DISPUTATION OF DOCTOR CLIFF MCMANIS
ON THE POWER AND EFFICACY
OF NATURAL THEOLOGY AND RELATED
MATTERS
- The biblical word for “apologetics” (apologia and apologeomai) is used 20
times in Scripture and its meaning varies depending upon the context of
each occurrence. - The 20 usages of “apologetics” in Scripture describe a theological
enterprise not a philosophical one. Scripture explicitly warns of the folly
and vacuous nature of human philosophy (1 Cor 1:20; Col 2:8). - When the apostle Peter said, “give an apologia” (1 Peter 3:15), it was a
command for every Christian; every Christian is called to do the work of
apologetics. - There is no such thing as a special category of Christian called
“apologist”; to assign any one man the specific moniker of “apologist” at
the exclusion of any other Christian is to “go beyond what is written”
(1 Cor 4:6). - One can be a faithful and effective apologist without knowing the history
of Western philosophy (1 Cor 1:20-21). - Peter’s command to proclaim the “hope” was not given to only elitist,
Christian philosophers (1 Pet 1:1-9). - And the content of the believer’s apologia was concerning their “hope”
(1 Pet 1:3). - The “hope” of the Christian is knowing the risen Lord Jesus and being
with Him forever (1 Pet 1:3, 13). - This saving hope is centered in the atoning work of Christ (1 Pet 1:21).
- This hope that we proclaim to unbelievers who ask is the gospel (Rom
5:2; Acts 23:6). - This gospel message is special revelation, not natural theology (Eph 3:3).
- This gospel message of hope is special revelation and not human
philosophy (1 Cor 2:1-5). - This gospel message is an objective message based in actual historical
events (1 Cor 15:3-4). - This message of hope in Christ is the only means of salvation available to
humanity (Rom 1:16) - Those who say sinners can be saved apart from hearing and believing in
the gospel message of hope in the risen Christ shall be anathema (Acts
4:12; Rom 10:14). - This apologia of hope in Christ that we proclaim to the inquiring
unbeliever is evangelistic. - The one who says that the message of hope is not inextricably related to
the work of evangelism is both deceived and a deceiver (2 John 1:7). - The message of hope that Peter commanded to proclaim to inquirers is
not about establishing theism. - Every person is made in the image of God, thus bearing an innate sensus
divinitas (Gen 1:26). - Anyone who denies an innate sensus divinitatis is both deceived and a
deceiver (Ps 14:1). - Being made in God’s image, every person is born with a conscience (Rom
2:15). - Being made in God’s image, every person has the law of God written on
the heart from birth (Rom 2:15). - Being made in the image of God, having a conscience and the law of God
written on the heart from birth, every person knows by nature that God
exists (John 1:9; Rom 1:19). - By virtue of internal general revelation, every person knows God exists
(Eccles 3:11). - By virtue of external general revelation, every person knows God exists
(Rom 1:20). - Since every person knows God exists from birth, there are no true
atheists (Rom 1:20; James 2:19). - Since every person knows God exists from birth, there are no true
agnostics (Rom 1:20). - Being made in the image of God who is inherently religious in His being,
every person is inherently and inescapably religious by nature (Acts 17:22-
23). - Being inherently religious by virtue of creation, every person will worship
either the true God or the creation in some form or another (Rom 1:22-
23). - Since every person knows inherently that God exists, biblical apologetics
is not about trying to prove or establish theism to skeptics. - Every person is born with a sin nature inherited from Adam, the first man
(Gen 6:5; Rom 5:12). - Because of innate sin, every person is born separated from God, an
enemy of God, a child of wrath, and spiritually dead, and therefore unable
on one’s own to respond to a spiritual stimulus (Eph 2:3). - Because of innate sin, every person by nature hates God, truth, and Christ
(John 7:7; Rom 1:30). - Because of innate sin, every person by nature suppresses the true
knowledge of God they were born with (Rom 1:18). - Only the gospel, which is special revelation, can overcome innate sin
(Rom 1:16). - Only supernatural faith can overcome sin (Eph 2:8-9).
- Supernatural faith comes only from special revelation by the
superintending work of the Holy Spirit (Rom 10:17). - General revelation does not generate supernatural faith (Rom 1:18).
- Natural theology does not generate supernatural faith (Ps 19:7; John 8:32).
- Supernatural faith is a gift from God, alien to human nature (Eph 2:8-9);
saving faith results from knowing truth via special revelation (Rom 10:17). - Satan, the devil, is a real, created, personal, spirit being and not a
metaphor or fictitious being (Luke 22:3; 1 Pet 5:8). - Satan became evil through disobedience (John 8:44).
- Anyone who denies the personal reality of Satan as literally taught in
Scripture is deceived and a deceiver (2 Cor 11:17; 1 Pet 5:8). - Satan’s demise is detailed in the historic account written by Moses in
Genesis chapter 3. - Anyone who denies that Genesis 3 is a literal and historical account
written by Moses denies the authority and integrity of Christ (John 5:46-
47). - Jesus taught that Genesis was written by Moses (John 5:46-47).
