From the very beginning of church history, the Christian faith has been attacked and opposed. Simeon said that "the Lord's Christ ... is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel; and for a sign that is spoken against..." (Lk. 2:34). On the day of Pentecost there were those who mocked the disciples and said they had drunken too much wine (Acts 2:13).

Throughout the centuries, the Gospel has encountered opposition in the world. Often this opposition came in the form of mockery. People made caricatures of Christians. Some said that Christians "ate human flesh" and did many other abominable things.

Apologetics is the theological refutation of these false allegations and other distortions of the teaching of the church. Apologetics is as old as the attack on the Christian faith. The oppo­sition to the Gospel requires refutation. The caricatures need to be unmasked and corrected. False accusations need to be exposed and denounced.

Giving an Answer⤒🔗

The word apologetics is derived from the Greek word apologia, which means "defence," "speech in defence" or "answer." The word "apology" is also derived from the Greek word apologia. We use the word "apology" exclusively in the sense of "excuse," to express regret for a wrong. The New Testament, however, uses the Greek word apologia to describe a "defence," "a speech in defence" or "answer," usually in a formal or court­room context. The apostle Paul, for example, speaks of his right, under Roman law, to meet his accusers face to face and to make his "defence" against their charges (Acts 25:16). He also uses the word in Philippians 1:7 and 17, where he speaks of himself as being put into prison "for the defence of the gospel." The apostle Peter uses it in 1 Peter 3:15, where he writes to fellow Christians in Asia Minor about suffering for Christ's sake and shows them when confronted to always be ready to give an "answer" or "reply" of their hope to out­siders and opponents.

Calvin's View←⤒🔗

Calvin comments on 1 Peter 3:15 as follows: When "neither fear nor shame hinders us from making a profession of our faith," but rather we "boldly give a reason for (our) faith to (our) adversaries," then we "really honour God." We must not "assert and proclaim what has been given by the Lord everywhere and always and among all indiscriminately, for the Lord gives his people the spirit of discretion, so that they may know when and how far and to whom it is expedient to speak." Peter "bids them only to be ready to give an answer, lest by their sloth and the cowardly fear of the flesh, by being silent, they should expose the doctrine of Christ to the derision of the ungodly." To be sure, "we ought to be prompt in declaring our faith, to set it forth whenever necessary, lest the unbelievers through our silence should condemn the religion we adhere to."

It is clear that "Peter here does not command us to be prepared to solve any question that may be put forth; for it is not the duty of all to speak on every subject." But rather, we should "defend our faith" when any one makes "inquiries respecting it." ¹

W.H. Velema has suggested that Calvin provides a program here for apologetics for all centuries. He brings out the following elements ²:

1. The Christian witness is to be directed to the honour of God. That should be the motivation.
2. We need to check when, to what extent and to whom we shall give this Christian witness. We ought not always and everywhere to say exactly the same thing.
3. Apologetics needs to consider the persons and situation in which the Christian witness is to be made.
4. We need not address all possible questions that are put to us, as if our witness is credible only if we can solve every problem.
5. The starting point is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every distortion of and opposition to that Gospel must be unmasked and refuted. Every aspect of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that needs an explanation must be expounded.
6. Apologetics is no mere theoretical endeavour that com­pels us to show that we have the strongest arguments. Rather, apologetics starts from the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is practiced in the faith of Jesus Christ.
7. Apologetics aims at leading to faith in Jesus Christ. Apologetics has therefore been called the twin-sister of evangelism. Both have the same purpose but carry out their tasks differently.

Two Categories of Objections←⤒🔗

In developing this program for apologetics, W.H. Velema points particularly to two categories of objections that are often voiced against the Christian faith: intellectual and moral. They relate to the objections, accusations and caricatures that are made against the Christian faith.

1. The intellectual objections are those that claim there are intellectual impediments to the Christian faith. Some phrase it as follows: "How can you expect me to sacrifice my freedom to think as a citizen of the 21st-century? Surely, I cannot act as if there has not been the 18th-century Enlightenment." The Enlightenment was a new movement of ideas, basic to which was the conviction that truth could only be reached through reason, observation and experiment. Many think that the Enlightenment so challenged traditional Christianity that it is impossible to believe the miracles mentioned in the Bible, particularly the resurrection of Jesus Christ, His two natures, and the fact that the Bible calls all human beings sinners.
2. The moral objections concern the attitude and walk of life of Christians. For example, it is said: "Why did it take the Christian church so long in history to denounce slavery as sinful as well as the oppression of women?" ³

What can Christian apologetics say to each of these classes of objections? Should we respond to the second objection by condoning the wrongs of the past? In response to the first example, should we give intellectual arguments to show how we are able to understand the mysteries of God? In this later case, we would be taking a rational approach, which would degenerate into a form of rationalism.

Indeed, it is part of the task of apologetics to show that it is not irrational and foolish or immoral to believe in God and to believe His revelation. But apologetics can never take the place of the proclamation that the Holy Spirit uses to bring persons to faith.⁴ Apologetics must be practiced with a view to the preaching of the Gospel and cannot be practiced apart from the preaching of the Gospel. Apologetics is not an authority by itself. Rather, it is subservient to the preaching of the Gospel. Professor G. Wisse spoke about "the apologetic element in the ministry of the Word." ⁵  He argued that there should be an apologetic element in the preaching.

Equipping Church Members←⤒🔗

In 1 Peter 3:15 Peter is arming Christians against attacks. He shows them how they can turn such confrontations into occasions for defending the Gospel by declaring the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ according to the plan and power of God. This task has continued to be the same throughout the centuries. The dimensions of that task have grown tremendously. It is the task of Christian apologetics to equip the members of the church to defend the Gospel. That is why Christian apologetics should also be taught in cate­chism classes and Christian high schools to enable young people to defend the Gospel in the world.

W.H. Velema calls attention to a remark made by G. Wisse. He states that the necessity of defending the Christian faith goes back to paradise, where sin — the chasm between God and man — originated. Peter warns the church against the devil who goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). The confrontation with unbelief and the disobedience to God's command as works of the devil, have been the same throughout the centuries. ⁶

In subsequent articles we will examine how some 20th century apologists have performed this task in various ways. We will see that there is diversity in their approach. But their goal is the same. It is to combat false teaching, to refute false allegations, and to clearly state the truths of the Word motivated by love for God's truth and the Gospel for sinners.