13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Doctrine the way it should be, May 22, 2006
This review is from: The Battle Belongs to the Lord: The Power of Scripture for Defending Our Faith (Paperback)
Every so often I read a book which simultaneously plugs a lot of holes in my knowledge and creates a lot of new ones. Every so often I read a book that increases my confidence in the Bible and the gospel but also makes me question where my trust really lies. The Battle Belongs to the LORD (BBL) is one of those books. As the subtitle may suggest, this book is about apologetics. I went through a phase, in my early twenties, of reading all the apologetics books that I could get. I thought that if I knew all the arguments for topics such as God's existence and Christ's resurrection I would be a better evangelist. After about three years I turned my back on apologetics due to what I perceived to be its utter failure to convince people about the truth of the gospel.
If I am being really honest I always knew that I had not really thought about the whole issue of apologetics biblically. I had read plenty of books but spent little time in God's word, so when I read the start of the preface to BBL I got a rekindled interest - "This book is meant to be an introduction - and a beginning - to a lifetime of defending and commending the Christian faith. Its goal is to point you to biblical principles that will provide a foundation for that task." I purchased the book on the strength of this statement.
Oliphint goes on to say that "[t]he purpose of this book is to get us to open our Bibles again when we think about apologetics." This stands in great contrast to the prevailing thought on apologetics which is that "reason, not revelation, is the proper source of truth for our apologetics."
Oliphint makes good on his claim to look at the Bible as each chapter is essentially a clear and challenging exposition of some key apologetical portions of Scripture (making an excellent set of readings for a week):
Introduction - 1 Samuel 17
Chapter 1 - 1 Peter 3:15-17
Chapter 2 - Jude 3
Chapter 3 - 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Chapter 4 - Romans 1:16-18
Chapter 5 - Romans 1:19-32
Chapter 6 - Acts 17:15-34
Dealing with 1 Samuel 17, Oliphint likens apologetics to a spiritual continuation of David's battle with Goliath (is this a valid application of the story?) with the key truth being - the battle is the LORD's. Because it is the LORD's battle, it is to be waged in his way. Saul clearly forgot this, his vision obscured by a worldly perspective, but David saw the reality. Oliphint goes on to describe three principles that David applied in his battle and that we should apply when defending the faith:
1. David's reason for fighting - Goliath had defied the LORD of hosts (v45). David was willing to fight because his LORD had been challenged.
2. David's purpose in the fight - That all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel (v46). That all this assembly may know that the LORD saves (v47). The LORD saves not with sword and spear (v47)
3. David's weapons for fighting - "What is needed in the LORD's battle are weapons that will cause people to bow down, to bend the knee and acknowledge that the LORD, and he alone, is God. Only supernatural weapons can accomplish that task."
In Chapter 1 Oliphint sets the context before looking specifically at 1 Peter 3:15-17. He summarises the early portions of 1 Peter as follows, "Persecution should cause us to remember at least two things. It should cause us to remember that this world is not our home, and it should cause us to remember to set our minds on things above, where Christ is (Colossians 3:1-2)."
The foundational point that Oliphint draws from 1 Peter 3:15 is that we should set Christ apart as Lord in our hearts. What would be the point of defending the faith if Christ was not Lord? I could stop this review here because the challenge is obvious. If I find it nearly impossible to share my faith and defend it maybe I have not yet bowed the knee to the Lord. Perhaps my fear when thinking about doing apologetics means that I need to repent of my sin and turn to trust in Jesus. Maybe the reason the people don't ask me about the reason for the hope that is in me is because they don't see any hope. Maybe I find it difficult to talk about the faith with gentleness and respect because I'm defending something I have no confidence in. Who would have thought that a book about apologetics would be driving to my knees to cry out to the Lord after just one chapter?
In Chapter 2 Oliphint helpfully deals with apologetics within the church. Using Jude 3 as his main point he deals with the reality of error, falsehood, heterodoxy and the like amongst God's people, the possibility of which is proved by the examples of Cain, Balaam and Korah (Jude 11). These three examples from the Old Testament highlight the dangers of false teachers.
He goes on to explain the nature of the `contending' or `fighting' we are to be engaged in. I think Oliphint could have elaborated on the risks that sinful creatures bring even when they try to contend for the faith. For example, how do we know that we are contenting for the faith and not simply trying to get our own way? How does contending intersect with humility, loving one another, seeking the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace etc? However, he helpfully discusses what `the faith' is. Essentially, `the faith' is the body of truths or doctrines we come to believe when we trust in Christ i.e. the gospel. For example, the truth of Scripture, the existence of our triune God, Jesus' incarnation, sinless life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return. If this is what Jude meant by `the faith' then fighting for a Bible version, head coverings in corporate worship, certain musical instruments and so forth is NOT fighting for the faith.
In Chapter 3 Oliphint takes the reader to 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. In the last four chapters of 2 Corinthians Paul is defending his gospel ministry against some who thought him to be insignificant and rather unskilled when compared to other wise orators (Sophists?). But 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5 contain truth for all Christians. Paul's opponents were using weapons of the flesh - techniques that were only as good as the man - but Paul, and all Christians, can use divine weaponry (see Ephesians 6:10-20). Oliphint says "Apologetics, in many ways, is simply a battle over authorities. It involves making plain just where we stand, or better, where we rest, with regard to what we claim. It also involves encouraging our opponents to make plain where they rest their own case. The issue of authority is always primary."
