“The question of apologetic strategy must be answered, and answered properly, lest we become unfaithful in defending the faith or even deny it, as did Peter. We are exhorted to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, and obedience to that exhortation requires sound preparation with respect to apologetic method–a method which should reflect unwavering loyalty to the Lord. As Peter expresses it, the prerequisite to apologetics is setting Christ apart as lord in the heart.”—Greg Bahnsen1
“…it is impossible to construct an argument that will always persuade everyone… The reason is simple: persuasion is subjective. Sometimes people are not persuaded even by a very good argument. Conversely, people are (unfortunately) often persuaded by very bad arguments…Many people refuse to accept a very good argument simply because they do not want to believe its conclusion.”—Jason Lisle2
An excerpt of my thoughts on an issue dear to my heart…
A while back I wrote a piece on apologetics that used an analogical argument from a historic event in ancient Israel, concerning the man who was ordained by God to be the 2nd King of the nation. A man that the Holy Spirit claimed was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14). David, the son of Jesse, from the tribe of Judah was an extraordinary individual. We read of how this young man burned in his heart for the Lord and His law.
"I delight to do your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart" (Psa. 40:8).
We also see in the pages of Scripture how a child of Adam (natural birth) has the capacity to sin, and do so on a monumental level, even though, he was (is) a genuine believer (supernatural birth) in the self-disclosed Triune God of Scripture.
At about the age of 18 he demonstrated the sort of conviction–an unrelenting faith–that moved mountains (cf. Matt. 17:20). In 1 Samuel 17 that particular mountain was named Goliath; a monster of a man that stood well over 9′ tall. One that God states was a warrior from his youth. Not only did David bring that mountain down with a rock made by no human hand (1 Sam. 17:40, 49-50; cf. Dan. 2:34-35), but this victory reverberated through the armies on both sides of the valley, with the men of Israel being the victors. This army was awakened to the glorious power of God put on display through His called agent (representative), and in a renewed faith fought with abandon against their enemies (1 Sam. 17: 51b-52).
The evidence was available to all. History was unfolding before their eyes. But the only one who could truly see. The only one who acted appropriately that day due to a correct interpretation of the available facts, was the young man David.
The current king of Israel, Saul from the tribe of Benjamin, said it wasn’t possible for David to stand before this enemy. The facts of the matter were stacked against him. The sons of Israel likewise concurred being shaken to their very core; the strength of will dissipating like the morning dew under the heat of Goliath’s dreadful gaze.
Two words were spoken that day. Two testimonies were given. On the one hand, the gospel being preached was from the lips of a pagan (unbelieving), uncircumcised (non-dedicated/devoted). On the other hand, the gospel was proclaimed by a faithful youth weaned upon the Law-Word of God.
Who did the sons of Israel trust in? What Word did they, at that moment, build their lives upon? It wasn’t God’s Word. They had the testimony of those who had gone before. They had heard it told from of old what God had done in calling Abraham, in raising up Moses and delivering Israel from the tyranny of Egypt. How God acted as a man of war in destroying the armies of Egypt in the REd Sea. How the Lord toppled the fortified walls of Jericho. Of Samson tearing apart the lion like a young kid. Taking a deadly beast–a symbolic representation of the Philistines–and treating it as a beast of burden (livestock) fit for the slaughter, and ripe for the eating:
"Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet" (Jdg. 14:14)
We read these pieces of history and what do we see? These were real events lived by real men, and they were faced by true circumstances. They were being told two things, but to whom should they listen? They were being told that the facts of reality were simply the facts, but according to whose interpretation? Do we suppose in our hearts that these events are mere stories to tell, perhaps even be inspired by, but that is where the meaning stops? Do we not see that in our own time we too are hearing two voices, two standards, proclaiming that this is how it is and there’s nothing we can do about it? Do we fail to recognize that the doubt of Israel (cf. Numb. 13-14), and the waywardness of Israel (cf. Exod. 34) are the same sort of realities we face now in the 21st century?
During my work on my Masters of Divinity I was challenged by a fellow student, a fellow minister of the gospel, for daring to believe that all of God’s Word is accurate and true. I was told that men like me give apologetics a bad name. That those who share similar views make a mockery of the faith, and look like fools to the world! “You believe in a literal ark that saved Noah and his family, when the entire world was drowned in a deluge? You believe that the pride of men was broken, the desire of a one world power, a place where man could make a name for himself, rather than devoting himself to the Name that is above every name, in the plains of Shinar, in the infancy of what would later be known as Babylon? You teach that there was a real tower, a real city and that the human race was divided by language in confusion as a judgment of God for refusing to honor (obey) Him?”
To the world such things are foolish. They are just as dumb as opposing a giant from Philistia with a Shepherd’s crook and a sling with five smooth stones from a nearby brook. “Who’s kid is this?” “What is wrong with this young man? Doesn’t he know that it is a fool’s errand what he is pursuing? Not only is he going to be a laughing stock in Israel, but he is going to lose his life over this gambling!”
Now I am convinced that presuppositional apologetics is concerned with more than just winning an argument. But that’s where a lot of men (young and old; seasoned and non) get tripped up. They are convinced that the only effective argument is the one that looks the most persuasive. Or, what is the most appealing to the rest of the world. Don’t get me wrong, I like to persuade people to. If you’re reading this, then do not doubt for a moment that I am trying to persuade you that if you seek to build your apologetic methodology on anything other than the Word of Christ you are the one committing an egregious error. If you are ashamed of defending Him on the basis of what He has provided (revealed to) you in His inscripturated Law-Word, then you are acting like a man who has decided that sand makes a better foundation than stone. In this way then, you are no different than the army of Israel and their king sitting on the sidelines of battle wringing their hands as their knees quiver rapidly.
David’s faith was in God. He’d heard both testimonies–the word of man and the Word of God–and he’d determined in his heart to honor the Lord above all else. His belief was so genuine he was willing to die for it. Even if he had been slain on that day… even if the world looked at him as though he were a fool… even if he became the butt of every joke and the warning of every serious scholar to not go in that direction, “Don’t be like him!” Even if that were the case, David would have proved to be wiser than his peers because in his heart he was devoted to the Lord above all else. God was sanctified there. God was worth staking it all for. God’s Word was all that mattered. It alone made sense of reality. And, made living worth living–even if that living invited a temporary death (cf. Heb 11: ; Abraham receiving back Isaac as an example) .
What was true of our ancestors in the faith, likewise, ought to be true about us; even in the 21st century. This way of looking at the world should put significant pressure on our interpretation of political leanings, ethical commitments, Christian behavior, the issue of abortion, on personal finances, the rearing of children, the choice of a spouse, our work ethic, the use of our most precious and limited commodity—time, to name just a few from a milieu of scenarios, circumstances, issues, and questions of life, and the thoughts and words that come from the deep recesses of our hearts. As those who bear the image of God, who are being conformed in Christ, reformed by the Holy Spirit we should allow the manner by which we interpret the world and exercise our faith through the pure Word of God.
ENDNOTES:
1Greg L. Bahnsen, “INTRODUCTION,” in Socrates or Christ, Cornelius Van Til, 7, Kindle Edition. Italics in original.
2Jason, Lisle, The Ultimate Proof of Creation (Green Forest: AR: Master Books, 2010) 12, 11 (respectively; order of Lisle’s argument reworked for clarity); emphasis mine.
Kristafal's Musings 