Apologetics in the Church: An Internalized apologetic of the body of Christ

by Wes Mewbourne

edited by Grant E. Van Brimmer

In my last piece, we explored the necessity of having what I called an internalized apologetic.  This is defined as the individual experience of salvation as a necessary precursor to any outward expression of faith, specifically a defense or reason for the faith.  Here, we take the same concept and expand it to the body of Christ as a whole – namely, the Church itself.

It’s imperative that the church body as a whole act as the individual in this regard. To honor Christ as Lord in addressing the questions that come up, each member of the body of Christ must be willing to give a reasoned defense and do so with gentleness and respect.  Just as with the individual, this begins internally with the church. The church gives a reason for their hope by providing the environment that invites questions and providing biblically sound leaders to provide biblically sound answers.  Maintaining an attitude of gentleness and respect ensures not only that the answers are well-received, but that future questions are welcome.

For a church to be biblical, it must meet three necessary criteria: the church must preach the Gospel, it must administer the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and it must demonstrate faithful church discipline. These would include the doctrines which are necessary to the foundation of the faith. The Gospel is the proclamation that God is reconciling man to Himself through His Son Jesus. The sacraments are both a sign and seal of the faithfulness of God in the past and a hopeful glimpse into the future. Discipline is a display of the importance of genuine conversion and sanctification of covenant members.  They are all established in the pulpit and are fortified in the small group Bible studies and Sunday school classes.

What of the guest who hears the Gospel or sees communion for the first time and asks their hosts follow-up questions throughout the next week?  Or what of the new believer who doesn’t quite understand how baptism relates to conversion?  What about the Christian who can’t quite grapple with the objections from his atheist friends?  And what about the deeper theological questions we all must wrestle with regarding the Law and the New Covenant, man’s will and God’s sovereignty, or what in the world is going on in the book of Revelation?

When these questions arise, the answer given is apologetics.

1. Preaching the Gospel

This really should go without saying. The church should preach the Gospel of Christ, and it should be preached every Lord’s Day. From an apologetic standpoint, the preaching of the Gospel boldly confronts questions and doubts with hope and truth. Why do we need a savior in the first place? How can the Bible be trusted? How did God become a man? These questions and many more come about as the Gospel is proclaimed. For any of us to provide answers to our friends, family, and a stranger to whom we evangelize, we have to encounter to answer these questions for ourselves. What better place to unpack these questions than in God’s house with His word opened and expounded upon?

You may be thinking, “Now, wait a minute. No one can just raise their hand and ask the pastor a question in the middle of his sermon. That’s just rude. So, how is this helpful if he doesn’t address MY questions?” That’s where the small group Bible studies, Sunday School classes, and the ever-helpful front pew come in. Whereas a sermon may go from beginning to end without interruption, the small group studies provide a great atmosphere for fellow believers to engage each other as they work through God’s word. These smaller gatherings give a great opportunity for members of the church body to think through heavier doctrines and difficult passages of Scripture, all the while doing so in the company of fellow believers with the corporate goal of sanctification (more on that later).

2. Administration of the Sacraments

Along with preaching the Gospel, a church must faithfully administer the sacraments of the Lord’s Supper and baptism.  Here again, the apologetic implications are apparent.  When we think of the Lord’s Supper (or communion), it’s a beautiful representation of the heart of the Gospel – Christ’s body broken and His blood shed.  Do we really have to do this nowadays, or is coming to church and reading our Bibles enough?  The answer is yes and by faithfully preaching the Gospel one will find the beauty in such a ceremony.

From the days of Moses in Exodus 12, the Passover is established.  In Matthew 26, Christ explicitly connects this ceremony with Himself.  While there is much more that can be said on this, we see here a direct connection between the Old and New Testaments. We see the way God worked through Moses in redeeming His people, protecting them by the blood of the lamb, and delivering them out of slavery. With Christ, we see the Lamb slain once and for all to redeem His people from slavery to sin. What is the reason for the hope that is in us? Our hope is found in the person and work of Christ. Through the story of the Passover and the continuation in the Lord’s Supper, we see the perpetual reminder to God’s people of His provision for and His redemption of His people.

Similarly, with baptism, we see a symbolic representation of a spiritual reality.  The writings of the apostle Paul, specifically Romans 6 and Colossians 2, help to illustrate that in baptism we are buried in the water and raised out.  In essence, when we are baptized, we physically show the spiritual effects of God’s work in our lives.  As Colossians 2:12 says, “…having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Him from the dead”.  The hope that is within us is once again front and center. A church that is faithful to Scripture will be faithful the administer these sacraments in conjunction with preaching the Bible.

3. Church Discipline

When most people think of a church’s responsibilities, the preaching and the sacraments are commonly expected.  Church discipline, however, is not necessarily at the forefront of our minds. Sadly, this has led to a wealth of misunderstanding and even neglect of this practice. First, church discipline carries with it the implied importance of genuine, covenantal church membership. Second, let’s look at what the Bible says regarding church discipline. In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus gives a magnificent summation of the process:

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

We should note here that, once again, small group Bible studies play a crucial role.  Often it is in those groups where conflict may emerge and, hopefully, be resolved.  But if not, notice the final steps: bring it before the church and, if necessary, “let him be as a Gentile and a tax collector”.  In other words, they are removed from membership – effectively excommunicated.

Now, what in the world does this have to do with apologetics?  If we have the hope within us and we are proclaiming and defending this hope, then we should live like it. Church discipline isn’t there to send people out of fellowship willy-nilly (or even at all). Rather, notice that at each step in this progression there is the goal of reconciliation. If you go before the person who sinned against you and he listens, “you have gained a brother”.  As a church, we should be about the ministry of reconciliation – proclaiming the reconciliation of man to God and living out reconciling of God’s people to each other. As a church, we should be constantly and consistently striving toward holiness and sanctification.

In summary, a church should be composed of people who have experienced the inward change: the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and reconciliation to the Father through the work of the Son. The church should proclaim the truth of the Gospel because it is through this proclamation that God saves sinners. The church is also to proclaim the truth of the Gospel in baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The church is also to live the truth of the Gospel in a way it seeks to grow together in holiness and brotherhood, even if that means some may require discipline. After all, we are a family rooted in and united by the Gospel. Let’s act like it.