Written By: Clarissa Mangaran
A friend of ours was telling me how his daughter asked him about apologetics, a word I had heard many times but didn’t know the meaning of. So I asked him what it was all about. He told me it was about being able to defend your faith, to know why you believe what you do.
That statement really stuck with me and got me thinking: Does it really matter? I prayed to the Lord and asked Him, “What does it matter if I’m able to defend my faith to someone else?” I was perfectly content with believing what I believe and other people believing whatever they believe. I had absolutely no desire to get into a debate with someone about faith. But God began asking some pretty hard questions. “How can you say you really love someone and yet you have no desire to tell them the truth, a truth that could save their life?” “How are you going to teach your children how to stand firm on their faith when they are bombarded with enticing lies by the world around them and you’re not equipping them to know why they believe in Jesus?” Whoa.
As I researched teachings on apologetics I saw a lot of debate on Creation versus Evolution. I asked God, “What does it matter if the earth was made in 6 days or in millions of years?” The answer I got was staggering. It’s a matter of God’s authority. If I question Creation, when it is clearly written in detail then I’m questioning His authority. And if I question His authority on Creation then I will question His authority in other areas, too. Double whoa.
When the serpent approached Eve, the first thing he asked her was, “Did God really say?” Satan’s first plan of attack is to have you question God’s authority. As you continue reading chapter 3 of Genesis you can see Eve’s first mistake. The Bible says, “The woman responded to the serpent”. The first thing Eve should have done was cry out to God! When there is a question presented against God’s authority we must learn from Eve’s mistake and immediately cry out to God for His Truth. It does matter. It matters a whole lot. In John 8:42-47, we see Jesus lay the smackdown with some truth on the Jewish leaders who did not believe in Him. Jesus told them they couldn’t believe His Truth because they belonged to the devil. Lord, may it never be said of me that I belong to the devil! I pray my heart is always wide open to the Lord’s Truth!
God made sure to describe His Truth in detail throughout the Bible. Why? Because His Truth provides the answers to the questions He knew we would struggle with. I think as much as He wants us to have answers to our deepest questions, He places more importance on us seeking Him for the answers because He knows how much we need His presence throughout our lives, (which is ultimately what He desires in the first place). We’re told in Psalm 115:3 that the Lord does what pleases Him. So it pleases Him to give us both truth and His presence because together they bring healing and life transformation.
I think it’s out of our deepest pain and longing that our deepest questions come from. Think about it. Regardless of what that pain is, it left you asking one, if not many of these questions. Does my life have value? What is my purpose in this world? Where do I find security? Am I worthy of love? Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world? Outside of Christ, what other worldview has the answers to any of those questions? He knew we would go looking for answers within ourselves and the world around us, and He knew our questions would ultimately go unanswered. The Biblical worldview is the only place you’ll find answers to every single one of our deepest questions.
There are many out there who claim “God is dead”. It’s not that God is dead, absolute truth is dead because society has decided that every person can determine what is true for themselves. And when there is no absolute truth, what does that leave? It leaves life without meaning and value. And in a life without meaning or value, despair becomes a way of life.
Christ is the only source of answers to all of our deepest questions. More importantly, though, we get to have relationship with the person of Christ who has all those answers; the person who created all of existence; the person who places intrinsic value on every life; the person who designed us with purpose and meaning; the person who defines what is true and good; the person who offered His life just for the chance for us to accept His gift of salvation; the person who offers forgiveness, healing, redemption and unconditional love.
With all of this said, what started out as a simple question of “Does it really matter if I’m able to defend my faith?”, has exploded into something only a perfect Heavenly Father could accomplish. My faith has reached depths I had never known before. I’m having amazing conversations with my children about the questions they have and learning new things together, which has been a huge blessing to our relationship! God is teaching me how to engage in conversations with others who think differently than myself in a way that is honoring, compassionate and thought-provoking. He’s showing me how to explain Biblical Truth that reveals the heart of Christ. It has given me and my husband the desire and courage to invite people over for them to have a safe space for them to ask the hard questions that have gone unanswered for most of their lives. This will also give us the opportunity to learn what it is that hangs heavy on the hearts of those around us.
I challenge you to continue studying God’s Word to seek answers to your deepest questions. But most of all, keep seeking relationship with Him!!
What are your deepest questions? Are you able to defend your faith? Comment below with how God has shown you “why it really matters” what the Bible says.
Written By: Clarissa Mangaran
