A commentary item from the Christian
Post should be a stark reminder of why apologetics (the art of defending the
faith) is far more critical and important than we think and especially when it
comes to reaching the upcoming generations for Christ. While it is encouraging to know that the
younger generations are not necessarily hostile to the things of faith, intellectual
barriers are a major factor in their reluctance to fully embrace Christ.
Multitudes have been deceived into
thinking that no intellectual can possibly believe in divine or
supernatural intervention but must adopt
the philosophy of Naturalism which teaches that the natural world is all that
there is and it is this philosophy upon which atheism and Darwinism (evolution)
are founded. Multitudes have been taught
that science requires a denial of the existence of the supernatural and to
believe otherwise is unscientific and if they believe that theistic faith is unscientific
and unintellectual, then it will be impossible to persuade of the truth of the
Gospel message and of their need to come to repentance and there may very well
be more who might come to Jesus in repentance than we think if it can be shown
that theistic faith and science need not conflict. As pointed out by the Christian Post:
The real conflict is not between
science and Christianity. The real conflict is between Christianity and
naturalism.
Science is a method for studying the
natural world. Naturalism is a worldview claiming that nature is all there is.
Those are not the same thing. Science asks how the natural world works.
Naturalism insists, before the discussion even begins, that nothing exists
beyond nature. When those two are confused, science is made to draw
philosophical conclusions it cannot support. [1]
It is vitally important that it
be understood what science is, what it is intended for, as well as its
limitations and that the distinction be made between science and a philosophy
purported to be science but which isn’t really science. Science, as mentioned by the Christian post,
is simply the study of the present workings of nature. It cannot tell us about what happened in the
past (that is what history does) nor can it really tell us what is going to
happen in the future (that is what prophecy does). It can only tell us about the present. For example, if we see fossilized remains, we
can safely deduce that they are the remains of an animal that had lived and
died at some point in history, and by examining the remains, depending on how
complete they are, we may even have some idea as to what the animal may have
looked like and what it might have even ate, but other than that, we know
nothing more; we can’t really know when it was born, how long it lived, or when
it even died because there was no one around to observe and study the animal in
its lifetime but naturalism is a philosophy that insists that science can tell
us what happened in the past and even how life originated despite the fact that
those who hold to this have never been able to repeat or replicate the conditions
from which they claim life had originated and what they have done is that they
have taken some measure of observable truth and fact, blended it with a lie, and
have successfully convinced multitudes of people that this is science when in
fact, it is not science that they are presented, but a pseudoscience, but
tragically, most people do not know the difference between science and a
philosophy because they have been led to think that the philosophy is also
science.
And the only way that this
intellectual barrier which is blinding multitudes to the truth of the Gospel
and their need for repentance can be shattered is if they can be shown that the
testable, observable, and repeatable science, which is what science is, is not the
same as the philosophy that masquerades as a science and once they are shown
the distinction, it is only then that they will begin to see that there really
is no conflict between theistic faith and science, that they are more likely to
see clearly the truth of the Gospel message and their need for repentance
because there is a God by whom all things are created, who is the source of all
truth, who has determined what is right and wrong, good and evil, who has set
forth moral laws and precepts for the purpose of maintaining social order in
the world, before whom we will all have to give an account one day for all that
we have said and done and by whom even our very thoughts, motives, and
attitudes will be called into account, and before whom we have all sinned in some
form or fashion, that our sin demands that a penalty be paid, estranges us from
our Creator who is not willing that we remain estranged from Him (2 Pet. 3:9) but
that we be reconciled to Him and in His desire to reconcile us to Himself, He
has provided redemption for us in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, His only
begotten son (Jn. 3:16) who came into the world as God in the flesh, (Jn. 1:14)
knowing no sin, (2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15) but lived a perfectly sinless life
which made Him eligible to take upon Himself the demanded penalty for our sins
which He did through the shedding of His blood on the cross upon which He was
crucified and after having purchased redemption for us in His death, was raised
again from the dead in order that we would be justified in Him (Rom. 4:25) by
placing our faith and trust in Him for the forgiveness of sins if we will but
in humble repentance call upon His name for forgiveness (Rom. 10:9, 13) so that
we might be reconciled to our Creator in Him. (2 Cor. 5:18)
And what made the coming, death, and
resurrection of Jesus necessary is due to the inherent corruption of our nature
which the Bible calls sin which affects not just our actions or what we say,
but even our thoughts, motives, and attitudes and due to its presence within
us, even our own goodness falls short of the perfect goodness of God (Rom.
