will toward a very unlovable skeptic who is attempting to disprove the gospel or some other key aspect of Christianity.  That is where the fruit of the Spirit that is love comes into play.  If the apologist walks by faith (Galatians 5:5-6), in the power of the Holy Spirit, he or she will not “carry out the desire of the flesh” (5:16, NASB) in that apologetics interaction.  Seen from the angle of what so often goes wrong without the Spirit’s empowering of the apologetics encounter, such interaction easily tends to deteriorate into fleshly “strife… outbursts of anger, disputes…” and the like (5:20).

            Just how important love is in the apologetic enterprise is seen in the ongoing reality that many people have come to faith in Christ through the most elementary gospel presentations of some person who knew little about even the most basic Christian apologetics.  Now, admittedly, sometimes the person(s) coming to saving faith in Christ are like ripe fruit ready to be picked, which is itself the work of the Holy Spirit.  However, it is not that uncommon for a loving witness to engage a person with numerous questions who, in turn, is willing to put them off until they meet a more apologetically prepared believer or even wait until after their saving faith.  Why?  Because, as Schaeffer said, the love they feel (which ultimately comes from the Holy Spirit; Galatians 5:22) woos them powerfully and soothes what might otherwise be decisive concerns.  Eventually, of course, the questions will be asked and answered.  Without question, though, the supernatural attraction of the Holy Spirit does often dramatically simplify the role of apologetics in the witnessing situation.

PREPARATION FOR APOLOGETICS IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT

            One of the most concentrated portions of the Bible dealing with the ministry of the Holy Spirit under the New Covenant is found in the Upper Room Discourse (John 14-16).  When Jesus expounded the Spirit’s ministry on the night before His betrayal and crucifixion, the Spirit did not yet indwell His disciples (John 14:16-17).  As a result, the apostles did not yet have the spiritual equipment to understand what He was talking about until after Pentecost (16:13).

            Though all Christians today are indwelt by the Holy Spirit from the time of their initial saving faith, there is still a need for the Spirit’s empowering in the preparation for the apologetic task.  Jesus’ words in John 14:26 make that clear: “… The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things… .”  Whatever scriptural information is needed in doing apologetics, the Spirit will provide.  When Jesus says “He will guide you into all the truth” in John 16:13, He apparently means all the revelation that God has seen fit to reveal.  Thus, the Spirit originally guided the apostles and other writers in producing the Written Word.  Now, he guides those who study and prepare for such important ministries as apologetics into “all the truth” they will need to defend the faith.

APOLOGETICS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SPIRIT

            The Greek word translated “Helper” by the NASB in the various passages referring to the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room Discourse is parakletos.  It means, literally, “one called alongside to help.”  The word was also sometimes rendered “mediator,” “intercessor” or “one who appears in another’s behalf.”

            What do each of these nuances of meaning have in common that is helpful for understanding the role of the Holy Spirit in apologetics?  Each reflects a kind of partnership, though each approaches the partnering from a somewhat different angle.

Suffice it to say that the apologist’s partnership with the Spirit might require help from any of these angles to be most effective in differing situations.  We do not have to witness or present various proofs about Christ or Christianity alone.  If we choose to rely upon the Spirit, He is always there as the partner who will let us down.

THE APOLOGIST AS “CO-PILOT” TO THE SPIRIT IN WITNESS

            Nor should it be assumed that the apologist’s voice or written words is the only one being heard in the evangelistic situation or in defending some aspect of the Christian faith.  In fact, if anything, John 15:26 makes it quite clear that the Holy Spirit’s witness is ultimately primary: “When the Helper comes… He will bear witness of Me” (NASB).

            Does this mean that the Spirit, so to speak, does the talking or writing all by Himself?  Absolutely not!  John 15:27 concludes the thought: “And you will bear witness also… .”

            Why would Jesus place things in this order?  Most likely, it is said this way at least partly because human witnesses, especially those without a great deal of experience in evangelism or apologetics, tend to be afraid that their presentation will not be clear, or that they will forget something important.  That, of course, is possible.  However, knowing that the Holy Spirit is alongside and at work, witnessing in the unseen realm of the hearer’s mind and heart, is a great comfort. 

Therefore, when a person trusts Christ savingly, the human witness should not take as much credit, knowing that the Spirit was co-witnessing, and, without question, doing it more effectively.  On the other hand, if the person does not become a Christian, even if the human witness may give up or lose track of that person immediately, the Holy Spirit does not.  In fact, over time, the Spirit may come alongside one person doing evangelism or apologetics after another in planting and watering the gospel and biblical truth in the same unbeliever’s life.

THE SPIRIT’S EYE-OPENING ROLE AS THE HEARER’S CONVINCER

            It is critical for the evangelist/apologist to realize that nobody is going to be converted or convinced of the truthfulness of the particular biblical or theological issue in question without the effective work of the Holy Spirit.  To think that the human spokesperson must do the convincing and converting easily leads toward the ethical problem of manipulating the hearer, whether through emotions or other means.  Even worse, for the human witness/apologist to view himself or himself as the one doing the ultimate persuading is to usurp the role of the Holy Spirit. 

            Why is it not possible for the human presenting the gospel or defending the faith to truly be the persuader?  The Apostle Paul explains it this way: “… the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel…” (2 Corinthians 4:4, NASB).  In other words, Satan has somehow so dramatically affected the mental capability of the non-Christian that he or she is unable to grasp the gospel and be saved.  Therefore, if the Holy Spirit, whom Paul is discussing in this wider context (2 Corinthians 3), does not give spiritual sight to the spiritually blind unbeliever, that person will remain “dead” in his or her “trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1, NASB).

            This makes it obvious that by far the greatest advantage that the evangelist/ apologist has going for him or her is that the Spirit is ever at work convicting “the world of sin, and righteousness, and judgment” (John 16:8, NASB).   Perhaps it should be said that it is the Holy Spirit who is the apologist par excellence and that biblically balanced human witnesses/apologists are simply faithfully striving to be His most effective mouthpiece possible.

CONCLUSION

            As has been clearly seen, the person seeking to be engaged in apologetics simply cannot pursue his or her ministry aside from the power of the Holy Spirit and do so with biblical warrant or God-honoring effectiveness.  It is also fair to say that, if each apologetics situation occurs in a kind of courtroom setting, with the apologist acting as the defense attorney (1 Peter 3:15) for the gospel, Christ and the Scriptures, then the Holy Spirit must be considered the prosecuting attorney who comes alongside the apologist, and with omni-competence undertakes the process of lovingly convicting the unbeliever of their life-and-death need for a Savior (John 16:7-11).                                                                                                  A. Boyd Luter, Jr.

Bibliography: Bush, L. R., Classical Essays in Christian Apologetics, A.D. 100-1800 (Grand Rapids: Academie, 1983); Campbell-Jack, W., ed., New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics (Downers Grove: IVP, 2006); Fahlbusch, E. et al, The Encyclopedia of Christianity, 3 Vols. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999-2005); Geisler, N.L., Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999); Moreau, A.S. et al, eds., Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000).