“We must contend for the faith!” This is what we are told. And I agree. But the way I have started thinking about “defending” the truths of Christianity might be a bit different than what first comes to mind. For most of us, the idea of taking a stand for the faith is fleshed out in developing air tight arguments on things such as the historical reliability of the resurrection, the proofs of the existence of God, and the problems associated with evil and suffering.
Before I move on, I want to be forthright in writing that I believe creating such logical proofs are important to our faith. I in no way want to bash the need to discuss with others the intellectual barriers they may have in regards to Christianity. I know many have benefited and even decided to follow Jesus because of the patience someone showed them in answering the hard questions.
However, what I want to propose is that the ultimate way we contend for the faith is not with fail proof arguments. It is instead with our lives. The kindness, grace, patience, compassion, mercy and love we are to exhibit speaks more loudly in our world filled with competition and insecurity than our reasoned responses. For many, words are cheap. They’ve heard the sales pitch. The proof for them exists in our actions.
Philosopher and apologist William Lane Craig in his book Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics writes some fairly heady words pertaining to the philosophical assaults that have landed in our laps as believers. But what grabbed my attention about Craig’s book is found in his three page conclusion. He writes:
Throughout this book we have examined many arguments in support of the Christian faith. But now I want to share with you what I believe to be the most effective and practical apologetic for the Christian faith that I know of. This apologetic will help you win more persons to Christ than all other arguments in your apologetic arsenal put together.
What is this final apologetic? IT IS YOUR LIFE. “More often than not,” writes Craig,
“it is who you are rather than what you say that will bring an unbeliever to Christ.” Now I know we must speak about Jesus to people. The gospel must be proclaimed, taught and discussed. But don’t miss what Craig is getting at here. The burden of proof is a life lived.
So you want to defend the gospel? You want to show proof that there is a God? Then love your neighbor as yourself. Serve. Sacrifice. Forgive. Become slow to anger. Show patience. Encourage. Listen. And put others above yourself. These are the ultimate apologetic.
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