See information below about a new Bible Study that will be starting tomorrow!
In my previous post, I shared the back story of how I got started in apologetics. I’m curious about yours. Do you have an origin story to a life of apologetics? I’d love hear about it in the comment section below. Your story would be an encouragement to me and to others as well.
If you do not have a story, how about beginning today? There’s no time like the present to begin the work of an apologist! There can be all sorts of situations that might lead someone to begin this work, but I think it’s likely to simply be a natural outflow of being a Christian. We live in a world filled with people and beliefs that question ours. There’s a good chance that we will have many opportunities to gently and reverently give answers about the hope that is in us. (1 Peter 3:15) Have you been questioned? Were you ready? Would you like to be ready?
Become an apologist
For some guidance in this area please see: How to get ready to defend your faith (How to become an Apologist. I believe women are fully capable of doing the work of apologetics. We are called to do this work just as men are, and we have no less need. We encounter teachings and ideas that we need to defend against, and we have opportunities to share our hope. This work can be done in varying ways and degrees. Some possibilities are ministering to the people in your personal life, communicating with people of different beliefs online, or serving as part of an apologetics ministry. All are valid. All are needed. I pray you have taken steps to be ready or that you begin now.
Where to start? Well, while there are many things we can do and study in the world of Christian apologetics, the best thing to do is study the Bible. I am not referring to doing a fill in the blank “book study” with a Women’s Ministry group at church using a book written by a popular author. I mean, actually study the Bible. Get in it and study it on your own or with family and friends. Keep some good commentaries handy. Please see Study Resources for a list of suggestions about commentaries and other study tools.
You cannot biblically defend your beliefs as a Christian if you don’t know what the Bible says. Get a good foundation there. Then move out and study what the Bible says about specific topics that come up when you encounter challenges to your faith. You may find this article helpful: How to do a Topical Bible Study. Lean what the Bible says and seek to correctly understand contradictory beliefs so that you can answer to them. Again, for a close up look at how to do this, please see How to get ready to defend your faith (How to become an Apologist).
One question to answer: Is Jesus God?
One question that would be good to learn the answer to is about Jesus. Is He God? This topic tends to come up often when speaking with people from various religious groups and with people who have little knowledge of or no faith in God. The Christian tenet of the Trinity includes the glorious truth that Jesus is God. The Trinity does not mean that Jesus is one of three separate Gods or one-third part of God. And God does not simply manifest at different times in different modes as the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. That is the error of modalism. And Jesus is not the Father or the Holy Spirt or vice versa. The Bible teaches that there is one God existing in three co-eternal and co-equal distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each having roles and works. It is not my intent to break this all down here, but only to stress that it is important that we personally know what the Bible says about this and not just believe it because it is a Christian belief or something we have always heard to be true.
Since many groups have different views about the nature of Jesus, the question of His deity is bound to come up. Knowing what the Bible says about it can help us to stand more firmly in our own beliefs, to identify false teachings about it, to answer those who challenge it, and to minister to those who haven’t heard a lot about God. Studying this great biblical doctrine may launch you into a life of apologetics and will undoubtedly fill you with joy as you grow in the knowledge of God through His inspired word.
Announcing: New Bible Study
Can you defend the deity of Christ biblically? I would like to invite you to shore up that defense if needed. As a means to that end, I will be posting a Bible study blog series on the deity of Christ. I invite you to join me for this study. The first part will be up tomorrow, if the Lord wills! Look for the post: “Introduction to A Zero Fluff Bible Study on the Deity of Christ”. This topic has been near and dear to my heart since my early years in Christ. It always will be.
To keep in touch with the study and receive notifications by email of new posts, you may subscribe using the slide-up subscription box or subscription form in the sidebar. You could also follow Chapter 3 Ministries on Facebook or Twitter. The lessons from the study will be shared there.
Ministering in the spirit of Titus 2:3-5 and encouraging women to contend for the faith.
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