I believe apologetics is extremely important and has great value. But it doesn’t have the power to save a soul. No amount of apologetics gets someone into the kingdom of God. It’s only the gospel that has that power (Rom. 1:16).
Now I realize no sane Christian actually claims apologetics has the power to save. People who make use of this sentiment are typically criticizing apologetics. Years ago, I was speaking with an prominent Christian theologian who was suggesting apologetics didn’t have much value since, as he said, he’d only led no more than 5 people to Christ through apologetics. My response was (said as nicely as I could) that he hadn’t led anyone to Christ on the basis of apologetics! Apologetics doesn’t have the power to save.
The value of apologetics
Can apologetics be instrumental in in one’s journey to Christ? Of course, and this is where there is significant value. We’ve all needed reasons to believe along the way. For example, it may have been hearing a powerful testimony about how someone’s life was radically transformed in coming to Christ. This constitutes a reason (i.e., it is an apologetic) to believe Christianity is true, good, and beautiful. All Christians have reasons for the hope that’s within and to give a defense of these is reasons is to give an apologetic (1 Peter 3:15).
But merely having Christian beliefs is of course not to have saving faith in Christ. There are plenty of people with Christian beliefs (especially in churches here in the Bible belt!) in the same way that the demons believe but also shudder (James 2:19). These may believe intellectually but they have not placed their faith in Christ.
In short, beliefs based on apologetic arguments do not save. Apologetics can have tremendous instrumental value, but it is only the gospel that has the power to save.
All Christians need to make clear the beauty and brilliance of this gospel.
What is the gospel?
Ok, real quick, what is the Christian gospel? God is maximally great in every perfect and, as such, holds the whole universe into being as its source and purpose. In short, all of reality points to and is the result of the glory and greatness of God. We humans, however, choose to live out of step with this and, in a very fundamental way, fail to make our lives point to the glory and greatness of God. We, in fact, attempt to point to our own glory and greatness every chance we get, even if very subtly. In short, we, in our fallenness, live sinful lives morally out of step with God and stand, therefore, condemned. But here comes the gospel (i.e., good news): God, in his love, provides a way of salvation in the death and resurrection of Jesus. In short, God-incarnate suffers our debt. We ought, therefore, to repent and point our lives squarely at the glory and greatness of God as we entrust ourselves to Jesus as Lord. And this brings us peace with God, which is the way of genuine human flourishing.
The beauty and brilliance of the gospel
By my lights, there simply is no bigger, no better, no more beautiful idea in the history of the world. I think it is intriguing and attractive all on its own and I would put it up against all the great philosophical and religious ideas throughout the history of the world. To me, it is peerless.
In fact, when people reject Christian belief, they don’t usually say that the gospel itself is somehow flawed or not good enough. It is usually something else about Christianity that they find objectionable. Perhaps they think Scripture is historically unreliable, or that an all good and powerful God cannot be squared with evil, or that the Old Testament God is not worthy of worship, or some other intellectual objection.
Too good to be true?
The issue people have with the gospel seems to be it is, in a way, too good to be true. If I’m honest, I really sort of get this. It can almost feel too good to be true in the way of a fairy story or a myth.
It is indeed a good story. But, in contrast to a typical myth, it is objectively true.
This is exactly where C.S. Lewis found himself. He loved myth, as it is found in cultures throughout history. He had no problem with the gospel as myth, but he didn’t think it could be an explanation of the world since reality was, for him, explained by naturalistically by science. It wasn’t until J.R.R. Tolkien, et. al, convinced him to consider the gospel as a true myth.
A myth is a richly beautiful story that teaches us the purpose and meaning of life. It, in a way, enchants the world with value and purpose. But typically a myth is itself a fictional story or a metaphor. But it was the idea that Christianity is a factual myth, a myth that played out in a real place at a real time, a myth that actually enchants the world with real meaning, purpose and value, that set Lewis on his journey towards Christian belief.
The offense of the gospel
But there is of course a sense in which the gospel is an offense. That is, it is supremely humbling and often an affront to be told we are sinners and are, therefore, condemned by a holy God. We naturally want to say that we are not so bad and we certainly don’t want to yield control of our lives.
The gospel is indeed offensive in this way. And it often takes us realizing the depth of our sins to see our need. One doesn’t need good news unless one has become convinced of some significant bad news!
The the consequences of the gospel
So when we stop to consider the claims of Christianity, we realize these are extraordinarily big claims with extraordinary consequences. If true, our lives are simultaneously given a kind of infinite worth while simultaneously declaring our lives over, as they stand. In the Christian gospel, we are children of God with infinite value as image bearers but are also called to take up a cross as we walk towards the execution of our sinful selves.
The gospel is beautifully rich and grants eternal hope while being utterly humbling and, in a way, devastating to our temporal lives.
Now I realize I’ve given you no reason to think the gospel is true in this post. This is where apologetics comes in. But remember, it doesn’t have the power to save.