Personal Apologetics

Growing up in the Church of God, I often heard people quote a familiar phrase taken from 1 Peter 3:15 they would summarize as: 

“Be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within you.” 

You may be familiar with this scripture, too.

If you’ve heard about or studied apologetics, you may know that the practice of apologetics comes from this scripture in 1 Peter 3:15. Contrary to how the word sounds, apologetics isn’t about apologizing for your faith—it’s about creating a logical defense or rational answer for your Christian beliefs.

When I was a teen, that scripture actually troubled me a bit. If someone asked me why I wasn’t running in the big track meet on Saturday, or where I was going for a week in the fall, I often felt a sense of pressure when I answered. I wanted to make sure I represented my faith correctly. And if they were interested in learning more about God’s way of life, I felt a responsibility to give the perfect answer that would encourage that curiosity.

That necessitated being prepared to answer any question. What were the exact historical facts that proved Christmas has pagan roots? Was it Emperor Constantine that legally “changed” the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday back in Roman times? What if someone brought up a difficult scripture I hadn’t studied and couldn’t explain? What if someone replied, “You’re overthinking it, God understands” or “Don’t you know Christians are saved by grace? You’re off the hook!” How would I respond? Would I remember the scriptures to point to?

Whether the idea of being put on the spot to answer for your beliefs is a welcome challenge or causes you a sense of anxiety, the reality is that most of us will be asked about our faith.  The truth is, Church of God believers do often stand out in the world due to our different beliefs and practices. Non-religious people may ask us questions about our faith. Even most Christian denominations don’t typically keep the seventh-day Sabbath and Holy Days and may wonder why we do. If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable answering for your different beliefs at school, at your job, or with friends, you’re not alone. 

Over time, I began to view “giving an answer” a bit differently—and stopped worrying about crafting the most perfect answer and hitting all the correct scriptures or points. As I developed a deeper relationship with God and more of a passion for His Word, I was able to take a step back and just explain why my faith makes sense to me personally. Of course, that does require us to make sure we actually understand and believe what we profess to believe. 

If you’re growing up in the Church, your parents or perhaps a grandparent brought you to church and taught you about this way of life—but as you mature, you’ll have to step out of your comfort zone and take ownership of your calling. Here are a few ways you can support that process and feel confident sharing your faith.

1. Prove Your Beliefs

When coupled with humility, knowledge and understanding can be empowering. If you aren’t solid on a doctrine or scripture, or you aren’t sure how to explain it, drill down and study that topic until you are satisfied. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says to 

“Test all things; hold fast what is good.” 

Studying things critically may initially raise more questions for you. That’s fine—and in my opinion, it’s healthy. Keep studying to answer those questions. Look up scriptures on that topic, read commentaries, search UCG.org for sermons and articles about that topic, listen to recorded Ambassador Bible College classes, and talk to your minister, elders or trusted spiritual mentors in your congregation.

Ultimately, you need to build an argument for your beliefs that satisfies you. There have been times in my life where I asked someone a question and didn’t feel like I got a full enough answer. I’ve learned that you can’t stop there, because if you do, you’ll always have doubts. An explanation that satisfies someone else might not satisfy you, and that’s okay. 

When you feel confident in the topic, if you’re interested in going deeper, it can actually be helpful to read counter arguments and then study and research to disprove them. Read articles. Watch debates with people for and against your position and examine the scriptures they both bring up. Try to be proven wrong, and critically examine the counter arguments presented. Have (respectful) discussions with friends who don’t agree with you on the topic and see what they have to say. If there are cracks in your theology, this can test and expose them, showing you where you need to grow. Compare everything you hear to what the Bible actually says. You’ll be so solid on that topic once you’ve studied it, tested it, and ultimately proved it for yourself.

2. Look at the Continuity of the Bible

Have you ever been asked a question about your faith that you found difficult to answer? Maybe it’s about a specific scripture you haven’t studied yet. Maybe someone makes a statement about the Bible or Christianity that sounds wrong, but you can’t quite put your finger on why.

In times like that, take another step back and look at the continuity of the Bible—or the message as a whole. The Holy Days are a great example of this. Maybe you’re talking to a teacher about leaving for the Feast and they say, “If you’re a Christian, you should know that those Jewish holidays were done away with!” Now might not be the time to dive into a deep debate about the Old versus the New Covenant. Or perhaps a Sunday-keeping Christian friend brings up an isolated scripture—and out of context, it does almost sound like it’s saying we don’t need to keep the Sabbath or the Holy Days anymore. You know there must be more to it, but you haven’t studied that specific scripture yet. How do you answer?

Once you’ve studied your Bible as a whole, you can often take a step back and give an answer from the continuity of the Bible. One simple argument from continuity might look like this: If the Israelites were commanded to keep the Passover before the law was officially given at Sinai—before the Old Covenant was established—then the Holy Days predate the Old Covenant and therefore can’t end with the Old Covenant. Also, in the New Testament, Paul writes about keeping the Passover (1 Corinthians 11:17-34) and Days of Unleavened Bread (1 Corinthians 5:8) decades after Christ’s death, showing that he was keeping these days well after the New Covenant had been established.

A point that also always comes back to me is the fact that there are prophecies in Zechariah talking about how the whole world will keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16-19), suggesting a future time where these days are still kept. We also know that Jesus Himself kept the Holy Days!

You likely won’t need to touch on all those points in a casual conversation unless they nitpick, but you can confidently state that the Holy Days are seen all throughout the Bible—not just bound to the Israelites in the wilderness or to the Jewish people. If Jesus kept the Holy Days, and apostles after His death kept the Holy Days, then it makes sense that Christians today should keep them too.

For me, that made a lot of sense as to why I still observe the Holy Days today. That approach has also helped me confidently explain why I personally do choose to keep the Holy Days, even when many other Christians in the world don’t. It takes reading the Bible as a whole story to develop that understanding of biblical continuity. But it helps you avoid feeling trapped if you’re caught on a specific difficult scripture. 

So, when in doubt, don’t isolate a scripture. Look at it within the context and storyline of the entire Bible.

3. Ask God for Wisdom and Discernment

Above all, talk to God about all of your questions. Ask Him for wisdom, discernment and boldness. Pray before you study the Bible. View your Bible study as getting to know Him.

Psalm 145:18 says, 

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” 

He wants you to get to know Him—and talking to Him as you study His Word is a great way to develop that relationship. Pause and meditate when you read His Word. Ask Him to show you what you need to learn, and ultimately how to be more like Him. God’s Word, His laws, His poetry, and even how He interacts with people in the Bible all show us His character and how much He loves us.

Finally, don’t give up. Figuring out your faith is a lifelong task, and the sooner we get comfortable knowing that we’ll always have something to learn, the less overwhelming it might feel. So instead of worrying about whether you have an answer when put on the spot, make a commitment to dive into God’s word like never before. Wrestle with it, study it, and prove it to yourself.  You’ll find that ultimately, God will give you your answer.