I Peter 3:15 tells us to "always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you". I believe it is important for the believer in Christ to be able to defend their faith, at least in some basic form. This defense is called " Christian apologetics", and my article below describes seven reasons why I believe.
1. PLANET
DEGRADATION – The Law of Thermodynamics and Entropy disprove an evolving earth.
Rather, it attests to the fact that our planet is deteriorating, moving from a
perfect state (as God created) to an imperfect one. This is not a theory, it is
indisputable scientific fact. Subsequently, environmental lobbyists cry out for
government and its citizens to “save the planet”, and mother earth is
worshiped by millions today.
2. LACK OF FOSSIL
RECORD – If Darwin’s evolutionary theory is correct, and mankind evolved from
lower species of animals over millions of years, there should be literally
millions of transitional fossils (half breed creatures). This would stand to
reason, seeing as there are millions of fish and mammal fossils in the
geological column today. Instead, scientists today continue a desperate search
to simply find one legitimate
example, in order to help support their hypothesis. The search continues, to no
avail.
3. ORDER REQUIRES
DESIGN – It is impossible for accidents to bring order from chaos. DNA
molecules, cells, and all living creatures require energy and information in
order to form a functioning living thing. As an example: a powerful tornado
with lightening and hail would not assemble a house or an office building, even
if the storm continued to rage over thousands of years. Rather, it destroys these
structures. A living creature is significantly more complex than an inanimate
object such as a building, even if that building was the Empire State Building
or the Taj Mahal. An intelligent creator
is necessary in order to design the blueprint for life.
4. HISTORICAL
EVIDENCE – Both Biblical and secular historical records attest to the fact that
Jesus Christ lived upon this earth. 1st century scholar and historian Titus
Flavius Josephus documented in his book “Antiquities of the Jews” that Jesus
was a teacher, a worker of miracles, and known to be the Messiah. Our very
timeline of civilization is categorized as B.C. or A.D. B.C. traditionally refers to “before Christ”
(some use B.C.E., meaning “before common era”). A.D. is from the Latin phrase Anno Domino, which is translated “year
of our Lord”. Jesus Christ remains the pivotal person of world history.
5. PROPHETIC
EVIDENCE – In order for statements to prove credible, they must be proven true.
The Bible contains approximately 2,500 prophecies. At least 2000 of them have
already come to fruition, against incredible mathematical odds (which have been
calculated). A portion of prophecies have yet to be realized, as they deal with
the end of days. Examples of prophecy given and fulfilled hundreds of years
later: David described the manner in which the Messiah would be crucified in
Psalm 22 and 34:20 – 400 years before the Roman crucifixion was invented;
Isaiah prophesied that the Persian king Cyrus would conquer Babylon and subdue Egypt,
180 years before it occurred; Jesus Christ told his disciples in Matthew 24 and
Luke 21 that not one stone of the Hebrew temple would be left on another. This
was fulfilled by the Roman army under Titus in 70 A.D., when they conquered
Jerusalem and completely destroyed the temple, pulling down the stones in order
to extract the gold inlay.
6. SOCIOLOGICAL
EVIDENCE – Atheist declare that there is no God, and agnostics believe that
there may be a God. There is a
problem with both of these positions, for if we deny the existence of God, then
the Bible based Judaeo Christian values on which North American and European countries have established their constitutional civil
laws become subjective, at best. Morality would then be relative,
depending on the person and circumstance. We see this movement taking place within our governments today. Since many believe there is no God and no moral absolutes, then determining
right from wrong is relegated to the politicians and ever changing viewpoints of mankind, which as we know is flawed, and limited in understanding.
Historical statistical research reveals that as North America strengthened its
position of separating church and state – relegating Christianity to remain
outside of public classrooms and courtrooms - violent crimes, unplanned
pregnancies, and marital divorce has escalated at an alarming rate. History
proves that relativism and secularism leads to chaos and confusion, eroding the
fabric of society. Here's a couple of statistics which help prove my point: the teenage suicide rate in America rose at least 400% from where it was in 1950, and according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, as of 2011 one out of every four teenage girls are infected with common sexually transmitted diseases (in 1960 there were only two types which were known - now there are more than twenty-five).
7. PERSONAL EVIDENCE
– As a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ, I can personally give witness to
the fact that God’s plan is the best plan. God has transformed my life
from the inside out, giving me peace, purpose, provision, and promised blessing! Jesus Christ has saved me, and has revealed to me my "R.F.B." - reason for being - which is quite simply to bring glory to God in all that I do (I Peter 2). My "M.I.L." - mission in life - is to love God, love people, and make Christian disciples (Mark 12:30-31,
Matthew 28:19-20). I can honestly tell you that my family has experienced God’s miraculous power and
providential hand of favour time and again, and I have seen the positive results of following God's Word on a daily basis. Nobody can take away my
personal testimony! Jesus Christ is still the only way to be saved and set free, and I am
forever grateful that He loves us all. Everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23) and needs a deliverer. If you don't know Him as your Saviour and best friend, I encourage you to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord today! Romans 10:9 declares, "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
