THE CURIOUS BELIEVERS

T The world is drowning in a flood of opinions and beliefs. As Christians, there is a greater need today for us to know what we actually believe and why we believe it. If we don’t know what we hold on to, we cannot pass it on to others. That’s why apologetics is necessary in our Christian walk. Peter instructed us: “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense (Greek apologia ) 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). Hank Hanegraaf, in his book The Complete Bible Answer Book , gives three simple definitions of apologetics: DEFENSE OF FAITH The most basic definition of apologetics is the defense of faith. The Bible instructs us to contend for or affirm the “faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). A particular faith was passed down from those before us to those after them, eventually reaching us—we are also entrusted to pass it on. Because th...

All believers know that salvation comes only through Jesus. He clearly declared, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Christianity rests on the truth that “everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). But what about people living in remote regions, isolated tribes, or communities with no exposure to Christianity—those who have never even heard the name of Jesus? Does that mean there is no salvation for them? Two major theological perspectives address this question: Inclusivism and Exclusivism . The key difference is that Exclusivism maintains that a person must place conscious faith in Jesus Christ in order to be saved, while Inclusivism allows for the possibility that God’s grace can reach those who have not heard the gospel in explicit terms. ON THE SIDE OF INCLUSIVISM According to this position, God judges people on the basis of the information that they have. Therefore, if a person has never heard about Christ, God wil...