3:23) which is why it is not possible for us to be able to redeem ourselves by
our own efforts from the penalty demanded of that which is sin which is death
(Rom. 6:23) and not only does it demand the death of the body, but demands that
the soul that remains in sin itself be kept out of the Kingdom of God and to be
cast away from the presence of God forever into the darkness, fires, and torments
of Hell itself from which there is no relief or relenting.
But it was never the will of God that
we should be born inherently corrupt and sinful, for when God had created the
heavens and the earth, He created the world to be a place of goodness and
created all things, including man, to be good, until a fateful act of disobedience
changed the world into what it presently is today and that fateful act of
disobedience pertained to a fruit from
certain tree called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that the
first man Adam and the first woman Eve were forbidden to eat, having been
warned of God that in the day that they ate of that forbidden fruit, they would
surely die (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:3) but instead of heeding the warning of God, they
heeded the voice of a lying spirit who falsely assured them that they would not
die as they had been warned and deceived them into thinking that by the eating
of the forbidden fruit, they would acquire things even greater than what they already
had (Gen. 3:4-5) and when they had eaten of that forbidden fruit, it was in
that moment that what scripture calls sin had entered into them which brought upon
them the sentence of death as they had been warned (Gen. 3:19) and to which
they eventually succumbed, but the consequences of their actions did not stop
there because the sin that entered into them was then passed down to all of
mankind and since all of mankind is descended from Adam and Eve, so all of
mankind inherits the sinful nature that had entered into them (Rom. 5:12) and
are born estranged from their Creator and because we are born inwardly defiled
(Mt. 15:11, 18-20) it is necessary that we be inwardly cleansed of our defilement
which requires an inward transformation and a spiritual renewal that cannot be done
by outward acts and performances, but is a change that can only be brought
about by God Himself which is done through Christ Jesus our Lord and it is our
inability to redeem ourselves that made it necessary that Jesus come into the
world, purchase our redemption with His death, and be raised again so that any
calling upon His name would be cleansed of their sins and be admitted into the
Kingdom of God.
But the lying spirit that led Adam
and Eve into committing that fateful act that brought sin, death, and all kinds
of pain and suffering into the world is also responsible for the various cleverly
devised lies that have blinded multitudes to the truth of the Gospel of
salvation in Jesus Christ of which the philosophy of naturalism, which we
understand to be Darwinism or the theory of evolution is just one of many and
yet one that has been very consequential in shaping the course of history and
civilization and most certainly not for the better.
Naturalism is a worldview that
teaches:
1. That the universe came into
existence by happenstance by way of unthinking and unplanning natural processes
over a long period of time and which denies the existence of a Creator and anything
supernatural, or an afterlife but declares the end of this present life to be
the end of all existence.
2.
That death, suffering, pain, misery, hardship, and struggle are not a
consequence of any fateful act but are just as much a part of the natural cycle
as life, peace, happiness, and tranquility.
3. That man determines what truth and fact are,
what is right and wrong, good and evil and renders concepts such as truth and
morality as subjective rather than fixed absolutes which makes such concepts
meaningless and practically nonexistent because if truth and morality, right
and wrong, good and evil are subjective, then that means what one calls evil,
another calls good, and what one calls a lie, another will call truth, and what
one calls right, another calls wrong which makes the concepts of truth and
falsehood, good and evil, right and wrong a matter of opinion and perspective
instead of fixed absolutes.
4.
That we are no more or less significant than any other creature. That there is only the strong and weak, the superior
and inferior, the predator and the prey.
But Christianity teaches:
1.
That there is a God by whom all things are made and that He made all
things, who is the source of all truth, who determines what is good and what is
evil, right and wrong which makes Him the supreme moral authority to whom we
will all have to give an account for all that we have said and done in this
present life and who will be the one who hands out the final rewards and honors
and the final sentences to each and every person who has ever lived.
What He determines to be right and
good is whatever is in agreement with His good and perfect design and what He
determines to be evil and wrong is whatever goes against His good and perfect
design.
2.
