Defend Your Faith

1
Defend Your Faith

• Lesson 1
• Is Faith Reasonable?

2
Apologetics In An Unbelieving World

• What is apologetics? (2 Tim. 416)
• What kind of apologetics do we use?
  (Acts 172-3,16-31)
• Who engages in apologetics? (Mt. 112-6 Acts
  13 Lk. 11-4 1 Cor. 151-9 1 Pet. 315 1 Jn.
  11-4)
• Why engage in apologetics? (1 Thess. 521 1 Jn.
  41)

3
Presenting Your Case For Faith

• What faith is (Heb. 111,6)
• What faith is not (2 Cor. 57)

4
Presenting Your Case For Faith

• Faith is built upon evidence (Lk. 11-4 Jn.
  2030-31 1 Cor. 154-5 2 Pet. 216-21)
• Faith comes from weighing the evidence of men,
  scripture, nature, and miracles (Lk. 11-4 Jn.
  2030-31 Rom. 120 Heb. 23-4)
• Faith leads to trust and obedience (Jas. 214-26)

5
Presenting Your Case For Faith

• What is reason? (Acts 172,17 184,19 198-9
  207,9 2412,25 Rom. 121 1 Pet. 22)
• What is the relationship between reason and
  faith? (Acts 174,11-12 184 198)

6
Answering Objections to Faith

• Objection 1 Faith lacks evidence and is simply
  a blind leap in the dark.
• No, faith is grounded upon evidence (Jn.
  2030-31 2 Pet. 116-21 1 Jn. 11-4).
• Be careful to avoid two extremes the
  anti-intellectual approach to faith (Rom. 121 1
  Pet. 22) and the human-reasoning-alone approach
  to faith (Prov. 1412 Jer. 1023).

7
Answering Objections to Faith

• Objection 2 Many intelligent and educated
  people do not believe in Christianity because
  there is no evidence to believe.
• When intelligent people refuse to believe, it is
  not because of a lack of evidence, but rather a
  lack of honesty and integrity (Jn. 540 717
  940-1 Acts 1732 Rom. 125 2 Thess.
  210-12).
• The problem is with their will, not their mind
  (evidence).

8
Answering Objections to Faith

• Objection 3 Unbelievers rely upon facts
  (evidence) and believers rely upon faith (no
  evidence).
• Both rely upon facts and faith.
• Everyone believes (has faith) in something (Big
  Bang) or someone (God). It is not a matter of
  having faith, but in what or in whom will ones
  faith be placed.

9
Answering Objections to Faith

• Objection 4 Faith Saves, Not Reason.
• Yes, faith saves (Lk. 750 Eph. 28 Jas. 214),
  but faith includes reason because faith is based
  upon knowledge, and knowledge requires a use of
  reason (Rom. 1017).
• God gives us a mind (reason) and he expects us to
  use it to serve him (Mk. 1230 Rom. 121 1 Pet.
  22). We must use critical thinking (1 Thess.
  521 1 Jn. 41).

10
Defend Your Faith

• Faith is based upon truth and truth is objective
  and rational. Faith is the reasonable and
  rational response to the evidence that God has
  given to mankind.
• Belief (faith) is more reasonable and rational
  than unbelief.
• There is evidence for the existence of God, the
  Bible as the Word of God, Jesus as the Son of
  God, etc.

11
Defend Your Faith

• We dont want to live without a faith that gives
  us hope (Eph. 212 1 Thess. 314).
• Faith in God and his word gives us reason to
  live. It makes the day brighter, our life
  sweeter, and everything meaningful.
• Do you have the will to believe today (Jn. 717)?