Is Our Hope Believable? Apologetics for the Christian Faith
There are far greater blogs on apologetics than what I can offer, but nonetheless, we all must answer the question, “Why do I believe in Jesus?” It’s a worthy question to answer thoughtfully because as we seek to be effective in evangelism, we will come across people of various backgrounds and belief systems. Paul spoke differently to the Jews in Acts 13 than he did to the Gentiles in Lystra in Acts 14. He was able to draw upon Old Testament Scriptures with the former but he appealed to general revelation with the latter. Still, he displayed his evangelism flexibility when speaking at the Areopagus in Athens. With more sophisticated speech, he interacted with cultural influences (like the poet he quotes) and pressed upon their own questions (like the unknown god). In each scenario, his hope had not changed, but he did change the way he communicated it.
Now, what I don’t believe is that we have to be an expert in other world religions or have a PhD in physics, archaeology, and philosophy to do evangelism. We’ll have partner churches visit Boston and one of the ministries they’ll do is a spiritual survey that often opens up the door to gospel centered conversations. High school students will talk with MIT and Harvard students, and while this may seem intimidating at first, we remind them that truth is on their side. Sooner or later, the inconsistencies of the person they’re talking to will come out, no matter how smart they are. Wisdom trumps intellect, and the former is on the side of the Christian. Plus, the believer has the Holy Spirit guiding and helping him. This is why we need not be frightened or cowardly in sharing the Gospel. God works through our words (Romans 10:17).
What reasons might we offer for the hope we have in Jesus?
The Perplexity of Creation
The Bible begins with an astounding claim:
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
The very first sentence of the very first page of the Bible clearly teaches the origins of the universe. Who is God? He is the Creator God. He existed before time and space and exists outside of it. The person who claims they are spiritual but not religious has to wrestle with some rather difficult questions. They rightly believe the universe is more than atoms, neutrons, and electrons. They conclude there is more to our reality than matter, but if there is a spiritual dimension, how did it come about? Who rules there?
Perhaps the biggest stumbling block for the atheist is the question, “How did something come from nothing?” If you have no God, how did the universe spontaneously appear out of nothingness? You can’t even say “out of thin air” because elements like oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide also had to come from somewhere. Whatever explanation is offered, it honestly takes more faith to adhere to a scientific theory absent of God than it does to adhere to an Intelligent Designer. Why? Because the most obvious answer is that a created object, no matter how small or large, has a creator. Anyone who walks into the Louvre in Paris doesn’t visit the renowned Mona Lisa painting only to say, “How did this randomly appear here?”
In fact, if we are to take God at his Word, the reason why people deny God as Creator is not because of uncompelling evidence but a suppression of evidence. Nature serves as witness to every man that God has uniquely fashioned and formed their existence and the world they inhabit:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20).
Creation makes God’s eternal power and divinity plain. Yet, we suppress the truth. Why? If God is our Creator, this would mean that he would have a claim on us, something every human heart rebels against apart from God’s grace. We like autonomy. We don’t like accountability. Nevertheless, the best explanation for the order and origin of the universe is a Divine Person who has brought it into being.
The Reality of Suffering
Survey the nearly 8 billion people on planet Earth and I don’t think anyone would concede that we’re living in a perfect world. And the reason for this is because of the everyday experience of pain and heartache. We have an intuitive sense that the world is not as it should be. And though everyone has different ideas on how to make the world better, the fact that we all have these ideas is an interesting one. Why?
To have an idea for how to make the world better proves we have some sense of right and wrong. How can you advocate for fixing the world if you’re unaware of its dysfunction? Lions and tigers aren’t huddling together to plot environmental preservation. If you were to ask your dog, “What’s wrong in the world?” I wouldn’t expect much more than the wagging of the tail and possibly a bark for a response.
What sets humans uniquely apart from all other animals or creatures is morality. A grizzly bear isn’t considering the ethics of killing his next meal. We don’t expect a bird to apologize for dirtying our car. How do we account for the moral agency that exists in humans?
