12 Bible Verses about Apologetics

and sanctify the anointed Lord in your hearts, and be always ready with a defense to every one that asks you a reason for the hope that is in you; but with meekness and fear,

destroying [false] reasonings and every height which is exalted against the knowledge of God, and subjecting every thought to the obedience of Christ,

Walk in wisdom towards those without, redeeming the time. Let your words always be with kindness, seasoned with salt, that you may know how to answer every one.

And Stephen, full of grace and power, performed prodigies and great miracles among the people. But some members of the synagogue called that of the Libertines and Cyrenians and Alexandrians and of those from Cilicia and Asia, arose and disputed with Stephen, and were not able to resist the wisdom and spirit with which he spoke.

And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

holding firmly the faithful word taught, that he may be able both to exhort with sound instruction and to convince those who contradict.

for he argued powerfully against the Jews, publicly showing by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

And Paul standing in the midst of the Areopagus said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are extremely devoted to the worship of demons. For as I passed through, and observed your objects of worship, I found also an altar on which was inscribed, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore you worship as unknown, this I declare to you. The God who made the world and all things in it, this [God] being Lord of heaven and earth dwells not in temples made with hands,read more.
neither is he served by the hands of men as needing any thing, since he gives to all life, and breath, and all things; and he made of one blood every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, determining their appointed times and the bounds of their habitation, that they should seek God, if perhaps they might feel after and find him, and indeed he is not far from every one of us. For in him we live, and move, and are; as some also of your own poets have said, For we are his offspring. Being therefore an offspring of God, we ought not to think the Deity to be like gold or silver or stone, a work of art and human device. Overlooking therefore the times of ignorance, God now commands all men everywhere to change their minds, because he has appointed a day in which he is about to judge the world in righteousness, by the man whom he has appointed, giving assurance to all by raising him from the dead.

And going into the synagogue he spoke boldly, for three months, reasoning and persuading in favor of the kingdom of God. But when some were hardened and believed not, speaking evil of the way before the multitude, he left them and separated the disciples from them, and reasoned day by day in the school of one Tyrannus. And this was done for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

And after three days he called the chief men of the Jews together; and when they had convened, said to them, Men and brothers, having done nothing contrary to the people or to the customs of the fathers, I was delivered up from Jerusalem a prisoner into the hands of the Romans, who on trial wished to release me, because they found no cause of death in me; but the Jews opposing it I was compelled to appeal to Caesar; not that I have any thing of which to accuse my nation.read more.
For this reason, therefore, I have called you to see and converse with you, because I am loaded with this chain on account of the hope of Israel. And they said to him, We have neither received letters concerning you from Judea, nor has any one of the brothers come and reported or told any evil of you. But we would like to hear from you what you think, for it is known to us concerning this sect, that it is everywhere spoken against. And appointing him a day they came in great numbers to his lodging, to whom he set forth and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus both from the law of Moses and the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and others believed not; and disagreeing among themselves they were dismissed by Paul, saying one word; Well did the Holy Spirit speak by Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying, Go to this people and say, Hearing you shall hear and not understand, and seeing you shall see and not perceive; for the heart of this people has become hard, and they hear imperfectly with their ears, and they have shut their eyes, lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I should cure them. Be it known to you, therefore, that the salvation of God is sent to the gentiles, and they will hear it. (Added verse not retained in Sawyer) But Paul continued two entire years in his hired house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching the doctrines concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

And going to Jerusalem he endeavored to join the disciples; and they all feared him, not believing that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and 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 he had spoken boldly in Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was with them, entering in and going out at Jerusalem,read more.
and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord; and he spoke and disputed with the Hellenists; and they undertook to kill him; but the brothers knowing it led him away to Caesarea and sent him to Tarsus.

But Peter standing up with the eleven lifted up his voice and said to them, Men of Judea, and all who live at Jerusalem, be this known to you, and attend to my words. For these are not drunk as you suppose, for it is the third hour of the day [9 A.M.], but this is what was said by the prophet;read more.
In the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; and upon my male servants and upon my female servants in those days will I pour out of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show prodigies in heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and a cloud of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and illustrious day of the Lord comes. And whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus the Nazoraean, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and prodigies and miracles, which God performed by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves know, this man, delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have affixed to the cross, and killed by the hand of the wicked, him has God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, as it was not possible that he should be held by it. For David says of him, I saw the Lord always before me, he is on my right hand that I should not be moved; therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad, and my flesh, moreover, shall also live in hope; for thou wilt not leave my soul in hades, nor suffer thy Holy One to see destruction. Thou hast made me know the ways of life, thou wilt fill me with joy with thy presence. Men and brothers, let me speak to you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God swore with an oath to him to set a descendant of his on his throne, foreseeing he spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that he was not left in hades neither did his flesh see destruction. This Jesus has God raised up, whose witnesses we all are. Being therefore exalted on the right hand of God, and receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he has poured this out which you both see and hear. For David ascended not to heaven, but he says, The Lord said to my lord, Sit on my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly, that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ. And hearing [this] they were distressed in mind, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brothers, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, Change your minds, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and your children, and to all that are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words he testified and exhorted, saying, Save yourselves from this perverse generation. Then those that received his word were baptized, and there were added on that day about three thousand souls;