Are you a mom wondering how to grow spiritually, not only for yourself but to help foster your family’s growth? What if I told you that learning Apologetics can help you grow spiritually?
I know, I know. What does Apologetics have to do with spiritual growth? Isn’t Apologetics all about appealing to the reason and logic of man? Isn’t Apologetics more interested in natural evidence and proving skeptics wrong than it is about growing closer to God?
Well, it can seem that way. But let me challenge your thinking.
Consider scenario #1:
A family sits down for dinner, and the child asks his mom where in the Bible does it say being transgender is a sin. Well, it doesn’t directly say that it is. So, how do you respond to this question?
Consider scenario #2:
Your son comes home after graduating college to share with you that he no longer believes in God. And when you dig deeper, you find out it’s because his boss convinced him God was a fairy tale.
This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
Well, these two examples are real scenarios shared by real mothers. One, from a Christian stay-at-home-mom group I follow on Facebook. And the second is shared by one of the authors in Mama Bear Apologetics.
How do you respond in these moments? Because these scenarios can be any of us. As mothers, parents in general, we want to see our children grow closer to God. The last thing we ever want or expect is for them to abandon God. Especially simply because they weren’t able to get their faith questions answered.
When you study Apologetics, you are preparing yourself as a mom to help your family build a strong foundation in their faith by standing on the facts. And I am going to share 4 ways this can help you and your family grow spiritually.
Here are 4 ways Apologetics can help you and your family grow spiritually:
- Apologetics can strengthen your faith with corroborated facts that help you overcome the doubts that hinder spiritual growth.
- Apologetics is a form of seeking God.
- Apologetics can teach your kids to identify lies and repel the influence of their non-believing friends.
- Apologetics can help you understand the Bible better.
Keep reading below to dive a little deeper into each topic.
1. Apologetics can strengthen faith with corroborated facts that help overcome doubts that hinder spiritual growth.
Understanding why Christianity is a reasonable worldview backed by strong evidence can really help build that foundational block for your family’s faith. Because when someone presents an objection to you or your kids, you know that no matter what, there is well-researched evidence that supports what you believe. And that can strengthen your faith tremendously.
Studying Apologetics can help answer some of those burning questions that cause that sliver of doubt that we may not want to admit pops up from time-to-time. Doubting God and the Truth of the Cross is a barrier that can prevent us from getting closer to God.
Because instead of focusing on building that relationship with God, we end up spending our time questioning His existence. That doubt can creep in and distract us from nurturing our relationship with God, essentially keeping us stuck.
The wealth of Apologetics content available, from answering questions about why there is evil, to dealing with questions about contradictions in the Bible, can help clear up that doubt before it turns into disbelief.
By the way, if you’re interested, a good book that deals with the question of pain and evil is “Should We Fire God” by Jim Pace. And a good book dealing with some of the “contradictions” is “Cold Case Christianity” by J. Warner Wallace.
2. Apologetics is a form of seeking God.
I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.
~ Proverbs 8:17
Learning Apologetics is just another way to seek after God. Studying Apologetics as a family is a great way to come together and seek God. Incorporating some time into this branch of study will do nothing but help you and your family learn more about who God is.
God left us pieces of evidence to help our journey in finding Him. For example, the biggest piece of evidence is the Bible! (Although many skeptics don’t see the Bible as reliable.)
Additionally, God blessed us with minds that have the ability to reason. And I am very thankful for the many Apologists who have devoted their time to helping people see how Christianity is the most reasonable worldview from an ethical, philosophical, archaeological, and even scientific point of view.
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you
Mathew 7:7
The Bible tells us if we seek Him, we will find Him. Well, Apologetics is a form of seeking God. And God has continued to show up over the years in Apologetics research and studies as we discover new evidence and perspectives that point to Him.
God is all about evidence. It was the evidence of seeing the bright light of the risen Jesus that converted Paul into a believer of Jesus Christ. (Acts 9). It wasn’t until the disciples saw the evidence of the risen Jesus did they believe Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:11). Thomas literally said he would not believe unless he saw.
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe
~ John 20:24-25
God knew that some people would need strong evidence to help their disbelief. He provided evidence for the disciples. And He continues to do the same now through Apologetics. And many have come to Christ because of the work that Apologetics has accomplished. Not only that, many have grown closer to God and knowing who He is because of their Apologetics seeking.
3. Apologetics can teach your kids to identify lies and repel the influence of their non-believing friends.
As a mom of a toddler, I am worried about how the state of the world will influence my son. I started reading into Apologetics before Skyler (my son) was born. But now that he is in my life, studying how to make a reasonable case for the faith is even more important to me.
Our kids’ souls are at stake, literally. And Apologetics can potentially help us answer the one question that might convert our kids to atheism.
Apologetics can help you be a rock for your family because whenever your kids come home with “so-and-so said this”, you’ve studied and prepared for how to handle it. You’re ready. And your readiness will spill over into your children and help them be ready to identify the many lies they will encounter.
This will help them stand strong against the heavy influences they will come across. With facts, reason, and a roaring mama bear in their back pocket, they will be able to resist the attempts of Satan to lead them away from God. Resisting the devil will allow them to flourish spiritually because the enemy will have a hard time getting near them.
4. Apologetics can help you understand the Bible properly.
Another amazing way Apologetics can help you grow spiritually is by expanding your Biblical understanding. I am currently studying through The Apologetics Study Bible which has over 100 articles geared at answering tough faith questions that skeptics use to raise objections to the Bible.
Additionally, each book of the Bible starts with an introduction giving some history and background of the author, information about the culture at the time, and details as to why the book is reliable. Why does all this matter?
Because understanding the cultural context and literary style of scripture can help us properly break down a verse’s meaning. As opposed to twisting scripture to mean something that God and the author never intended for it to mean.
Properly understanding scripture is an important key to getting to know who God is and His ways.
The research that apologists have contributed to the historicity of the Bible over the years is phenomenal. And the results of that research helps us to properly interpret and understand passages.
In Conclusion
So, those are the four ways studying Apologetics can help you and your family grow spiritually. Knowing how to reasonably defend the claims of Christianity can help us bring others to Christ, as we are called to make disciples of all nations. (Mathew 28:19-20).
I know some still view Apologetics as an unnecessary part of the Christian walk. But, I think that in today’s climate, it is more necessary than ever before.
What do you think? Do you think introducing Apologetics to your family will help you all grow spiritually?
You might also like:
6 Tips to Make Studying Apologetics Less Intimidating
7 Ways to Fight Distractions Hindering Your Spiritual Growth
How Christian Journaling Can Help You Grow Spiritually
