So we’ve looked, in a nutshell, what apologetics looks like in defending the Gospel, and refutting false teaching, now we will look for a little bit about what it is we say we are defending. However, before we read any further I want to be clear I don’t think the Bible is helpless, or that God is incapable of defending his own Word. It is important to realize though that we are his ambassadors ( Acts 1:8, 2 Cor. 5:20, and Phil. 3:20), and because of that we have a duty to share the truth to the lost, and combat heresy in the believers. So ready to read on? Let’s, go!

    There is an account of a speech by Winston Churchill to The House of Commons in February of 1938 in which he lays out example after example of trying to placate the German government with words and ignoring the imminent threat they posed to Great Britain.  He lays it out to the members toward the end like this: "The day will come when at some point or another, you will have to take a stand, and I pray to God when that day comes that we may not find, through an unwise policy, that we have to make that stand alone."  Why do I bring in Winston Churchill to a lesson on apologetics you might ask? Well one, I've always admired the man. The resolve, will, charisma and sheer determination he showed in the most daunting and difficult situations has always been an interest to me. Also he was just a take-no-prisoners type of guy! Anyway what he shared there about facing the literal enemy creeping up in Europe at that time is a stark example of the spiritual dangers we as Christians are in right now. Just like Nazi Germany by and large was ignored and never countered until it was a huge force to be reckoned with that took 6 years and the lives of roughly 15 million (yes million) soldiers. So to is the church today ignoring or placating false teaching and teachers in the church today resulting in countless spiritual deaths of Christians today. The unwillingness to combat an enemy of a country, or the enemy of the church has the same effect: death and destruction of those unwilling to stand against it. 

   We are defending the truth, not just our relative version of truth, but the actual truth laid out in Scripture.  A beautiful example of that is in the first chapter of The Gospel of John where God speaks to John and lays it out like this:        1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2. The same was in the beginning with God.  And comparing that with John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.  We see where John is declaring, through the Holy Spirt, that Jesus Christ is the Word of God. There's also a second idea being confirmed here in John that is this; The Word of God from the beginning has included Jesus who also is Truth. So when we declare the Gospel message of salvation to the lost through the blood of Christ it is Truth. By extension when we read of His words it is Truth, when we see the Apostles speaking the doctrine of Christ it is Truth.  When we see the Apostles quoting of the Old Testament showing the prophetic truths about Christ; (let's say it together) IT IS TRUTH. 

So there we can see very quickly that what Jesus spoke as God in the flesh, is truth. Now let's look at the rest of scripture, and the best place to go is to 2 Timothy 3:16:
 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  Paul was being led of the Lord (Acts 22:14-15) to share a very important principle with Timothy and Christendom that the Bible is Truth and out of it we find our answers. 

  The thing we have to remember when we read verses like here in 2 Timothy is understanding context. The words "All Scripture" are very important to consider, and here's why: He was saying the writings of the other Apostles and himself are from God, just as much as the Old Testament is of God. One complete book detailing all we need to know about God and His plan from Creation to His judgment in the end. Paul also shares in preceding verses that Timothy has learned the "Scriptures" from little up. Those would have been the Old Testament because the bulk of the new Testament was not written during Timothy's childhood. Out of this Passage in 2 Timothy we learn we cannot "unhook" or disregard the Old Testament in trying to understand what God has for us in the New Testament. While we do not blaspheme Christ by performing animal sacrifices to cover our sins, we cannot disregard what God was showing in the Old Testament to bring about a holy Bride in the New Testament. Again back to Paul, who summed it up nicely in Gal. 3:24-25 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." We don't not follow the sacrificial law, but still honor the moral laws God laid out, the greatest being the Ten Commandments. 

  All this has been said to say this: God's Word is Truth. Over 35 writers, spanning over 1,500 years in multiple languages to give us a clear vision of who God is, His majesty, and what He desires. And it's summed up in another passage by the Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 1:20-21: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. God revealed, men were moved to write, and the hearer had truth revealed to them. Now taking that principle we can look in the Bible to find our answers on anything from personal relationship issues, marriage, morals, faith, evangelism, Heaven, Hell, angels, Satan, salvation, and eternity. We can look for the answers we need when confronted with false teaching on the issues of life we face. Now sadly for every truth in scripture Satan has a counterfeit and people being used by him to promote those substitutes. There are far to many to look at, but we will look at some sneaky ones, Lord willing, next week and try to use what we've learned today to springboard into better relying on the Word of God to provide the information and guidance we need combating heresy. 

  Did I muddy the water? I pray not. Understanding the subject of defending the faith means we need to be about reading and understanding Gods Word. It should be defended from false teaching seeking to twist and present untruths that lead christians down the wrong path.  I set the table sort-to-speak on this subject to simply end with this thought: Scripture has recorded its authority in various places that we've looked at. Secondly, it has authority. Hebrews 4:12 makes it plain to where we should be able to see that in our own lives! When we see or hear things that defy or deny truths in God's Word then we must counter it. To destroy or pollute the Word of God causes people to follow or promote the wrong ideas. Or worse, follow the wrong shepherd! If we truly say we love people then we must be willing to take the unpopular stand and be willing to tell people (lovingly) when they are wrong (according to Scripture. Not our feelings) we might actually be letting them continue on the road to Hell. Now how loving is that?

To sum it all up, I’ll leave the words of the hymn “How Firm a Foundation” for you to hum in your head! 1 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in God’s excellent Word!
What more can be said than to you God hath said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?