The evolutionist has quite the conundrum on their hands. If one believes in “survival of the fittest'' then you can’t cry about how unfair a policy is when it favors one group over another or when one ethnic majority pursues genocide over an ethnic miniority. This is simply the strong winning over the weak. Though this would be consistent with an intellectually honest evolutionist, many can’t believe in something that so clearly violates what they know to be true, namely, there is a right and there is a wrong. Grasping for straws, the evolutionist tries to construct a worldview that accounts for morality as a necessary attribute for humanity’s survival. This premise can easily be debunked, but even if we were to follow that train of thought, who gets the ultimate say as to what is right and wrong? Without God, the arbitrator of truth becomes either popular cultural opinion which changes or whoever is in power.
Our instinctual cry for justice imposes a crucial question–is it more reasonable to assume that our unique moral agency within the animal kingdom is attributed to random evolutionary processes or a righteous and holy God who has made us in his image? The same question can be asked for our instinctual cry for the redemption of the brokenness we experience. Is it more reasonable to connect the universal longings of our souls for personal and interpersonal peace to mere biology and science or to a God who made us for harmonic relationships with himself and others?
The Path of Redemption
If you resonate with the sentiment, “The world is not as it should be” then we are moved to ask, “How do we fix it?” A child inflicted with injury looks for solace in the arms of his father or mother. They holler with quivering lips until they’re comforted by the presence of love. Where do we, as hurting humanity, seek to have our cries heard and answered? What path offers us hope?
Atheists have little resources for any enduring help. Resigned to a life without God, many resort to the humanistic path. This path is characterized by progress. If only we can focus on the right initiatives, tolerances, and laws, then the world will be a better place. This is a dead end, however, because it fails to account for what we all know to be true, namely, the evil that resides within our own hearts. While undoubtedly we have been hurt by others, we all have also contributed to the pain in the world. If I truly wanted to help make the world less evil of a place, then I would logically consider suicide. Why? Because that’s one less person that would cause hurt to others.
Now, I doubt the humanist would agree. Deep down, they likely believe that they are better than most people (few don’t) and that their presence could help the world. How is progress measured then? By how much of the world conforms to their values, priorities, and beliefs. Without a standard of perfection, we subjectively set up our own standard (or tribe’s standard) and beckon everyone “to get on board” or “to get in line”. At worst, it’s extremely dangerous. After all, the Holocaust occurred under the guise of progress. At best, it’s the blind leading the blind. As someone who is morally compromised, who am I to lay out “the way” for others to follow?
Just as popular as the humanistic path is the hero path. This path is not about progres as much as it’s about praise. People opt for this path because they believe that if icon or legend status is reached, perhaps they’ll rise above the pain. They can’t fix the world but they can aim to be on top of it. Suffering might even be the thing that spurs them onto greatness. The unsettledness of the soul can be mended by enough people who stroke their ego with flattery.
Yet, we know this road to be a dead end, too. If you finally reach the top - something few do anyway - you soon realize how empty it is. While you’ll garner the applause of the crowd, you might be loved for the parts of you the world sees, but it will seem shallow and superficial because there are many parts of you that are not seen and known. In the end, the hollow admiration and the millions of dollars prove insufficient in meeting the needs of your soul. In addition to its emptiness, this path is filled with constant striving. You’re always fighting to stay relevant. And just when you finally reach the summit, you quickly yield to another who takes your place.
Perhaps the most popular path, at least among the irreligious, is the hedonistic path.
“Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die”
“Life is short, so do what makes you happiest.”
“Follow your heart.”
All of these statements would be signposts along this road marked by pleasure. I admit that this path is the most reasonable if you don’t believe in God. If this world is all there is, why wouldn’t you make the most of this life by indulging yourself? And yet, pleasure can imprison without proper perspective. Why? Because we begin to treat objects less as gifts and more like saviors. We pick up a new relationship to save us from loneliness. We pick up alcohol to save us from stress. We pick drugs to save us from boredom. Soon, a cycle begins. The object fails to deliver us in the ways we hoped so we either up the ante by increasing the amount of the object or we move onto another object. Sadly, this cycle has been responsible for many tragedies such as divorces, overdoses, and addictions. Now, that’s the extreme of this path. Still, while this path can bring about earthly happiness, it offers no hope on your hospital bed while you take your final breaths. This path, like the other ones we’ve seen, is a dead end.
