samedi 10 février 2018

Strengthen Faith With Apologetics Articles

By Kathleen Martin


A Christian believes in things unseen, which is called living by faith. Apologetics is the branch of Christian philosophy that defines and defends the truth of the Bible. The term comes from a Greek word meaning 'to defend an idea verbally'. Apologetics articles can be found in publications and online.

The value of reading or hearing the thoughts of great men and women of God cannot be overemphasized. By regular Bible study, a believer's own faith will be strengthened. This is also the way to gain tools to answer the questions of others or to defend your faith if it is attacked.

People often question believers, either because they have noticed unusual peace or joy in their lives or because they want to attack their beliefs. It's amazing that those who have neither joy nor peace may actually hate seeing it in others. People may also have an opposing view of life or religion and seek to either impose those views or simply attack the belief systems of others. People like to argue.

Apologists also need to learn how to 'argue' in the old sense of the word. 'Making the argument' used to mean presenting a clear opinion, not engaging in heated exchanges. The Bible tells us to defend our faith in love and gentleness, not in acrimony or exclusiveness. In order to debate honest questions gently and calmly, believers need to truly understand their own position.

Anything written by men, outside of the inspired Word of the scriptures, needs to carefully assessed for adherence to biblical principles. People also need to examine their own spiritual experiences for validation from the scriptures. Interactions with the Holy Spirit make up our personal testimony, which is another tool that helps us stand for the faith.

Still, it helps to know some of the basic arguments. For example, how did a humble carpenter's son, who was in his thirties and had a support system of twelve men and a few women - how did this one man change the world without ever writing a book or traveling one hundred miles from his home? Does it make sense that millions of people have been willing to live and die for such a man? Not in any worldly or natural sense. This man must have been something special, like the manifestation of God's love in human form.

It helps most believers to have difficult passages of scripture explained. They also may not have gotten the full meaning from what they read. For instance, many believers pray that their offerings may be multiplied. However, connecting that desire to the parables of feeding the 5000 and the 4000 gives a whole new idea of God's power. It's wonderful when the ideas of others give new insight and understanding to Bible study.

An article will focus on one point, so reading a series of them helps believers learn a little at a time. It's important to absorb new ideas and ponder them before simply piling on more. It's also interesting how often a person who is struggling with a problem or question will find the answer as the Holy Spirit directs the search. Writing articles allows those who have a significant insight share it with others.




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