It may not be every Christian's desire to study philosophy and the lofty theories it presents but we can all study Scripture and rest in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Such resting is only possible if we have put on "the belt of truth", which Oliphint says is a Christian worldview. He states that this may be the most important divine weapon in the Christian's arsenal. When we engage in battle we must determine what the reality of the situation is.
In Chapter's 4 and 5 Oliphint deals with Romans 1 and this is perhaps the heart of the book as far as real apologetics is concerned. Romans 1 gives God's perspective on unbelief. As Oliphint says "It gives us an infallible explanation of the unbelieving mind or heart." Again, this causes us to face the issue of trust. Do I trust God and his word enough to believe the infallible perspective of Romans 1?
Oliphint contends that Romans 1:16-18 are crucial for understanding the rest of the chapter. In v16 Paul is making claims about the power of the gospel and the fact that he is not ashamed of it. This is important for the Roman Christians who live in the shadow of the vast Roman Empire. Were they tempted to loose hope in the gospel because of its seeming insignificance? In v17 Paul claims that the power of the gospel is located in the fact that it reveals the righteousness of God. This is seen supremely in Jesus Christ and his death on the cross to take our deserved punishment. Oliphint summarises his thoughts on Romans 1:16-17 by stating "the gospel must be firmly understood before we can begin to launch into the deep waters of unbelief. These two key verses, 16 and 17, must therefore be anchored in our hearts as we plan, by God's grace, to stand against the tidal waves of unbelieving thought."
Romans 1:18 is then discussed as it deals with God's revealed wrath. God's wrath flows from his holy character, of which the law is an expression, and therefore he must defend his law and character when we sin. "When the Bible speaks of the wrath of God, it is speaking of his response to man's response to his law." Romans 1:18 ends by stating that we all suppress the truth. This statement will become clearer when we know what the `truth' is and why we suppress it.
In Chapter 5 we get a fuller discussion about God's wrath. Oliphint states that Romans 1:19-32 are Paul's explanation of why and in what circumstances God responds in wrath, rather than in grace and mercy. The truth that we suppress is revealed by God and evident to all. But what are we supposed to know (and suppress)? Romans 1:20 says "For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." This is rather definite knowledge and Oliphint says that "Paul is not saying that we all have some idea that there is a god somewhere." He continues "we should not pass over lightly the weight of Paul's analysis of unbelief here. He is telling us that there are no true atheists. To be sure, someone will say in his heart (as the psalmist reminds us), "There is no God" (Psalm 14:1). But the psalmist calls him a fool, at least in part because he says in his...
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Should Be in Everyone's Library, December 4, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: The Battle Belongs to the Lord: The Power of Scripture for Defending Our Faith (Paperback)
This book goes a long way in rooting apologetics or the defense of the Christian faith firmly in Scripture and the Triune God of Scripture.
The author has taken passages of scripture and demonstrated their apologetical import. In so doing, he shows us the necessity of every Christian to be a student of Scripture. Apologetics, we are shown, is not a matter of "method", but of being able to rightly divide the word of God and properly placing our faith in Him as we defend.
This book is written in a very winsome, pastoral manner making it accessible to even the most "novice" or young Christian.
After reading this book, you will walk away encouraged in your faith and grateful that you have been called into such a battle. Your faith will be strengthened because you will be better acquainted with the God of your faith. You will be motivated to share and defend the gospel of Jesus Christ, for His sake. Your appetite for the study of scripture will be whetted, as the author unfurls in each chapter the robust depth of passages we might otherwise believe we are familiar with. And finally, any lack of confidence and/or competence will be allayed as you will be convinced that the battle belongs to the LORD and the outcome is assured.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Truly Foundational Apologetics Text, June 16, 2005
This review is from: The Battle Belongs to the Lord: The Power of Scripture for Defending Our Faith (Paperback)
K. Scott Oliphint, associate professor of apologetics at Westminster Seminary, Philadelphia, has produced a helpful book for guiding Christian apologists in their defense of the faith. While there is much to commend here -including a gratifying emphasis on the priority of persuasion in apologetics, and a wonderful appendix addressing the recurrent question of the Holy Spirit and apologetics-yet the most impressive feature of this volume is its portrayal of apologetics as scripturally mandated and scripturally determined.
From cover to cover, Oliphint makes it clear that apologetics does not hang by the slender thread of a single verse, but is actually rooted in multiple passages in multiple contexts. Similarly, while showing apologetics to be part of the very warp and woof of biblical revelation, so he also helps us to see how we must allow the Bible to control and direct our apologetic encounters. In this way, Oliphint seeks to rejoin what has too often been separated.
Predominantly expositional in style and distinctly Presuppositional in outlook, The Battle Belongs to the Lord explores a number of foundational passages for apologetics and teases out their implications for our defense of the faith today. Clearly written, easy to read and intended as an introductory text, this volume would be a suitable primer for undergraduate classes studying apologetics. In addition, it may profitably be given to those uncomfortable with or discouraged by apologetics on the grounds that it is too philosophical and too speculative.
While I would argue that some themes deserved further development and some assertions ought to have received a more nuanced and guarded explanation, nonetheless, I am happy to commend this title as a good introduction to reformed apologetics and one of too few books that explicitly weds our defense of the faith to the Word of God and to the work of His Spirit.
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