Every Believer Confident, Part 6
May 8, 2025 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
Getting Them to Jesus
This is a multi-part series interacting with Mark J. Farnham’s new book, Every Believer Confident: Apologetics for the Ordinary Christian. Farnham is the founder and director of Apologetics for the Church and professor of apologetics at Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary. He states, “The purpose of this book is to help you to know, appreciate, firmly grasp, proclaim, and defend the Christian faith. My ultimate goal is to strengthen your faith, so you can confidently and effectively persuade unbelievers to believe in Jesus Christ” (p. 16). Let’s dig into the book together and see how our faith might be strengthened.
What is the purpose of apologetics? Win an argument with an unbeliever? Expose false beliefs as foolish? Bolster your confidence and intelligence in the Christian faith? Protect the church from false teaching?
Some of these might be good reasons to engage in apologetics, but they all fall short of the primary goal. Farnham warns, “Unless we are clear about where we are trying to lead our unbelieving conversation partners, we may find ourselves defending a general belief in God, or promoting a vague life change, instead of faithfully proclaiming the heart of Christianity itself” (p. 107).
So, what is the “heart of Christianity” and aim of apologetics? Farnham states, “The end goal of apologetics is evangelism—leading other people to repent and place their trust in Jesus Christ for salvation…In other words, the goal is to dismantle unbelievers’ worldviews so effectively, and present Jesus so compellingly, that their hearts are led to repent and trust in Christ” (p. 107, 109).
I appreciate this focus of Farnham’s apologetics. He is very clear on what the gospel is and the need to “get people to Jesus.” The apologetic method he outlined in the previous chapter aims to remove obstacles to Christian faith. But the work is not done. We want to present the goodness of Christ for the unbeliever to embrace. Farnham says, “your primary goal is to get them to consider Christ’s claims and his work on the cross” (p. 110).
Farnham uses this chapter to highlight the “Bible’s key claims about Jesus of which people are often unaware” (p. 111). He touches on five claims.
- Jesus is a Historical Figure
Many unbelievers dismiss Christianity because they believe Jesus is a myth or legend created by his followers, but “historians, both Christian and non-Christian, almost universally agree that [Jesus] existed” (p. 111). Farnham goes on, “Unlike the sacred writings of many other religions, the New Testament mentions hundreds of historically verifiable names, dates, places, events, towns, geographical features, and other details. Because the events were public, false accounts could have been debunked early on” (p. 112).
- Jesus Claimed to Be God
If an unbeliever accepts that Jesus is a historical figure, he or she might still dismiss Jesus as merely a good teacher. Quoting C.S. Lewis’s famous “lunatic or devil” quote, Farnham points out that Jesus cannot merely be a good teacher when he claims to be God. He highlights several passages where Jesus makes this claim (see John 3:13-15; John 5:18-26; John 8:58; John 10:30-33).
- Jesus Claimed to Be the Messiah
The fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies highlights the significance of who Jesus is and unites the Bible.
- Jesus Claimed to Be the Only Way We Can Be Reconciled to God
Jesus says, “I am the way… no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Farnham says, “Either he is the only way to God or he isn’t—and if he isn’t, he is not worthy to be followed” (p. 115).
- Jesus Rose from the Dead
Farnham states, “The historical evidence for the empty tomb is very strong. On top of that, a belief that Jesus rose from the dead is the best explanation for what happened in the weeks following his death” (p. 116).
These five claims are foundational for coming to faith in Jesus as one’s Savior. Farnham says, “By challenging unbelievers with these claims and facts about Jesus, you put before them the most important question any person can answer: What will you do with Jesus?” (p. 117). And this is the ultimate aim of apologetics. “What people do with Jesus determines their eternal state. Nothing else is as important” (p. 110).
Let’s keep praying, remembering that the power behind apologetics is God. We are called to be faithful in defending and commending the good news of Jesus, but God is the one who will transform hearts and draw people to Christ. May he be pleased to use our efforts.
