This week we are starting a new class with an emphasis in Christian Apologetics. This class will help us understand the importance of knowing what we believe as Christians and why we believe it. We can then be motivated to go out and share our faith with others, having confidence that what we believe is really true, and the ability to articulate that truth!

Defending our faith and developing a Biblical worldview based on our understanding of God’s Word takes time and practice, and must be part of a lifetime commitment we make to the LORD. It should form our purpose and identity in everyday life as we grow closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, modeling Him to our family, friends and neighbors. As Christians, it is more important than ever to know what we believe, and why we believe it, and then apply that to who we are on a consistent basis, and this can only be done if we know Jesus and what His Word teaches.

All class sessions include a time for prayer and reflection, a presentation, and a Bible study section. You will find the presentation overview and Bible study questions below, with basic answers for your review and, or to use as a leader’s guide.

 

Presentation

Belief Blueprint
An Introduction to Christianity and the Defense of the Faith

Session One: introduction – What does it mean to be a Christian?

Introductions

Prayer Cards: Do you have anyone that you are hoping to share what you are learning with? Write that person(s) name down on your prayer card along with any other prayer request you might have and exchange with your table group at the end of the evening.

1. Introduce yourself and share what brought you to this class.
2. What is your experience with Christianity, and do you have any questions about the faith in general?

Focus Verse

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect

1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

Why are you a Christian?

BECAUSE IT’S TRUE!!!

OWN YOUR FAITH!

KNOW WHAT YOU BELIEVE AND WHY YOU BELIEVE IT!!

THEN SHARE IT WITH OTHERS!!!

What is a Christian, and what do Christians believe?

• Literal Definition for “Christian”: Originating from the Greek Christianos, it signifies a “follower of Christ” or “belonging to Christ”.
• First use: Acts 11:26 to describe New Testament followers of Jesus shortly after His death and resurrection.
• A true Christian is a person who has put faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ, including His death on the cross as payment for sins and His resurrection on the third day (see John 1:12).
• The mark of a true Christian is love for God, love for others and a desire to be obedient to God’s Word (see 1 John 2:4, 10; James 1).
• A true Christian is indeed a child of God, a part of God’s true family, and one who has been given new life in Jesus Christ.

How do I become a Christian and receive salvation?

• We come as we are to the foot of the Cross and ask Jesus to save us from our sins
• Receive SALVATION
• Then HE begins the process of cleaning us up and maturing us in the faith, as we intentionally start to walk in a new way with Jesus

Understanding Salvation

• ‘For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.’ Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)
• “When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7 (NLT)
• “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)

What are the essential beliefs of the Christian Faith?

• Christianity, from the very beginning, has always believed the core essentials of what Christian believe today. Most disagreements come in the form of non-salvational governmental practices, and some secondary and tertiary issues.
• The non-negotiables for Christian belief must include:
• Jesus’ substitutionary, atoning, sacrificial death on the cross; His Resurrection in defeat of death; and His return at the end of the age for the final judgment
• Jesus’ Deity (fully God; fully human)
• The doctrine of the Trinity (1 God in being; 3 in persons)
• The authority, reliability and trustworthiness of the Bible – it is the Inspired word of God!

Doctrinal Essentials of the Christian Faith:

Overarching belief: THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD!!!

1. Human depravity
2. Mary’s virginity
3. Christ’s purity
4. Christ’s deity
5. Christ’s humanity
6. God’s unity
7. God’s tri-unity
8. The necessity of God’s grace 
9. The necessity of our Faith
10. Christ’s atoning death
11. Christ’s bodily resurrection
12. Christ’s bodily ascension
13. Christ’s priestly intercession 
14. Christ’s bodily return
15. Heaven and Hell

All major sections of Christendom affirmed these from very early on

Creedal Importance

The early creeds give evidence to the fact that Christianity confessed what it believes today very early on, and by studying the creeds we can take foundational beliefs all the way back to within just a few years following Jesus’ death and resurrection

– it has not changed over time!

The Essentials of the Faith are found in the early Christian Creeds

The Nicene Creed (4^th Century – AD 325)

We believe [1] in one God [2], the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven  and earth [3], of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father [4]; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation [5] he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary [6, 7] and became truly human [8] . For our sake he was crucified [9] under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again [10] in accordance with the Scriptures [11]; he ascended into heaven [12] and is seated at the right hand of the Father [13]. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead [14] , and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified [15], who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church [16]. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins [17]. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

We also have the Apostles’ Creed (c. 2^nd century)

“The first Creed”
1^st Corinthians 15:3-8 (1^st Century – ca. AD 40)

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas (Peter), and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me…”

Why Christianity?
It’s The World’s Most Testable Religion!

