Is Apologetics Biblical? (Apologetics Part 14)

Does the Bible condone the use of apologetics? The intuition found in the first cause, design, and moral arguments for the existence of God seem to be affirmed in Romans 1 and 2. Many cultures concluded that a supreme being exists based on general revelation alone, and this is not a coincidence. This is confirmed by Paul’s speech in Acts 17. Arguing that Jesus is God is also confirmed by the Bible when Jesus tells people to use a “miracle test” and look at His miracles to know if He is really God. In the Old Testament, God gives Moses miracles to prove a message was given to him by God. Moses said to test claims to have messages from God by evaluating the evidence, and the Bible affirms that we should use historical investigation to see if its claims are true. However, some Christians still object to the use of apologetics. Modern philosophy has influenced the church to separate faith from reason and look down on reason and think of faith as uncertainty. Thomas Aquinas used faith and reason together and did particularly well in balancing general and special revelation properly. It can be said that philosophy is the study of general revelation and theology is the study of special revelation. Many verses that Christians use to try to say that the Bible opposes using reason to ascertain truth are not interpreted properly in context. Yes, the Bible is both self-sufficient and self-authenticating, but we must be careful about what we conclude from the meaning of those terms.

To find this content in written form, you can read Adam's article "A Biblical Foundation for My Apologetic Approach", which can be found here: https://convincingproof.org/apologetic-approach-biblical-foundation/

Adam’s Lectures on the History of Philosophy can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTEkXbr4qlVMKIVGtsvM1ODMffPh8Hgfr

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Contents:
0:00 Introduction
3:40 Is Arguing that God Exists Biblical?
11:44 Is Using the Miracle Test Biblical?
16:34 The Bible Began with Miracles Given to Moses
22:46 How to Identify True and False Messages from God
30:58 Using Historical Investigation to Evaluate Evidence for Jesus
38:07 Some Christians Argue Apologetics is Unbiblical
41:01 Separating Faith from Reason
51:34 Augustine and Aquinas on Faith and Reason
54:59 General Revelation vs. Special Revelation
1:05:10 Does Paul Oppose Apologetics in 1 Corinthians?
1:22:34 Is the Bible Self-Sufficient to Save People?
1:25:37 Is the Bible Self-Authenticating?
1:33:58 Is Defending the Bible a Waste of Time?
1:42:02 Faith Is Not Equal to Uncertainty but Trust
1:53:27 Class Logistics