3 Reasons I Refuse to Apologize for My Faith
These days, the world seems to have gone half mad. Sadly, the madness often surrounds the foundations of the Christian faith.
Christian values are ridiculed. Or, spiritual and biblical principles are questioned as valid and relevant or relatable.
And people (and the enemy) try to convince us truth is relative and up for debate. Or, culture whispers in our ear, We each have our own version of truth—and that’s okay.
But it’s not okay.
If you follow this blog, you know I’ve experienced rude remarks on social media about my faith.
Even my recent social media post where I stated, Jesus is enough! One commenter’s crazy rage mentioned witches and how women need to get back in the kitchen where they belong.
Then, he said my claim that Jesus is enough! was a terrorist statement. Really? Yet, I refuse to apologize for the foundations of my faith.
In the midst of a world gone half mad, with spiritual and biblical principles questioned as valid and relevant, I refuse to apologize for the foundations of my faith. #faith #bible Click To TweetBut how do we stand firm? I’d like to offer 3 key foundations to never apologize for.
1.) Refuse to Apologize for The Bible and its Truth
Not only does God’s Word never return void, it also never goes out of style like the changing times.
Consider how the Bible helps us live out our faith. It’s God’s how-to manual for a godly life. The Holy Scriptures are a wealth of spiritual knowledge for Christian living.
So, the more we are in God’s Word, the more we do the right thing…the godly thing…the Jesus thing, and do it all more often.
Truth is never up for debate. God’s holy Word wins hands down! #truth #bible #faith Click To TweetIn John 17, Jesus prayed over His disciples.
“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth” (verses 14-19, ESV).
Prayer: Lord, The world hates me because it hated You. But You have given me Your Word. Sanctify me in its truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
2.) Refuse to Apologize for Redemption and its Story
On another social media post about a speaking event where I shared my redemption story to women, and mentioned sharing my story the next morning at an FCA middle school huddle, one commenter said this.
“Do you share stories about the most effective ways you’ve found to brainwash kids with religious cult dogma?”
But here’s the truth: There’s nothing religious or cultish about God’s redemption.
As I arrived at the school, the P.E. teacher and coach conveyed how most of the kids do not go to church. And I heard the story of one young girl in Foster Care. She always comes to FCA, and asks the coach and others to pray a Christian family adopts her and takes her to church.
So, it’s no surprise the Lord moved in my heart to change the message I had planned to share. Instead, I told my story: the absence of my father in part of my childhood, how I personally met Jesus Christ at sixteen, and about God’s redeeming grace—the gospel.
I pray each of the students either already know Jesus Christ as Lord, accepted Him as Lord that day, or will come to know Him for their own redemption story—no matter what other parts of their story look like now.
Because one of the beautiful aspects of God’s redeeming grace is how it meets us where we are, not where we think we should be.
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13, ESV).
“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—those he redeemed from the hand of the foe” (Psalm 107:2, NIV).
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your provision of grace and redemption through Your Son. Help me to never apologize for my redemption story…Your redemption story. And give me boldness in my faith to share it and spread the good news to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
3.) Refuse to Apologize for Jesus and His Blood
Although sin separated us from God, Jesus made a way to God through His blood—the gift of salvation.
The blood that flowed through Immanuel’s veins, spilled out on Calvary’s cross. It cleanses our sins, gives us new life, and a new heart (triple bypass from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). We are redeemed by His blood, set free by His blood, and adopted into God’s family by His blood.
The blood of Jesus will never lose its power! Jesus is mighty to save! (Isaiah 63:1.)
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7, ESV).
“And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith” (Romans 3:24-25a, NIV).
Prayer: Lord, I praise You for the blood. May I never apologize for the blood that gives me eternal and abundant life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I refuse to apologize for the Bible and its truth, redemption and its story, Jesus and His blood. #Jesus #redemption Click To TweetWatch the video of my redemption story at the end of my home page.
Redemption Stories
Which reason resonates most with you? Or share your redemption story in the comments.
