Apologetics is often presented as something akin to philosophy, and that it requires doctors to explain. The truth is being an apologist is the duty not of the scholarly few but every Christian, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15). We are called to give a defense of our faith at any moment. This is true not just among the unbelievers, but within the Church, for deceptive heresies can sneak into Christian communities, “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves.” (2 Peter 2:1). We have to vigilant. If at a bible study or a gathering you hear heresy, someone espousing doctrines contrary to Scripture, you must be ready to make a defense. I knew a pastor who said if you aren’t healed, you don’t have enough faith, nor do you trust the Lord, to this I and another chimed, did Paul not have enough faith?, “I will not boast about myself, except about my infirmities. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, for because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses/infirmities, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses (infirmities), in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:4-10). Paul asked repeatedly to be deliverer from his torment, but God did not lift it because it curbed the conceit in Paul due to his revelations. I may note that deliverance ministers who claim you must be delivered of all demons will struggle with, “Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” (2,Corinthians 12:6). Our Lord Jesus does heal and want us well, but in Paul’s case it kept a worse disease in his heart away by not healing him, pride.
I am appalled that so many Christian theologians deviate from the truth in Scripture. C.S. Lewis who was renowned for his Christian works like “Mere Christianity” in the end wrote “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle” that promotes the falsehood that all paths lead to heaven when Aslan grants a Calormen who worshipped a god named Tash to enter True Narnia. We must not trust any theological and doctrinal work outside The Holy Bible. Great thinkers and theologians have error and with their errors pave the way to perdition. There is Diamand McCulloch, who wrote a great volume on “The Reformation” that I have cited often, but this same McCulloch wrote a thick one volume called “Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years” where he takes pot shots at the faith, showing he really is an agent of Antichrist. Even Bruce Shelly’s epilogue to “Church History in Plain Language, 4th Edition” ends with falsehoods. Martin Luther, one of the fathers of the Reformation clung to faulty doctrine of Transubstantiation (Communion bread becomes Christ’s actual body and the wine his actual blood), and had in his “Longer Catechism” he teaches you have to confess to a pastor to be forgiven of sins, even though Scripture says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” (1 John 1:9), “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin,”, (Psalm 35:2), “in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” (Ephesians 1:7), and “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5). There is no mediator between Christ and people, we can confess our sins directly to the Lord. Those who use this verse, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail,” (James 5:16), fail to understand that its point is if you want prayer for your struggle with sin and accountability, it says nothing about confessing to a cleric or pastor to get remission of sins, only Christ has and will forgive our sins, “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2). When facing theologians and teachers who espouse error, heresy, lies, and antichrist teaching we are obligated to, “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Christian theologians have errored in major ways, this is why like the early church we must remain devoted to the teaching of the apostles, “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). The Apostle’s teaching is the teaching of Christ, “Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them,” (John 14:23), which is contained in the New Testament, Matthew to Revelation. I urge you to beware of theologians outside the Bible, as I have laid out many have fallen into error, and I suggest you stick only to the theologians in the Holy Scripture. All we need for sound theology, doctrine, Christian life, and faith is in The Holy Bible.
To be an apologist all you need is a Bible. You don’t need to master books on heresies and even get Norman Giesler’s mammoth Book on “The Big Book of Christian Apologetics.” No, you will be able to discern when error, heresy, and even apostasy is taught when you know the Scriptures. Find a translation that works for you, that is easier to memorize, and supplement it with another translation, for instance if your favorite translation to memorize is Word for Word, then have a Thought for Thought translation too, and vice versa. By committing the Scriptures, especially The New Testament, to your heart and mind you will be able to guard the True Faith against “destructive heresies.”
Memorize The New Testament and you will have what you need to do battle against false teachings and destructive heresies. Even if you are still memorizing, you will sense when you hear a false teaching, something is wrong, and can go and find the Scripture to refute the lies. Arm yourself with Holy Scripture and the Holy Spirit, and fight the good fight of faith. Amen.
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