149 – Sibylle – Seeing Isn't Believing: The Danger of Apologetics in the Pursuit of Faith
“In a long email this sister wrote to me about mostly issues relating to her personal testimony and the impact Relentless Heart has had on her faith. She wrote the following which prompted my recording and admonition to her about apologetics:
“I’ve started exploring more deeply the work of people who are involved in apologetics and Biblical exegesis, including exegesis that puts a close emphasis on the original languages of the Scriptures.”
In her reply to my recording, she wrote the following:
Wow Michael, you just surprised me. Thank you for taking the time and trouble.
FYI, I’ve listened to maybe 3 hours of Ravi Zacharias... I detected what I would call a “bad odor” very fast and gave up on him well before the scandal broke.
So perhaps when I used the word “apologetic” in my email, I wasn’t aware of the full breadth of its meaning. Your words on this recording are really helpful to me in defining something that has been happening in my life. In the midst of a lot of suffering, I have been struggling to make sense of how various things work, what the doctrinal truth is about some things in life, etc. I have a strong intellect, and I have spent a lot of time over the last few years crying out the word “why” to God.
I’m realizing more and more that, as you say in this recording, there is so much that human beings simply cannot grasp in our own minds and at our level of thinking. Tozer has recently helped me in this when I listened to his comments about the mystery inherent in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy.
I know that the words you have spoken to me here about how to follow Christ, how to have true faith, and how to witness to others are part of an answer to prayers I have made in the past few days about this upcoming circumstance in my life. I also know that God has provided these words to me because there is work for the Kingdom that he wants me to accomplish in my family. I will be listening again in the days ahead.
Thank you, Michael, Godspeed! Thanks be to Christ!
Sibylle”
Seeing Isn't Believing: The Danger of Apologetics in the Pursuit of Faith
In our quest for faith, we may naturally seek tangible proof, external evidence to validate the truths of Scripture. We turn to apologetics, hoping to find intellectual arguments that will convince us and others of God's existence. But Jesus said true faith, the kind that pleases God, is not based on what we see, but on what we hear.
Romans 10:17 tells us, "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." True faith a supernatural gift of His grace, rooted in the Word of God, not in scientific discoveries, archaeological findings, or philosophical arguments. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Apologetics, however, often emphasizes the things we can see, attempting to validate Christ based on external or historical evidence.
Jesus himself addressed this issue with doubting Thomas. When Thomas declared he wouldn't believe until he saw the nail marks in Jesus' hands, Jesus responded, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). Regardless of how tempting to the intellect, apologetics may be, Jesus makes it clear that true faith is not dependent on sight. In fact, those who believe without seeing are blessed.
Since “a tree produces after its own kind”, apologetics will produce a counterfeit faith, a faith that will forever be dependent upon the explanations of men, or the sight it first needed, before it could believe. If you come to faith by apologetics, it will be impossible to truly walk with God by faith, because He will never be able to move you, until after you see. A faith rooted in apologetics is a faith that attempts to bring God down to our human level, rather than humbling ourselves before Him.
True saving faith in God cannot come from men or apologetics but is a gift that comes only from heaven (John 3:27). If you're seeking true faith, turn to the Word of Christ, and let the Holy Spirit convict you of your sins and enlighten your heart. Resist the allure and temptation of apologetics. True faith is a gift from God, a supernatural work of grace that transcends human reasoning and sight. Believe, even when you cannot see.
