Who Do You Say That He Is?

Lately, I have been very interested in the subject of apologetics. The first time I saw this word I was browsing the Bible section at Lifeway. I saw the Apologetics Study Bible and thought, "What do we have to be sorry for?" This is probably a common reaction among folks like me. However, I have since learned that the meaning is quite the opposite.

The word apologetics comes from the word apologia which means "an argument in support or justification." In terms of Christianity, it is the logical, systematic explanation or defense of Christianity. You may be thinking to yourself, "Why do I need to know anything about apologetics? That is something my pastor had to study, and he is the only one that needs to know about it." I would tend to think this, but God’s word does not agree. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” David Horton, editor of The Portable Seminary wrote, “At some point, we all have to be apologists, unless we intend to keep our faith a secret.”

There are several different types of apologetics, but I want to focus on just one of these for this posting. It is Relational Apologetics. Relational Apologetics proclaims that the changed life of believers and God’s love shown to others validates the truth of Christianity. David Horton states that there is one weakness with this type of apologetics and that is “one would expect a qualitative difference between the ethics of Christians and non-Christians, which is not always as evident as it should be.” That statement is the perfect lead in to today’s post. I was on my way to a sales call yesterday while listening to a praise song. The first lyric said, “who do you say that He is with your life?”

When you begin to “advertise” Jesus as your Lord, it is very important to do your best to ensure that your actions match your beliefs. Have you ever heard someone say, “Churches ain’t full of nothing but hypocrites and that’s why I ain’t going!” I’m sure we’ve all heard similar statements at one time or another. However, this illustrates the sometimes scary truth that people are watching us, waiting for our next move...waiting for us to slip so that Satan can implant the thought in the unbeliever’s mind that we serve a powerless God. It’s not an easy thing to live a Christ-like life. In fact, I’m sure that it is impossible, but we are all called as Christians to try our hardest. I have always heard the statement that actions speak louder than words. I can remember Christians that I have met in my life that I knew, without them telling me, that they were a Christian. James 2: 18 says, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” Our actions will line up with our faith. I don’t want to be misunderstood. It is not our deeds that save us, but when we are saved, our deeds will match our faith.

Sometimes I wonder if Jesus wasn’t strictly a carpenter since He sure did talk about farming and growing things a lot. One of His favorite topics was fruit. He always talked about knowing a tree by what type of fruit that it bore. He talked of vines growing and being trimmed or in some cases, burned. If you haven’t read it, you can look at Matthew chapter 7 for further reading on fruit. I would say today that we should all evaluate our fruit. Make sure it matches our tree. If you’re an apple tree, then make sure you got apples growing. The Bible says that we are to examine ourselves. I hate to say this, but unless we die tomorrow, we have a life filled with battling sin daily. We are targets. 1 Peter 5:8 says that the devil is seeking for whom He may devour.
So, protect yourself from the onslaught of temptation. Do this by staying in touch with God. There is power in prayer but you have to use it first. The more frequently, the better. Second, remain in the word of God daily. Just reading the Bible everyday and really meditating on it can bring about noticeable changes in your life and your ability to fight sin. I heard a preacher say once that “the Bible can keep you away from sin or sin will keep you away from the Bible.” I find this to be true. Lastly, remember that it is worth the fight. James said that there is a crown of life awaiting the man that endures temptation. Jesus promised that we will spend eternity with Him. Guard yourself everyday because you never know who is watching. We should practice relational apologetics daily. I hope you have a great day!