by Dr. Andrew Knight
Introduction: Apologetics as we looked at last time was the formation and communication of biblical argumentation for one’s faith in Jesus Christ. We looked at three forms or examples: Give an answer for one’s faith in Christ. This could also be identified as giving atestimony of one’s faith in Christ. A testimony maybe considered more of an appeal to the emotions. Second, was to give a reason. This would be more an appeal to the intellect. Logical argumentations designed to persuade the thinking and worldview of one’s hearers. The third that was discussed last time was to give a defense of one’s faith in Christ.
In order to put forth an apologetic argumentation one must build those apologetics upon a foundation. The foundations of which we’re discussing are the pillars of apologetics. These pillars are as follows:
• The supremacy of Scripture
• Bible Doctrines
• Hermeneutics
1.The supremacy of Scripture (high view):
A. Psalm 119:89 “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”
B. Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
C. Psalm 119:152 “Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever.”
D. Psalm 119:160 “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous
judgments endureth for ever.”
E. II Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
F. I Peter 1:24-25 “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”
G. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
H. II Peter 1:20-21 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
1.John MacArthur argued, A few enemies of supremacy of Scripture this way, “Those who followed Freud at first were uniformly hostile to biblical belief. The foundational doctrines of the (faradism) movement were therefore based on blatantly anti-Christian presuppositions.”1
2. Macarthur further argued, “The church’s greatest battlefield at that time, however, was against another insidious enemy: theological liberalism, a pseudo-Christianity that denied the authority of Scripture and questioned the supernatural. This was yet another doctrine that was contributing to the rapid secularization of society.”2
3. Lawrence Richards explained, “To the neoorthodox educator, the Bible was not the Word of God, but instead, it became the Word of God as people encountered God in the Scriptures. Neo-orthodox educators argued that the text itself was nothing more than a human record of God’s encounters with humanity.”3
4. Gary Bredfelt also explained a high view of Scripture when he stated, “Because the revelation is in words, evangelicals often say that the Bible itself is God’s revelation. They claim that it does not contain the Word of God; it is the Word of God. Failure of the teaching of the Bible to transform must lie somewhere other than in the Bible itself or its literal interpretation.”4
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1 John MacArthur, Christian Counseling: How to Counsel Biblically (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005), xi.
2 Ibid., xi-xii.
3 Lawrence O. Richards, and Gary J. Bredfelt, Creative Bible Teaching (Moody Press: Chicago, 1998), 32.
4 Ibid., Lawrence O. Richards, and Gary J. Bredfelt , 35
5.Bradfelt concluded, “In order to teach the Bible creatively and with authority so as to change lives, we must begin with a HIGH view of Scripture. Such a view mandates that the Bible teacher recognize the inspiration of Scripture and understand something of the literary nature of the inspired text.”5
6. Michael Kruger argues for the supremacy of Scripture this way, “If I stake the truth of the Bible on anything other than its own selfattesting authority, then the Bible ceases to be the ultimate criterion for truth and is replaced by another ultimate criterion.”6
7. MacArthur argued for the supremacy of Scripture relative to biblical counseling. He stated, “That statement is the echo of neoGnosticism. Belittling those who believe the Bible is sufficient, these latter-day ‘clouds without water’ (Jude 12) insist that they are more privy to a higher, more sophisticated secret knowledge that holds the real answer to what troubles the human soul. Do not be intimidated by these false claims. no higher knowledge, no hidden truth, nothing besides the all-sufficient resources that we find in Christ exists that can change the human heart.”7
8.The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 2:2-3 “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Concluding thoughts:
1.The three foundations of biblical apologetics are: Supremacy of Scripture; Bible doctrines; and hermeneutics. The first was discussed today.
2.This study should enhance one’s faith in the everlasting quality relative to the Bible.
3.The teaching of the preserved text of the Word of God should encourage one’s faith in the King James Bible, (TR).
4. The confidence in the supremacy of Scripture should give every person faith that all the answers to this life and eternity are found in the King James Bible. ____________________________
5 Ibid., Lawrence O. Richards, and Gary J. Bredfelt , 35.
6 Michael. J. Kruger, “The Sufficiency of the Scripture in Apologetics.” The Masters Seminary Journal (Spring 2001), 81. 7 Ibid., MacArthur, 17.