- Jesus taught that the book of Genesis was literal history (Matt 23:35;
24:37; Luke 17:32; John 8:44). - Satan hates God, Christ, truth, and God’s people (Mark 4:15; 1 Pet 5:8).
- God has declared that Satan is a deceiver (Rev 12:9).
- God has declared that Satan is completely evil, incorrigible and is doomed
to eternal conscious torment in Hell, the Lake of Fire (Matt 25:41). - Satan has supernatural, but limited and delegated power (Job 1).
- Satan supernaturally blinds the minds of unbelievers, thus preventing their
belief in the gospel of Christ (2 Cor 4:4) and their access to true
knowledge. - Because Satan inhibits an unbeliever’s ability to understand, Satan affects
one’s epistemology (Eph 2:1-2). - Satan’s epistemological blinding work over an unbeliever is supernatural
in nature (Eph 6:12). - Only God can override Satan’s supernatural blindness imposed on an
unbeliever (Eph 6:13). - God overrides Satan’s epistemological blinding work on unbelievers only
through the means of the Holy Spirit working in tandem with the gospel
(Rom 1:16). - The Holy Spirit produces supernatural faith by working in tandem with
special revelation (Rom 10:17). - The Holy Spirit does not create supernatural, saving faith apart from
special revelation. - The Holy Spirit does not create saving faith working only with natural
theology. - Natural theology is not natural revelation or general revelation.
- Natural theology is constructing theology apart from special revelation.
- Natural theology is interpreting natural (general) revelation apart from
special revelation. - Natural (general) revelation is sufficient to impart a general knowledge of
God, but not a saving knowledge of God; natural revelation apart from
special revelation cannot save (Rom 1:19-21). - Natural revelation is sufficient to make every creature accountable and
culpable before God (Rom 1:20). - Universal, false religion is a form of natural theology (Rom 1:23).
- False religion results from practicing natural theology apart from special
revelation. - Jesus and the Apostles never taught or condoned natural theology
(John 5:19; 12:49). - Because the God of the Bible exists, the valid theistic arguments are true
to reality. - The theistic arguments do not establish the plausibility of God’s
existence. - No one comes to know Christ through the theistic arguments (Rom 1:16).
- Historical evidences in Scripture are special revelation; evidences not in
Scripture are not special revelation. - Biblical history is special revelation; non-biblical history is neither special
nor general revelation (2 Pet 1:19-20). - Historical evidences in Scripture can evoke faith; evidences apart from
Scripture cannot evoke faith, but can confirm faith. - The evidences of Christ’s gospel are His historical eyewitnesses and their
written testimony as objectively preserved by and subjectively attended to
by the Holy Spirit (Matt 16:19; John 1:14; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor 15:5-6; 1 John
1:1). - The truth of the gospel is rooted in verified, historical events
(1 Cor 15:1-6). - There is a natural faith and a supernatural (saving) faith, and they are
distinct in origin and essence; belief or trust that does not result from
special revelation is merely natural and not supernatural faith. - Saving faith and reason are interrelated, inseparable, and complementary
(Rom 10:8-15). - Saving faith is based on historical realities and objective evidence; saving
faith does not exist apart from evidence (Matt 28:16-17; John 20:27; 1 Cor
15:6). - Every person lives by natural faith, which is based on experience.
- Unbelievers cannot acquire supernatural faith without God’s initiative
(Eph 2:1). - The most important thing an unbeliever needs to know or hear is the
gospel (Rom 1:16). - Atheists and religious unbelievers are equally depraved and lost
(Matt 12:30). - The gospel is the only thing that can save an atheist, agnostic, skeptic,
cultist, legalist, or false religionist. - Apologetics as modelled in Scripture is not solely defensive.
- Apologetics as modelled in Scripture entails positive gospel proclamation
(Phil 1:16). - Socrates and other pagan Greeks are not the models of Christian
apologetics. - Jesus, the apostles, and the prophets are the models of biblical
apologetics. - Defending the faith is one element of apologetics and does not exhaust
the practice and definition of the discipline. - Apologetics was practiced in the Old Testament. Old Testament saints
defended the faith. - The elders of the church have been charged by God with formally
defending the faith (Acts 20). - Jesus defended God’s truth and the faith using special revelation
(Matt 21:13). - The apostles defended God’s truth and the faith using special revelation
(1 Thess 2:13; 1 John 4:6). - The elders are charged to defend God’s truth and the faith using special
revelation (Acts 20; Titus 1:9). - Jesus and the Apostles most often defended the faith against religionists
rather than atheists and agnostics. - The Bible teaches a distinct, specific, and comprehensive theology of
knowledge, also known as a theology of epistemology (Prov 1:7; 9:10;
John 8:32; 1 Tim 6:20-21; James 3:15-17; 1 John 2:21). Jesus is the sole
source of true knowledge, for He declared, “I am the truth” (John 14:6);
as such, there is no true knowledge apart from Him (Col 2:1-7).
This article was taken from our most recent book, Redeeming Apologetics, by Cliff McManis. You can read Redeeming Apologetics for free as a PDF by clicking here. You may also purchase a physical copy here.