Apologetics - Handmaiden to the Gospel

This is a repost of one of my very early articles from over three years ago.  I think it’s a good time to dust it off!

I have had some people complain that the apologetics ministry is “counter-productive” to the mission of the church. Comments have ranged from the ridiculous (“Doctrine doesn’t matter - only love matters”) to the misguided (“Go build the church. Show us how its done. Anyone can sit back and launch a spur of complaints, but that does not and never has accomplished anything”). But is this a true view of apologetics ministries?

What does the Bible say? Should we be warning the church against false teachings and false teachers? Should we expose false teachers and teachings? What about correcting error? I will let the Scripture speak for itself before I finish with a short summation of the purpose of apologetics, and why the apologetics ministry is a viable part of the Church.

Let’s first look at the Old Testament. God speaks against false prophets and gives warnings to bad leaders: Jer. 23:1-2, 16, 30-32; Ezek. 13:1-7; Ezek. 34:2-10. God also gives guidance on how to identify false teachers: Deut. 13:1-3; Deut. 18:22; Is. 8:20.

However, it is in the New Testament where we find a lot of Scripture that condemns false teachers and false teachings, and often in not very kind words. We will find commands to not teach falsely, commands to watch personal doctrine, and condemnation of false teachers. Almost every book has teaching of this nature.

THE GOSPELS: 

When Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount, one thing he did was correct all the false teaching promoted by the Pharisees (“You have heard it said…but I say to you”). Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees “hypocrites” as he railed against them for teaching tradition as doctrine. Jesus even alerts us that we can tell false teachers by their fruits (Matt. 7:15-20), and He personally attacks the lawyers, scribes and Pharisees for their teachings, with condemnations of “woe to you.”

ACTS: Paul warns the Ephesians that false teachers will come in with their false teachings (20:29-30)

ROMANS: “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.” (16:17-18)

1 CORINTHIANS: Paul rebukes the Corinthians for their divisions, and he condemns them for tolerating sexual immorality. He specifically states Christians are to judge those who claim to be part of the Church. Paul also warns them to flee from idolatry. And, finally, Paul challenges them to check their doctrinal standards.

2 CORINTHIANS: Paul says for the Corinthians to be holy in every thing they do, and he also says not to be joined with unbelievers in their practices, that they cannot have fellowship with darkness. Paul warns them that they are fighting a spiritual war of the mind, and our weapons are spiritual in nature. He then says, “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” (11:3-4). As Paul progresses in chapter 11 he warns them of false teachers and apostles and that even Satan can transform himself into an angel of light.

GALATIANS: “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” (1:6-9) This is an excellent summation of Paul’s attitude towards false teachers. Notice that he is not soft-spoken - “let him be accursed.” In 2:11ff Paul tells how he challenged Peter to his face for his hypocrisy. Galatians is all about the false works-oriented salvation message which was coming into their assembly. And Paul calls the Galatians “foolish” for listening to such false teachings.

EPHESIANS: Paul warns the Ephesians to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.” (5:11-12). He later tells them they need the whole armor of God to protect themselves against the devil - that it is truly spiritual warfare (6:10-18).

COLOSSIANS: Paul warns the Colossians about people trying to persuade them against the gospel, and that they are to avoid worldly philosophies and traditions, and to let no one judge them by legalistic standards.

1 THESSALONIANS: Towards the end of this letter Paul tells them not to despise prophecies or quench the Holy Spirit, but rather to test all things so as to hold onto what is good and reject what is evil.

2 THESSALONIANS: “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” (9-12)

1 TIMOTHY: Paul commands Timothy to “charge some that they teach no other doctrine…” A couple chapters later Paul has this to say: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. . . . Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” Just a bit farther Paul says, “If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.”

2 TIMOTHY: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (4:2-4)

TITUS: Paul tells Titus that he is to “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition.” In other words, the man must first be warned twice that he is teaching falsely.

2 PETER: “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” (2:1-3)

This listing is by no means exhaustive, but it demonstrates that false teachings are not to be tolerated, that the Church is to be warned against false teachers and their teachings, and that strong words may be directed at them.

Okay, so here is the point. Apologetics ministries aren’t there to evangelize or to build churches. Those are totally different ministries which work to spread the gospel and enlarge the flock. Apologetics ministries are there to protect the flock once they have been brought in. As apologists, we ensure the teaching is true to the Bible, and that the flock isn’t led astray by wolves or led into confusion by false teachings which can do anything from burdening them with legalism to leading them into apostasy.

Junk food theology can be spiritually poisonous and must be protected against. Discernment is the immune system of the church, and apologetics ministries teach discernment.   

Apologetics is the handmaiden to the Gospel.