Defend What You Love

Many years ago, before I was a Christian, I experienced the desire to defend what was most dear to me for the first time on the Toronto subway. My wife and I were expecting our first child, and while waiting for our stop, two men bumped into one another as they hurriedly entered our car.

One man became irate, and a shouting match ensued. We watched alongside the other passengers nervously as the situation escalated to shoving, until one of the men shoved the other and he fell backwards—onto my pregnant wife.

Acting instinctively, I shot out of my seat and confronted the man face-to-face; and I, in no uncertain terms, indicated there would be more trouble should he not calm down and stop the nonsense—which he fortunately did.

Luckily my wife was fine, but my adrenaline was pumping all the way home, and it took me a while to settle down as I kept reliving the situation—running it over and over again in my mind.

Except for the fact that I grew up with five older brothers, I had zero training in how to defend myself.

For all my youthful bravado, a huge question loomed heavy in my mind: “What would I have done if he had tried to assault me?” And the answer was—I didn’t have a clue! Except for the fact that I grew up with five older brothers, I had zero training in how to defend myself.

That situation planted a seed, and it wasn’t too long before I began a lifelong familiarity with self-defense training of various kinds.

Always Be Ready

After I became a Christian, I began to recognize that there may be intellectual and spiritual battles that I might inevitably get drawn into as well. As a former atheistic thinker, I understood that people were bound to make attacks against my new faith in areas concerning the accuracy of the Bible, belief in God, and the legitimacy of the church. After all, I had often used such arguments against Christians growing up.

I also realized that it wasn’t until I met a man who took my skeptical questions to task, broke through my defenses, and really made me reconsider my belief system that I was even open to hearing the gospel message. And that others might surely be the same. As Scripture says,

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6—emphasis added)

So, I began a journey to respond to the command that Apostle Peter sets out for all believers in 1 Peter 3:15. The idea that we should all be able to “give a defense” (apologia) to opponents when asked about our faith.

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. (1 Peter 3:15)

It made sense that if I should physically train to defend what is important to me in this life, how much more should we train to defend with what is most precious of all?

For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8)

Biblical Apologetics

Apologetics is the study and practice of giving logical, reasoned arguments for the rationality and truth of the Christian faith. The word comes from the Greek word apologia and means “to give a defense.” In 1 Peter 3:15, Christians are commanded to give an apologia to anyone who asks the reason for our hope—which is, of course, our faith in Christ.

However, like a court trial in which lawyers present a strong defense for their clients while simultaneously attacking their opponent’s view, the word has connotations that combine both defensive and offensive components. Scripture states,

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Just as there are several different styles of self-defense (each with varying degrees of efficiency), there are also different approaches to apologetics.

Different Ways to Use Apologetics

Christians are sometimes told they can’t use the Bible to prove the Bible, as it is circular reasoning. They are encouraged to weigh out and examine the brute facts around us to see if they “line up” with the Bible in order to prove if the Bible is true or not.

Nowhere do we see this more clearly than in the creation/evolution debate—where facts surrounding fossils, DNA evidence, rock layers, and radiometric dating methods are discussed with vigor, both sides claiming victory because of much evidence.

And yet, despite circular reasoning normally being fallacious in questions regarding ultimate origins, it is quite legitimate. Why? Because, when discussing what are called “ultimate axioms,” all worldviews are circular in nature. What do I mean?

Well, if you ask someone why they believe “A,” and they respond that it’s because of “B,” you will typically set off a chain of questioning with no real end in sight. Like a young child that continues to ask “Why?” after you explain something to them, a person cannot simply answer that it’s because of “C,” “D,” or “E,” forever. This is called infinite regress.

Sooner or later, a person simply must rest on something and say, “I believe it because I believe it!”

You will ultimately arrive at a place where they cannot justify that one belief with any other belief—otherwise the other belief becomes the “ultimate” belief. Sooner or later, a person simply must rest on something and say, “I believe it because I believe it!”

Even if someone says that their ultimate starting belief is the result of careful analysis of a collection of facts that led them to that ultimate starting position, it remains that, at the very root of their belief system, they will always have a starting point that cannot be supported further.

That is their ultimate starting axiom. And once someone has adopted a specific starting point, all other data will usually be processed through that “worldview filter.” Even atheistic thinkers like evolutionist Michael Ruse admitted as much when he stated:

[E]volution, akin to religion, involves making certain a priori or metaphysical assumptions, which at some level cannot be proven empirically.1

The Battle Is Not over Facts

From beginning to end, the Bible itself assumes the truth of God’s existence—not as something that needs to be proven.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)

Understanding that this is the case, Christians should always begin with the truth of God’s existence and his Word at the core of their defense of the faith. Christians should never put away our ultimate axiom—the Bible—when discussing truth with others.

Like a soldier going into battle without a weapon, asking a Christian to abandon the Bible in a discussion about truth is like asking a naturalistic atheist to prove God doesn’t exist without referring to matter/energy. You would be asking the atheist to give up his axiom (matter and energy are all that exists).

Consider the following fact both a biblical creationist and an evolutionist can observe simultaneously: a fossil buried in sedimentary rock. Each person is looking at the exact same thing—a dead creature entombed in rock—no one is arguing about that fact.

However, as soon as they begin discussing the supposed history or chain of events that lead to that fact being in front of them, their starting presuppositions will take hold immediately.

Consistent with their long-age beliefs, the evolutionist will likely have an explanation involving some slow and gradual process over deep time, while the biblical creationist will argue for a rapid burial in a relatively short period. Why? Because that is consistent with the biblical account of the great flood described in Genesis 6–9.

So, the ultimate battle for truth is fought not in a skirmish over specific brute facts that can be interpreted in various ways as evidence for a variety of worldviews but over ultimate philosophical starting points—presuppositions.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

Your presuppositions affect how you think and interpret facts for your worldview. Ultimately, they will affect how you read the Bible. And if you do not begin with the belief that God’s Word is true, you may not end with believing it either.

Defend What You Love to the Best of Your Ability

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he replied,

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:36–40)

According to Jesus, loving God should be our number one priority. As we strive to defend what we love, let’s try to do the best we can by beginning with God’s Word and avoiding a purely “evidentialist” approach when defending Scripture and casting down so-called scientific arguments used against the Bible.

According to Jesus, loving God should be our number one priority.

Always emphasize that facts in the origins debate do not speak for themselves. Rather, brute facts are interpreted as evidence for whatever historical paradigm you are trying to support. And we know that the history in Genesis is truthful and trustworthy—so let that be the foundation for your defense.

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17)