The Necessity of an Internalized Apologetic
by Wes Mewbourne
When most people think of apologetics, what comes to mind? No doubt some of you are thinking of James White or William Lane Craig in a debate. Or perhaps you’re in a different vein, instead thinking about the last time you saw a street preacher a la Todd Friel or Ray Comfort. Any number of images may come to mind, but most of them likely involve some kind of argument or conversation involving two or more people. In short, it’s an outward expression of defending or explaining the Christian faith. But have you ever thought about the internal working that must precede such interactions?
Consider what is perhaps the most well-known bible verse associated with apologetics, 1 Peter 3:15. It says:
“…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…”(ESV)
Most of the focus is on the parts that command to always be prepared to make a defense (the Greek word there is “apologia”, from which we get the word “apologetics”) and that this defense should be given with a particular attitude – namely, gentleness and respect. Notice there that the command to be prepared to give a defense begins first with the necessity to, in your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as holy and that the defense being given is for the hope that is in you.
Why is this important? We cannot preach what we do not believe. We cannot defend a hope that we do not have. And ultimately, we cannot defend the Gospel of Christ as Lord if we do not first acknowledge that He is, in fact, Lord. It’s here that we can see one of the primary similarities between apologetics and evangelism. So it is with evangelism – we cannot preach a Gospel that we do not first embrace. This should bring the apologist to the realization that the very practice of apologetics should be done as part of evangelism. But that’s an external application, and we’re getting ahead of ourselves. What does this have to do with an internalized apologetic?
Take a moment to look at your own conversion. Was it a momentous occasion? Or was it a gradual process that took time, culminating in a profession of faith? Either way, there were likely moments of doubt, where we weren’t quite sure about this whole “Jesus” thing. There were questions that we asked. What’s happening there is an internal practicing of apologetics. We’re effectively arguing with ourselves, wrestling through the work of God granting us faith and its impact on our lives. Conversion – the exchanging of the heart of stone for a heart of flesh, the proclamation of Christ as Lord – is the foundation for the rest of the Christian life.
This realization that we are sinners saved by the grace of God will necessarily come out in many ways – praise, prayer, evangelism, and even apologetics. We must be wary, however, against the temptation to make the outward results, be they the number of conversions or arguments won, the focus of our actions. Apologetics, just as any other discipline for the Christian, begins with first honoring Christ the Lord as holy. If the hope of redemption through Christ is truly in you, then you will certainly be able to give a reason for it. For you will not merely understand it with your mind, you will have experienced and embraced it in your heart.