That death and suffering were never initially a part of Creation but are
universally felt consequences resulting from a fateful act of disobedience by
the first man and first woman God had created.
3. That the concepts of truth and falsehood,
good and evil, right and wrong are not subject to any man’s opinion or perspective
but are unchanging absolutes.
4.
That all people are created equal and that there are no inferiors or
superiors.
These are two worldviews that can
never be reconciled to each other; even the upcoming generations understand this
and they understand that ultimately they are going to have to make a choice as
to which one they will embrace and which one they embrace is going to be the
one they find to be the most credible and it is a matter of whether or not we
as a Church are willing to take the time and effort to do all that we can to
ensure that they make the right choice because what they choose will make the
difference between Heaven and Hell for them
Apologetics (the art of defending the
faith) is not limited to just one subject matter but is a broad discipline that
addresses various challenges to our faith that include not only intellectual
and philosophical challenges but even religious and theological challenges and
no matter what the case may be we have a duty as Christians, especially those
of us who hold positions of leadership and influence within the Church, to be
prepared for the best answers that we can possibly have to any who may ask
concerning the faith and hope that lies within us (1 Pet. 3:15) and we are all
called, as often as required, to earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 3) which
calls for not only being prepared as much as possible with answers to honest questions
but also being ready to demolish and discredit any and all arguments against
the faith and against the authority of scripture and how well prepared we are can
make the difference between whether or not a lost soul is persuaded to come to
repentance, whether or not the youth raised up in the faith continue on in what
they were raised up in, and whether or not those professing to embrace the
faith are further grounded and solidified in it or if their faith is overthrown.
Discipleship is not only about
teaching followers of Christ to study and abide in the authority of scripture and
sharing their faith, but it also requires the solidifying of their faith by strengthening
and reinforcing their confidence in the faith by preparing them to give as
solid of a defense for the faith as possible which we call apologetics, which is
the art of defending one’s respective theological, philosophical, social,
political, and spiritual viewpoints.
Apologetics is far more important and
critical for persuading the lost to repentance and for strengthening and
solidifying professing followers of Christ in their faith than what many in the
body of Christ have made it to be and sadly, most within Church leadership don’t
make apologetics a priority and that has had dire consequences for the credibility
of the Church, the confidence of many in the authority of scripture and in the
faith itself, and ultimately for the course of society.
And in not making apologetics a
priority, church leadership is failing their respective congregations and
parents are failing their children. If you
happen to be in a position of leadership or influence in the Church and are not
making apologetics a priority, then you are not doing your job and you are failing
your respective congregation and especially the upcoming generation within that
congregation and either begin making apologetics a major priority in your
ministry or step aside and let someone else take over who is willing to make the
defense of the faith a priority.
And if you are a parent and are not taking
the time to ensure that your children are given the best answers they need for
them to retain confidence in the faith you profess to be raising them up in,
then you are failing your children on a spiritual level and if you don’t make
apologetics a priority in your household, you risk losing your children to
unbelief and eventually to Hell itself for all eternity unless the course is
changed.
There is an age-long war for the hearts,
minds, and souls of men which also becomes a war for the hearts, minds, and
souls of cultures, civilizations, societies, nations, kingdoms, and empires. It is an age-long war between:
Life or death
Good or evil
Light or darkness
Truth or falsehood
Wisdom or foolishness
Holiness or sinfulness
Purity or corruption
Righteousness or unrighteousness
Order or chaos
Liberty or oppression
Angels or demons
God or Satan
Heaven or Hell
Salvation or damnation
And the Church has not been fighting
that warfare nearly as well as they ought to be.
We trust in our own understanding
instead of looking to God.
We prioritize temporal earthly things
above heavenly things which will last forever.
We value earthly rewards and
treasures above heavenly treasures.
We value the favor of mankind above
the favor of God.
We fear men more than we fear God.
We allow our attention to be diverted
to the cares and worries of life
instead of keeping our sites on the
things of the Lord.
We trust in the wisdom that is of
this world system than what comes from God.
We capitulate and conform ourselves
to the ways of the world
instead of conforming ourselves to
Christ.
We tolerate, affirm, and even celebrate
sin, wickedness, corruption, false doctrine, and heresy among our members
instead of holding those who bring falsehood, ungodliness, and sin into the
ranks accountable for their behavior, conduct, and what the preach.
