Apologetics – 1. : systematic argumentative discourse in defense (as of a doctrine)
Back to that definition again. If we are defending against the spiritual forces of darkness (the who) then what is it we are defending?
I believe the answer to that question is – the good news of the kingdom,
“Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” – Mark 1:14-15
One of my concerns in the last few years is that the good news no longer seems so good to a lot of Christians. And if you don’t think the good news is good anymore you probably won’t tell anyone about it.
If the good news is not good, then we have no apologetic. There is nothing to defend…we and Satan agree! And we are left with just more secular doom and gloom. Everyone is in the same boat and there is no help on the way! That would be bad news.
We need to ask ourselves what makes the good news truly good? And what about it makes it worth defending as the truth as opposed to the lies of the evil one (part 1)?
The first, question – what makes the good news truly good?
Before I go on, answer that in your own mind. What would make your list?
Did you know Hindus would answer this differently than Christians in the West? The gospel is exploding in India while Christianity in the West is on the decline.
The reason the good news is good news to a Hindu is because they believe there is no way out of the downward spiral of reincarnation. They believe they are doomed to live life after worse life forever and ever with no way out. The message of sin being removed and resurrection ensures them that they have found a way to break the cycle! They turn to Jesus, sometimes knowing they will be persecuted for it.
Jesus came into this world to reconcile us to God because we were alienated from God. Paul said it like this,
“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.” – Col 1:21-23
This passage highlights why the good news is good.
Being alienated from God is the worst possible position to be in. God is the only source of hope. God is the only source of life. God is the only source of righteousness. God is good and God is love and we should want to be as close with Him as possible. Being with God is living life as we were made to live it (think Genesis 1-2).
To be apart from God is to side with the darkness and have our lives subverted by the lies to live in falsehood, confusion, and disoriention. If you have ever experienced any of those three things you know you don’t want to live in that head/heart space very long. You want out! You want to find freedom…and that is what Jesus is offering, which makes the news so good!
Notice, part of our alienation was our own evil behavior and part of our reconciliation is to live in faith with “hope held out by the gospel.” We have a partnership in the outcome. God works with us to bring about the effects of the good news in our lives in practical and profound ways!
King Jesus comes to deliver us. He comes to set people free. And that is good news!
Now, the second question – what makes it worth defending as truth as opposed to the lies of the evil one?
Once you understand life in Christ and life outside of Christ…life in truth vs life in lies…you begin to see why the good news is worth defending. People are dying every day living the lie. And the painful part isn’t always the act of dying – it is the daily burden and weight of living in darkness and deception.
There is a rescue that comes from the good news of King Jesus! He can help us where we are helpless. And there are people out there seeking answers that have no idea where to find them.
If we want people to experience this kind of life – then we need to be defending the good news of King Jesus! We must tell them!
When we defend against the lies of the evil one by speaking truth, there will be people living in darkness who get a glimmer of life in the light. They get a taste of the potential hope they can have in Christ when they see it in us and hear it in His message! Then they can find life and hope! That’s good news!
The good news is worth defending – this is life and death business!