So far, these paths address the secularists. And while the number of irreligious people is growing, what about the global majority that would still subscribe to some religion? With the exception of Christianity, the top religions of the world promote good works that bring about a sort of rescue from the pain and suffering we experience. We might call this the holy path. If I have the ability or keep a certain list of rules, maybe I will have done enough to earn salvation. In other words, my rescue is based on my performance.
There are glaring issues with this road. On one hand, the rules are different depending on the religion. Plus, what is God’s grading system? Am I safe as long as 75% of my deeds are good? Does God grade on a bell-curve? Concerningly, there is no assurance provided in other world religions. Our basic need for love is never fulfilled in God because we have no way of knowing whether or not we’re accepted by him. Whereas confidence and trust swell in the soul when love is present, sadly, this lack of certainty only elicits fear.
Those on the holy path simply have to hope that God shows mercy. If they do enough good, then maybe God will accept them. However, they can’t have their cake and eat it too. If we say we want a holy and righteous God, then he can’t turn a blind eye to even the smallest of wrongs. This means that good will never be good enough unless we’ve lived sinless in all of our affairs since total holiness is what God requires. Otherwise, his mercy would compromise his justice, and his inconsistency would not make him a god worth worshiping. Since no one has been able to maintain the bar of holiness God demands, the holy path, like the rest, is a dead end.
The conclusion? Each path has its own potholes and pits. None are reliable.
Is there a path that somehow allows us to experience the mercy of God without compromising the justice of God? Is there a path that has renewing power to both transform me and the world around me? Is there a path that places the burden of perfectionism off of myself? Is there a path that brings about both earthly and eternal happiness and significance? Is there a path that offers meaningful help to get through my suffering but also promises the end of it?
The answer is yes. All of these questions are answered in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus as “The Way”
While progress is the boast of the humanistic path, it lacks two essential qualities: for one, it lacks any direction without having a standard of perfection; secondly, it lacks any power to rid me of my evil desires within, such as jealousy or envy or greed. I might have the self-discipline to change my behavior outwardly but I do not have the strength to change my heart.
Yet, what’s lacking in this path is found in Jesus. He’s the only person on earth that could say, “I have perfectly lived up to God’s righteous standard.” He never once sinned. If somehow you had a special instrument that could detect anger or lust or impatience or bitterness in the soul of another, your inspection of Jesus would have showed no results. He is the standard. But Jesus is not merely our example. After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended back to his Father, he sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all of those who believed in him. The power we need to live morally righteous lives, he provides. God says, “I’ll take on the responsibility of growing you into the likeness of My Son. You can’t do it on your own, but I am giving you the Holy Spirit to be your helper.”
Consider the hero path. If summitted, it’s a path that brings glory and praise for a season, but you are quickly forgotten and set aside after you’ve run your course. Permanency is unattainable. The same is true for the hedonistic path. Pleasure is like an appetite that constantly needs refilling. And eventually, it runs out. Death comes knocking and then what?
In Jesus’ kingdom, however, you have lasting recognition and happiness. His resurrection signals a victory over death. He has ascended to his Father where he’s preparing a home for us to enjoy. It will be a kingdom that time cannot decay, death cannot enter, and sin cannot threaten. It will also be a place where pleasure will not end. In this kingdom, we will not have to fight to earn attention, like one must do in the hero’s path and like a child often does when he yells to mom and dad, “Look at me!” No, forever we will have the attention and admiration of our Father who calls us sons and daughters.
We turn now to the boulder that needs moving along the holy path, specifically the dilemma of how God’s love and justice can co-exist. If God is only just, how can he actually accept us on the merits of our resume filled with flaws, sins, and imperfections? If God is only love, then how can he answer the cries of our hearts that yearn for justice in the world?