Reflect and Discuss

1. How does our class discussion on Christian beliefs line up with what you believed to be true about Christianity?
2. What are some areas you’ve had questions about, or have had others questions you on?

How do I live a Christian life, and walk a Christian Walk?

Four main areas of Christian growth:

1. Bible study
2. Prayer
3. Discipleship
4. Apologetics

Bible Study

(The notes on prayer will be included in next week’s outline)

The Importance of Bible Study
Practicing hermeneutics

• Concerning the bible – it is god’s word!

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

OUR WORD FOR BIBLE STUDY CONTEXT…

JESUS!!!

From Genesis through Revelation, the Bible is all about Jesus!

What is Hermeneutics?
Bible Study in proper Context

Hermeneutics describes the task of explaining the meaning of the Scriptures:

• The word comes from the Greek verb “hermeneuein” that means ‘to explain, interpret or translate.’
• Using the verb, the Gospel writer Luke informs us that Jesus, after His resurrection, explained to the two disciples on the Emmaus Road what the Scriptures said about Him. (Luke 24:27)
• Hermeneutics is simply studying the Bible in its proper context, like you would do with any book.
• Hermeneutics provides some basic guidelines for studying the Bible so that we can be sure that what we are reading and sharing with others is correct.

Principle #1:
Never Read a Bible Verse by Itself

• Stick to the plain reading of the text unless otherwise indicated—the Bible interprets the Bible!
• Reading a Bible verse by itself and trying to interpret what it means based on “what you feel” can be dangerous.
• If you rely on what a person feels in a group study you will most likely get a wide range of opinions and trouble may arise.

Many cults have begun by twisting the Scriptures to fit personal agendas

The Apostle Paul warns about this:

“I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good New at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!”

Galatians 1:6-9 (NLT)

Since the beginning of time Satan’s goal has been deception

Scripture Twisting was instituted by Satan himself when he tempted Eve and asked:

“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden? …You will not surely die, …for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God.’”

(See Genesis 3)

How can we avoid false teaching?

Imitate the Bereans who checked out Paul’s teachings with what was in the Scriptures:

“Now these (the Bereans) were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scripture daily ‘to see’ whether these things were so.”  

–Acts 17:11 (NASB)

HERMENEUTICS

1. Author and Audience: Who wrote it, to whom; when and where? Discuss the historical setting of the narrator (who he was and where he fits into the Biblical history), and his audience. Include date of events and writing.
2. Purpose: Why was it written? Get some background: Explore what was going on in the narrative and culture at the time of the events. Include the type of genre (literary style).
3. Context: What does it say? Get the big picture by carefully reading and then summarizing the whole story line. This might include the entire book, a chapter(s) or just a specific passage in one sitting. Consider the who, what, why, when, where and how type of questions.
4. Interpretation: What does it mean? This is based on the context of the reading and your summaries. It should relate to the overall purpose and intent of the author. Focus on God’s character and what God, through the author, wanted them to know. Examine how the passage points towards Jesus and the overall ”big-picture” of the Bible as a whole. You can also go deeper here with specific questions of focus.

Note: Cross-referencing passages from other books of the Bible can be helpful, especially when questions arise – most study Bibles give you those references.

5. Application: How do I use what I learned? Based on the context and interpretation, we can now discuss how to apply what we have read to our lives and the culture we live in today, including our witness to others.

The Shelf: Have a place in your notebook or journal to write down questions that arise. This will help avoid rabbit trails or distractions, and you can return to them later on.

Let’s practice:

Using a study Bible, practice the following for the hermeneutical method for Psalm chapter one:

1.  Author-Audience-Dating: Who wrote it, to whom and when?

2.  Purpose: Why was it written?

3.  Context/Flow of Thought: What does it say?  Read Psalm chapter 1 and then cross-reference by reading Matthew chapter 5:1-17, then discuss

4.  Interpretation/Summary: What does it mean? Based on the reading…

• What does it mean to delight and meditate on His Law day and night?
• What does “blessed” mean as contrasted with the wicked?

5.  Personal/Cultural Application: How do I use what I learned?

• As Christians, how can we apply these passages concerning the Bible?
• What else do we learn from these passages?

Homework

 

 Reflect on these two questions:

1. What have you learned about the Christian faith that you did not know before?
2. What have you learned about Bible study and the importance of hermeneutics?

3. Practice Bible study:

Read Proverbs, chapters 1-3, then as best you can, answer the hermeneutical steps one through five (as we did with Psalm 1).

Please continue to join us each week for Belief Blueprint!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in!  Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15