1. THE NECESSITY OF THE CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW
THE APOLOGETIC TASK: PRESENTATION ONE
THE NECESSITY OF THE CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW

2. WHAT IS APOLOGETICS?
But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess. 3:16 Yet do it with courtesy and respect (NET)
ἀπολογίαν
ἀπολογία - freq. as legal term.
① a speech of defense, defense, reply ② the act of making a defense, defense

3. WHY DO APOLOGETICS?
But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess. 3:16 Yet do it with courtesy and respect (1 PT , NET)
QUESTION—What is meant by ‘sanctify’?
It means to honor him as Lord [Alf], to have deep respect for him as Lord [TG]. It means to acknowledge or regard him as holy, to honor him as God [TH]. It means to reverence, honor, and obey him, or to hold him in reverence.
Abernathy, D. (2008). An Exegetical Summary of 1 Peter (2nd ed.) (131). Dallas, TX: SIL International.

4. The Necessity of the Christian Worldview
How do we honor Christ as Lord in apologetic efforts?
Colossians 2:1- For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (NASB)

5. 1 COR
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.“ 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

6. The Necessity Of The Christian Worldview
Jesus Christ must be at the forefront of all of our apologetic efforts
What this means is that we presuppose Christ in all areas of life, experience and argumentation
Jesus IS the treasure of ALL WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE
Therefore, He is the starting point

7. THE CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW
This means that we must “presuppose” a Christian worldview in all of life's experiences
If Jesus Christ is Lord of your life at any one point, He must be Lord at every point
In all of life experience, Jesus must reign
No exceptions

8. What is a Worldview?
A worldview is a network or complex web of presuppositions whereby all experience is related and interpreted.
All of human experience and evidence is interpreted by a persons worldview and the various presuppositions which make it up.
There is no such thing as neutrality
All people are biased and will interpret evidences in correspondence with their ultimate faith commitment.

9. What is a Presupposition?
“To suppose or assume beforehand; take for granted in advance.”
Presuppositions are the most basic and foundational assumptions that exist in a persons worldview
Beliefs are like a spider-web and not a bowl of marbles

10. Ultimate Faith Commitment
An “Ultimate Faith Commitment” is at the center of a persons worldview
It is the ultimate, all-governing presupposition that the worldview is formulated around
Centrality of Christ
Allah
Materialism
Nirvana

11. Ultimate Faith Commitment
A persons worldview is going to include an ultimate faith commitment.
This is the center of the web of a worldview
With spider webs, one can break certain strands of the web, yet the web stays intact
However, if one destroys the center of the web, the entire web falls apart

12. The Worldview Web
ULTIMATE FAITH
COMMITMENT
PRESUPPOSITIONS

13. Neutrality There is no such thing as neutrality in a persons worldview
Everyone is biased towards their own worldview
This bias or lack of neutrality causes them to view and interpret evidence in a manner to protect their ultimate faith commitment
All of us presuppose certain things about life
We are called as Christians to presuppose Col 2.3

14. Colossians 2.3 Once Again
Jesus Christ is the fountainhead or treasure of all wisdom and knowledge
All truth comes from God
Don’t be deceived
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” – Col 2.8-9

15. THE GOAL OF APOLOGETICS
Our goal in apologetics is going to be to unmask the person with whom you are debating
We are going to show that the worldview that they hold to does not and cannot answer the essential questions of life and that it CANNOT account for our human experience
When someone brings a charge against the Christian faith, you need to look at what they are standing on
What is the foundation of their argumentation?

16. About the Unbeliever Romans 1.18 – “suppress the truth”
Romans 1.19 – God has shown them the truth
Romans 1.20 – without excuse
Romans 1.21 – “they knew God”
Romans 1.22 – “they became fools”
Romans 1.24 – given over to a the lusts of their hearts
Romans 1.26 – given over to dishonorable passions
Romans 1.28 – given over to a debased mind

17. About the Unbeliever
This is the condition of the unbeliever before you
They know the truth and suppress the truth
Make no mistake – everyone is a believer
Every unbeliever is a believer unto condemnation
We are believers unto exaltation
Not simply a matter of information
Noetic Effect of Sin
Antinomianism