The death of Jesus on the cross puts a stick of dynamite to the holy path and gives us a way forward. On one hand, the cross is a referendum to just how bad our sin is. The cross is offensive because it means that our sin is so horrible, our nature is so depraved, the debt we owe God is so severe that God’s Son had to die. Why? Because of how justice is measured. The sentence handed down from the judge factors not only the crime itself but also the one wronged. For example, if I were to punch a friend out of anger, I might get into some trouble if he chooses to press charges. But if I attempted to assault a police officer, the consequence would be loftier–still more if I tried assaulting a governmental leader. The point? The penalty is issued based on the person and the office he/she represents. So when I sin against an infinitely holy God, the Creator and Judge of the universe, my penalty is deserving of eternal consequence. When Jesus speaks of hell, he speaks of it as a place of eternal, conscious torment.
The cross is a massive billboard from God himself that says to all of humanity, “I am righteous.” The wrath of God poured out against Christ proves that God does not sweep sin under the rug. It’s a preview of what’s to come. On Judgement Day, the wrath of God awaits all who chose not to trust in the sacrifice of Jesus while all of those who did will be saved. But the cross also says in red written in Christ’s blood, “I am love.” God was not obligated to rescue and reconcile sinners back to himself. Perhaps more wonderfully comforting to us is not so much that Jesus had to die but Jesus chose to die. Jesus affectionately and generously chose to lay down his life for us.
The cross is a beautiful blend of God’s love and God’s justice. He is just. He is also the justifier. Jesus stands in my place on two accounts. First, Jesus stands in my place as my retributive substitute. He bears the punishment that I deserve because of my sin. Secondly, he stands in my place as my righteous substitute. Jesus presents his resume of perfect righteousness to the Father and God counts it towards me because I’ve appealed to Jesus in faith. I am free of striving towards the unachievable goal of perfection the holy path requires. I am also free of fear because I no longer have to guess where I truly stand with God. I am accepted and forgiven. No wonder the apostle John writes that perfect love casts out fear. Jesus moves the boulder.
Finally, the way of Jesus provides ample resources as we deal with pain and suffering that no other path can.
The humanistic path says, “If we put our heads together, we might not rid suffering for ourselves but we might for the next generation.” Except the track record of the last several centuries exposes the fallacy. Each century seems to be deadlier than the last.
The hero path says, “Trust the process. Suffering will only make you stronger in the end.” Except reaching the pinnacle of your dreams is unlikely, and even if you do, like a dream, it quickly fades. The process that promised wholeness has left you wanting.
The hedonistic path says, “Are you hurting? Try this drink. Try this drug. Try this vacation. It will numb the pain. It will help you escape.” It puts a band-aid on a soul wound that won’t stop bleeding until it finds its rest in God.
The holy path often looks forward with some sort of promised reward, This path says, “It will be worth it.” Except it comes with no guarantees and each path contradicts the other. You can take a gamble and try one, but you’re in trouble if you choose the wrong one.
But the way of Jesus says, “I’m with you always. I’m here to comfort you in your grief. If you trust me, I will turn every moment of suffering into your favor. I will work all things, even the difficult things, for your good. Soon, I will wipe away every tear from your eyes and death and suffering will be no more.”
Unlike the other paths, Jesus is trustworthy. The death and resurrection of Jesus speaks to how the wisdom of God can take the absolute worst of events and turn them into stories of triumph. In three days, what appeared to be a tragic defeat morphed into global redemption. Now, if God planned to work good through the death of his only Son, can we not trust that he will author a glorious story in the midst of our pain? When you have an infinite God who calls you his own, he takes his infinite power and infinite wisdom and infinite love and directs all of that to ensuring everything that happens to you is ultimately for your benefit. Furthermore, when Jesus says he’ll return to restore justice, usher in peace, eliminate evil, and bestow joy, we can be totally confident he will keep his word. The greatest rivals to this paradise–sin, Satan, and death–have been overthrown. He stands unopposed. And in the meantime, while we wait, he is present. While these other paths place the burden on self to get through the grief, we are not left alone because God has sent the indwelling Holy Spirit to comfort us when we’re hurting. A friend who sticks closer to a brother, God meets us in the heartbreaks and disappointments faithfully distributing what we need to keep going.
When you step back and consider the perplexity of creation, the reality of suffering, and the path of redemption, no other worldview or religion explains consistently and satisfactorily how all the puzzle pieces come together other than Jesus. When one considers the values that seem to be stamped upon the soul, the cries of the heart that are universally uttered, and the search for a story that holds it all together, Jesus alone is the remedy.