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...

God warned Adam not to eat the forbidden fruit, saying, “For in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die” (Gen 2:17). The serpent, however, contradicted God’s warning, telling Eve, “You will not surely die” (3:4). The record shows that Adam actually lived nearly a thousand years after the Fall (5:5), not dying on the very day they disobeyed God. Was the serpent correct in saying they would not die immediately if they ate the fruit? “IN THE DAY”—A HEBREW IDIOM Scholars offer different explanations. Some suggest that the author was using a common idiom of the time, which implies certainty , not immediacy. When God spoke, He wanted to emphasize the certainty of the consequence, not the timing. Solomon also told Shimei that “on the day you go out and cross the brook Kidron, you will surely die” (1 King 2:37). It is unreasonable to take this literally and claim Shimei must die that same day; Solomon only emphasized the certainty of the penalty. Another example is Pharaoh’s warning ...

Apart from many Christians being unfamiliar with apologetics, a lot of us also hold negative views about it. According to some, because the Bible is the Word of God and God can defend Himself, it follows that the Bible doesn’t need any defense. Sounds logical, right? Sometimes they even cite Spurgeon’s quote, “Scripture is like a lion. Who ever heard of defending a lion? Just turn it loose; it will defend itself,” to support their view on apologetics. The truth is, the Bible doesn’t actually need our defense. The Bible is true whether we defend it or not. Despite attacks against the Word of God throughout history, it still stands and will continue to prove itself true. The problem is that not everyone knows this, so they may not realize that the Bible is indeed true! Criticism of the Christian faith is everywhere, and many assume that believers are gullible or naïve for continuing to believe. This is where apologetics comes in. By providing solid evidence and reasoned arguments, people...

  One of the questions many people often ask is where Cain got his wife (Gen 4:17). Some suggest that there were other people outside of Eden who did not descend from Adam, so perhaps Cain married one of them. This theory is baseless, for it is clear that before Eve was created, man was alone (Gen 2:18). If that’s the case, where did Cain find a wife? The most reasonable explanation is that he married a close family relative, most likely one of his sisters. “The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters.” (Gen 5:4). It is clear from Scripture that Adam had other children besides Cain, Abel, and Seth; they were simply not named. Since only Adam and Eve’s family existed at the time, Cain and his siblings had no other option but to marry each other in order to populate the earth. It is generally assumed that Cain married one of his sisters, though it is also possible that he married one of his nieces who had grown up by then. It is importa...

How the Greek verb “Agapao” and the corresponding noun “Agape” are commonly used in the New Testament:  1. TO DESCRIBE. To describe the attitude of God toward His Son (Jn 17:26), to the whole human race (Jn 3:16; Rom 5:8), and to those who believe in Jesus (Jn 14:21).  2. TO CONVEY. To convey His will to His children concerning their attitude toward one another (Jn 13:34) and toward all people (1 Thess 3:12; 1 Cor 16:14; 2 Ptr 1:7). Love is the fruit of the Spirit in believers (Gal 5:22). It has God as the primary object and expresses itself through obedience (Jn 14:15, 21, 23; 15:10; 1 Jn 2:5; 5:3; 2 Jn 6).  3.TO EXPRESS. To express the essential nature of God (1 John 4:8). Jesus Christ is the perfect expression of God’s love (1 Jn 4:9-10; 2 Cor 5:14; Eph 2:4; 3:19; 5:2). Source and Study:   Vine, W. E. (1997). Vine’s Concise Dictionary of Bible Words . (pp. 225-226) Thomas Nelson. (Original work published 1940)

One common accusation against the Christian faith is that the God of the Bible is arrogant. Critics argue that only someone who is self-centered and proud would demand constant worship and glory. Some even point to passages where God clearly desires that all people know Him (2 Sam. 7:23; Ps. 106:7; Jer. 32:20) and where He calls Himself a jealous God (Ex. 20:5; 34:14; Deut. 4:24). They claim that jealousy is a negative trait found in the self-absorbed. If God is perfectly good, they say, He should not be like this. To address the issue, we need to be clear on several points. 1. GOD CANNOT BE CALLED ARROGANT Arrogance means “exaggerating or disposed to exaggerate one’s own worth or importance, often in an overbearing manner” (Merriam-Webster). In other words, arrogance is having an inflated view of oneself. God cannot be arrogant because His view of Himself is perfectly accurate. It is not prideful for God to say He is perfect (Matt. 5:48) when that is the truth. It is not boastful for...

1. REDEMPTION FOR SINNERS Galatians 3:13 – “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’—” Ephesians 1:7 – “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” Revelation 5:9 – “And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,’” 2. RECONCILIATION TO THE FATHER Romans 5:10 – “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” 2 Corinthians 5:18–19 – “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entr...