In this week and next, we will look at learning how to defend your faith.
As Christians, we are called to be different. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.” (NLT). We are supposed to stand out from the world and the culture around us.
Sometimes it can be difficult if you don’t know what you believe or cannot articulate it well. It is so important to be a faithful student of God’s Word.
The apostle Peter encouraged the Gentile and Jewish believers he wrote to in I Peter 3:15
“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.” (NLT)
It is usually a challenge to be “ready” to explain that hope when you don’t know where to start.
Jude 3 encouraged the believers to defend their faith against false teachings and ideas.
“Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.” (NLT)
This week we will look at two of the four ways you can learn how to defend your faith.
1. Know God for yourself
God is the creator and sustainer of all things.
“Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” Psalm 40:5 NLT
Developing a relationship with the God of the universe is an essential part of living. Having a relationship entails knowing our standing before Him. Sin broke the relationship man had with God (Genesis 3). Our sins create a separation. On our own, we are not worthy to come before God as we are.
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9 NTL
Because of this, God offered a way to fix this relationship.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:16-18 NLT)
Once we truly acknowledge our sinfulness, repent of our sins, and accept salvation through Christ, we must surrender our life to Christ.
“Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23 NLT
Knowing God is something that happens over time. As we grow in our faith and knowledge of Him, we will better understand who He is. So while we will never fully understand God, there are some things we can know from His Word.
2. Read and Study the Bible
Once you have committed your life to Christ, it is important to continue to learn more about God and what He expects of us as His followers.
Reading and studying the Bible will be a lifelong journey. Reading and studying the Bible are two different methods.
When you read, you get a general idea of that something is about. Reading the Bible is something that a believer should incorporate into their life. Every time I read through the Bible, I see new insights. The more you read the Bible, you will become familiar with the stories in it. Knowing the basics of the story will allow you to dig deeper when you study the same passage.
Studying the Bible is when you try to learn and understand that it is trying to communicate.
Studying takes longer.
When you want to learn something, it takes time. The same is with the Bible. When you want to know God’s Word, you have to dig deep into it.
Studying the Bible can take many forms. For example, you can take classes on books of the Bible, listen to sermons, or join a Bible study.
Studying your Bible alone helps you dig in for yourself. Studying
the Bible in a community helps to expand our knowledge and faith in the Word.
Learning how to defend your faith is a process, but it can be learning. Knowing God for yourself and studying the Bible are just the first steps.
Come back next week to learn the last ways to learn how to defend your faith.
So good!