12 Bible Verses about Apologetics

but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be always ready with your reply to every man who demands a reason respecting the hope which is in you with meekness and fear:

laying low proud reasonings, and every high thing which exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and making every thought captive to the obedience of Christ:

Walk wisely with regard to those without, redeeming the time. Let your discourse be always gracious, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to reply to every man.

Now Stephen, full of faith and of power, wrought great miracles and signs among the people. Then rose up certain men of the synagogue of the freed-men, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they could not resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.

and he discoursed in the synagogue every sabbath-day, and persuaded both the Jews and the Greek proselytes.

firmly attached to the faithful word, according to the doctrine delivered, that he may be able to exhort with sound instruction and to confute the opposers.

For he strenuously argued with the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.

Then Paul standing in the midst of the Areopagus said, Ye men of Athens, I observe that in all things ye are too much devoted to the worship of daemons. For as I walked about, and attentively viewed the objects of your worship, I found even an altar on which was this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore you in ignorance adore, him I preach unto you. The God who created the world, and all things in it, he that is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples of man's construction;read more.
nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed any creature, himself imparting to all beings life, and breath, and all things. And hath made from one man's blood all the nations of mankind, to dwell upon the whole face of the earth, fixing the predetermined periods of their existence, and the boundaries of their several abodes; that they should seek the Lord, if indeed they might haply grope him out, and find him, though truly he is not far from any individual of us: for from him we derive life, and power of motion, and existence; as also some of your own poets have said, "For we are even his offspring." Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to imagine that the Divinity is like to gold, or silver, or stone sculptured by human art or contrivance. These times indeed of ignorance God then overlooked; but he now commands all men in every place to repent: because he hath fixed the day in which he will judge the whole world in righteousness by the man whom he hath appointed; affording evidence of this to all, by raising him from the dead.

And entering into the synagogue, he spake boldly during three months, reasoning and persuading the things that concern the kingdom of God. And when some were hardened, and infidel, speaking evil of the way before the people, he withdrew from them, and separated the disciples, discoursing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. And this he did for two years; so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Now it came to pass that after three days Paul called together the principal persons of the Jews. And when they were assembled, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have done nothing contrary to the people and the customs of our ancestors, yet have I been delivered up a prisoner into the hands of the Romans. Who, after a full examination, would have discharged me, because there was not the least cause found in me for death. But when the Jews opposed it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I have any accusation to bring against my countrymen.read more.
For this cause therefore have I invited you hither, to see and to converse with you; for on account of the hope of Israel am I bound with this chain. Then they said to him, We have neither received letters concerning thee from Judea, nor hath any one of the brethren who is arrived reported or spoken any thing evil of thee. But we think it highly proper to hear from thee what thy sentiments are; for indeed as to this sect, it is well known to us that everywhere it meets with opposition. Then having fixed a day with him, still more of them came to him at his lodging, to whom bearing his testimony, he set forth the kingdom of God, and persuaded them of the things relating to Jesus, both out of the law of Moses and the prophets, from morning until evening: and some were convinced by the things which were spoken, but others continued in their unbelief. So being divided in sentiment among themselves, they broke up, Paul adding one word, That well had the Holy Ghost spoken by Isaiah the prophet unto our fathers, saying, Go to this people, and say, "In hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, yet in nowise perceive. For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and with their ears they are thick of hearing, and their eyes have they shut; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and become converts, and I should heal them." Be it known therefore unto you, that to the Gentiles is the salvation of God sent, and they will hear. And when he had thus spoken, the Jews went away, and had much disputing among themselves. But Paul abode two whole years in his own hired apartment, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all freedom of discourse, and without the least interruption.

But when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples: and they were all afraid of him, not crediting that he was a disciple. Then Barnabas taking him by the hand, brought him to the apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how boldly he had preached at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was with them coming in, and going out at Jerusalem:read more.
and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. And he talked and disputed with the Grecian proselytes: but they made an attempt to murder him. Then the brethren, when they knew it brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him off to Tarsus.

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed them; Men of Judea, and all ye who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words: for these men are not, as ye suppose, drunk, for it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel;read more.
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour our of my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and upon my servants and my handmaidens in those days will I pour out of my spirit; and they shall prophesy: and I will perform prodigies in the heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and illustrious day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the Lord shall be saved." Men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus the Nazarean, a man from God, pointed out to you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as yourselves also know: him, by the destined counsel and foreknowledge of God delivered up, ye have seized, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: forasmuch as it was not possible that he should be held thereby. For David speaketh concerning him, "I have seen the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand, that I might not be shaken: therefore is my heart full of joy, and my tongue hath exulted; and still shall my flesh also repose in hope, that thou wilt not leave my soul in the mansion of the dead, nor permit that Holy One of thine to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt fill me with delight by thy countenance." Men and brethren, permit me to speak with freedom to you concerning the patriarch David, that he hath been both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn to him with an oath, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Messiah to sit upon his throne; he, foreseeing this, spake of the resurrection of the Messiah, that his soul should not be left in the mansion of the dead, and that his flesh should not see corruption. This very Jesus hath God raised up, of which we all are witnesses. He therefore being exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, hath poured out this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: for he saith himself, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies a footstool for thy feet." Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him Lord and Messiah, even that very Jesus whom ye crucified. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptised every one of you into the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off; even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words he testified and exhorted, saying, Be saved from this untoward generation. They therefore who gladly received his discourse were baptised: and there were added to them that day about three thousand souls.