We measure success by quantity
instead of obedience to God.
We trust in the things of this present
world and even in other people to provide for our needs instead of trusting in God
to provide for them.
We trust in our own wisdom,
understanding, intellect, and strength instead of wisdom, knowledge, and power
that comes from God.
We neglect diligent study of the
scriptures.
We lack confidence in the authority
of the scriptures.
We are apathetic, cowardly, and
complacent.
We keep silent when we need to speak
up.
We treat our professed faith as a weekend
hobby instead
of a faith that is lived out every day of the week.
We place our hope in the improvement
of this present life instead
of setting our sites on the new and better world to come.
And when it comes to making a case
for our professed faith, we are ill-prepared.
We need to rely on the Lord for guidance
at all times and not on our own faulty understanding.
We need to prioritize the affairs of
the Kingdom of Heaven above earthly temporal things.
We need to value the eternal rewards
to come more than temporal treasures.
We need to prioritize the expanding
of the Heavenly Kingdom above
the building of earthly empires.
We need to value the favor and honor
that comes from God and who gives the final rewards and honors instead of the temporal
favors and honors that come from men.
We need to fear God before whom all
man must give an account more than we fear man.
We need to love God and the things of
God more than anything else.
God needs to be at the center of all
that we do instead being relegated as a footnote.
We need to keep our sites focused on
the things of the Kingdom and not distracted by worldly affairs or by the cares
and worries of this present life.
We need to stop conforming to the
ways of this present world and
make ourselves conformed to Christ.
We need to commit ourselves to abiding
in, the teaching of, and the maintaining of doctrinal purity and godly living
and hold accountable any within our ranks refusing to do so and who teach
things that are contrary to and damage confidence in the authority of the
scriptures by which the
Gospel is delivered.
We need to trust in God, who is
limitless power, to provide for our needs instead of the
things of this world or even in other people who are limited in their power and
attributes, are subject to failure, and who also may be brought to the end of
themselves.
We need to stop trusting in ourselves,
in our own strength, willpower, or intellect, and trust in God with
whom nothing is impossible.
We need to be committed to and
diligent in the study of the scriptures and not
be negligent in our study, for the better versed we are in the scriptures, the
less likely we will be deceived by heresy and false doctrine and the better
able we will be in defending the purity of doctrine against every false
doctrine and heresy that might deceive any within the ranks of the saints from
the pure doctrine and faith that they initially received.
We need to be ready to give as sound of
a defense as possibly can be given for the faith and for the authority of the
scriptures by which our faith is delivered so that the lost may be left with no
excuse for refusing to turn to the faith in repentance, so that there may be no
excuse for following things contrary to the faith and the teachings of
scripture, and so that faith may be strengthened and solidified.
We need to be courageous and
steadfast in the faith in the face of all opposition no matter how fierce.
We need to speak out against and
expose the works of darkness and refuse to remain silent.
We need to live out our faith every
day of our life in all that we do and not relegate it to a weekend hobby.
And we need to place our faith and hope
in the new and better world to come which will last forever instead of this
present life and world which is destined to be done away with.
If we will commit ourselves to doing
all of the aforementioned, then we will be much better representatives for the
Kingdom of God and we will be the light of the world that we are supposed to be
and it is only when such a reformation takes place within the body of Christ can
there ever be hope of any Great Awakening in our nation.
Lives, souls, and liberties are at
stake.
End notes:
1. Steve Osborne, Op-ed Contributor, “Science
didn't kill God. Naturalism just assumed He was dead,” Christian Post, August
13, 2026
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/science-didnt-kill-god-naturalism-just-assumed-he-was-dead.html?utm_source=notifpush.com&utm_medium=web-push
Scripture
references:
1. 2 Peter 3:9
2. John 3:16
3. John 1:14
4. 2 Corinthians 5:21
5. Hebrews 4:15
6. Hebrews 7:26-27
7. Romans 4:25
8. Romans 10:9, 13
9. 2
Corinthians 5:18
10. Romans 3:23
11. Romans 6:23
12.
Genesis 3:4-5
13.
Genesis 2:16-17, 3:3
14.
Genesis 3:19
15. Romans
5:12
16.
Matthew 15:11, 18-20
17. 1 Peter 3:15
18. Jude 3
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