14 Bible Verses about Apologetics
Most Relevant Verses
Instead, exalt the Messiah" as Lord in your lives. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you to explain the hope you have.
and every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive in order to obey the Messiah.
Behave wisely toward outsiders, making the best use of your time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.
Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But some men who belonged to the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), as well as some Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and began to debate with Stephen. But they could neither refute the wisdom nor withstand the Spirit by which he kept speaking.
He must be devoted to the trustworthy message that agrees with what we teach, so that he may be able to encourage others with healthy doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
He successfully refuted the Jews in public and proved by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.
So Paul stood up in front of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in every way. For as I was walking around and looking closely at the objects you worship, I even found an altar with this written on it: "To an unknown god.' So I am telling you about the unknown object you worship. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn't live in shrines made by human hands, read more.
and he isn't served by people as if he needed anything. He himself gives everyone life, breath, and everything else. From one man he made every nation of humanity to live all over the earth, fixing the seasons of the year and the national boundaries within which they live, so that they might look for God, somehow reach for him, and find him. Of course, he is never far from any one of us. For we live, move, and exist because of him, as some of your own poets have said: ""Since we are his children, too.' So if we are God's children, we shouldn't think that the divine being is like gold, silver, or stone, or is an image carved by humans using their own imagination and skill. Though God has overlooked those times of ignorance, he now commands everyone everywhere to repent, because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world with justice through a man whom he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead."
He went into the synagogue and spoke there boldly for three months, holding discussions and persuading those who heard him about the kingdom of God. But when some people became stubborn, refused to believe, and slandered the Way in front of the people, Paul left them, taking his disciples away with him, and held daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all who lived in Asia, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the word of the Lord.
Three days later, Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. When they assembled, he told them, "Brothers, although I haven't done anything against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. They examined me and wanted to let me go because there was no reason for me to receive the death penalty in my case. But the Jews objected and forced me to appeal to the emperor, even though I have no countercharge to bring against my own people. read more.
That's why I asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the hope of Israel that I'm wearing this chain." The Jewish leaders told him, "We haven't received any letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or mentioned anything bad about you. However, we'd like to hear from you what you believe, because people are talking against this sect everywhere." So they set a day to meet with Paul and came out in large numbers to see him where he was staying. From morning until evening, he continued to explain the kingdom of God to them, trying to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. Some of them were convinced by what he said, but others wouldn't believe. They disagreed with one another as they were leaving, so Paul added this statement: "The Holy Spirit was so right when he spoke to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah! He said, "Go to this people and say, "You will listen and listen but never understand, and you will look and look but never see! For this people's minds have become stupid, and their ears can barely hear, and they have shut their eyes so that they may never see with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn and let me heal them."' You must understand that this message about God's salvation has been sent to the gentiles, and they will listen." For two whole years Paul lived in his own rented place and welcomed everyone who came to him. He continued to preach about the kingdom of God and to teach boldly and freely about the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they all were afraid of him because they wouldn't believe he was a disciple. Barnabas, however, introduced Saul to the apostles, telling them how on the road Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how courageously he had spoken in the name of Jesus in Damascus. So he freely circulated among them in Jerusalem, speaking courageously in the name of the Lord. read more.
He kept talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews, but they were bent on murdering him. When the brothers found out about the plot, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.
Then Peter stood up among the eleven apostles and raised his voice to address them: "Men of Judea and everyone living in Jerusalem! You must understand something, so pay close attention to my words. These men are not drunk as you suppose, for it's only nine o'clock in the morning. Rather, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:read more.
"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will even pour out my Spirit on my slaves, men and women alike, and they will prophesy. I will display wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke. The sun will become dark, and the moon turn to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord. Then whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' "Fellow Israelis, listen to these words: Jesus from Nazareth was a man authenticated to you by God through miracles, wonders, and signs that God performed through him among you, as you yourselves know. After he was arrested according to the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified this very man and killed him using the hands of lawless men. But God raised him up and put an end to suffering of death, since it was impossible for him to be held by it, since David says about him, "I always keep my eyes on the Lord, for he is at my right hand so that I cannot be shaken. That is why my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, yes, even my body still rests securely in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades or allow your Holy One to experience decay. You have made the ways of life known to me, and you will fill me with gladness in your presence.' "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and that his tomb is among us to this day. Therefore, since he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him with an oath to put one of his descendants on his throne, he looked ahead and spoke about the resurrection of the Messiah: "He was not abandoned to Hades, and his flesh did not experience decay.' "It was this very Jesus whom God raised and we're all witnesses of that. He has been exalted to the right hand of God, has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, and has caused you to experience what you are seeing and hearing. After all, David did not go up to heaven, but he said, "The Lord told my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool."' "Therefore, let all the people of Israel understand beyond a doubt that God made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!" When the crowd that had gathered heard this, they were pierced to the heart. They asked Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" Peter answered them, "Every one of you must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit as a gift. For this promise belongs to you and your children, as well as to all those who are distant, whom the Lord our God may call to himself." Using many different expressions, Peter continued to testify and to plead: "Be saved," he urged them, "from this corrupt generation!" So those who welcomed his message were baptized. That day about 3,000 people were added to their number.
"The Lord GOD has given me a learned tongue, so that I may know how to sustain the weary with words. And morning after morning he wakens, and he wakens my ear to listen like those who are being taught.