*Sometimes I participate in these link-ups:
Inspire Me Monday/Kingdom Bloggers/Literacy Musings/Tell His Story/Purposeful Faith/Abounding Grace/Welcome Heart/Recharge Wednesday/Porch Stories/Destination Inspiration/Worth Beyond Rubies/Tune in Thursday/Sitting Among Friends/Heart Encouragement/Embracing the Unexpected/Fresh Market Friday/Faith On Fire/Dance With Jesus and Faith and Friends.
© 2019 by Karen Friday, All rights reserved
Karen,
Like you, I will never apologize for my faith. Reason 1 resonates the most with me; “Truth is never up for debate. God’s Holy word wins hands down.” Every. Single. Time. And it is on that word I stand strong and secure.
Blessings to you…
Hey Yvonne,
Yes! Not only does God’s Word never return void, it also never goes out of style like the changing times. Clothes, devices, whatever the latest craze, all those things do go out of style or get trumped by something else. I cling to the fact that God’s Word never changes and we as His people can stand firm in all the foundations of our faith.
I think this all the time. Thanks for putting it into words!
Appreciate your comment, Beth. I love that God’s redemption is not religious or cultish or terrorist. 😉
Oh Karen, this post resonated so deeply with me. I have experienced push back for my faith from all sides, as well. Your strong faith in the truth of God’s Word and the truth of God’s redemptive work through Jesus is like a breath of fresh air to my soul! May God bless you, sustain you and strengthen in all you do, wherever He may have you to go! The truth of the Bible will never change. God will accomplish all He has said He will do. We can rest in that truth like no other. You are a great inspiration to me! Keep on keeping on with Jesus!
Thank you, Melissa, you are an inspiration to me. I just try to cling to truth in an ever-changing world. Because the Bible helps us live out our faith. It’s God’s how-to manual for a godly life. The Holy Scriptures are a wealth of spiritual knowledge for Christian living. Then, the more we are in God’s Word, the more we do the right thing…the godly thing…the Jesus thing, and do it all more often.Blessings!
Your words here today, Karen, are so uplifting and encouraging in this day and time when Christians are often mocked and ridiculed for our faith. If we focus on God, and all He’s done for us through Christ Jesus, we can stay strong and firm in our resolve to never waver from the Truth.
Blessings!
Amen, Martha! Well-said. We FOCUS on God and “stay strong and firm in our resolve to never waver from the Truth.” Lord, give us this resolve and your strength to never waver. Amen.
God very well may redeem your social media critics. The Lord can surprise them by allowing them to see truth. And that surprises us too.
So proud of your steadfast faith. You shine light in very dark places. God bless!
Oh, Nancy! I love your comment that God may redeem my critics. So much so that I’ve already mentioned it in replies across several social media places about this post. I would love nothing more than for these people to come to know Christ as Lord and come out of the darkness into His marvelous light!
I don’t want to apologize for my faith. I will be happy to share my faith through words and actions. Great message Karen.
Melissa, appreciate your comment and agreement! When we are disciples who count the cost of following Christ, we expect the criticism from others, and we never back down or give up or give in.
How sad it is that people feel the need to attack Christianity. I don’t see many other religions being attacked as much as our God is on social media, but I also remember how Jesus told us to expect this kind of hatred. That gives me peace – knowing I DON’T have to apologize for my faith, for by it I am set free!
Emily, it is sad. But we are to expect and not be surprised by the hatred or when the persecution or critics attack. They did the same to Jesus and to the early church. And, yes, peace, that in the no-apology-stance, we are really free!
Hi Karen. I don’t know which reason resonates most for me. They all seem equally critical. I don’t have a dramatic redemption story. When I was in 3rd grade my parents gave me a choice on whether to continue attending church on Sundays. I chose to stay home. I told myself I’d get saved later when I had less to enjoy as a kid. Dumb logic, I know, but that day came in high school when accepting Christ happened quickly and without debate for me. God prepared my heart all those 8 years of enjoying my childhood. So glad He did and I don’t apologize for my new life. He is worthy of a Christian life in plain sight.
Stephen, I agree, I like all 3 foundations and how they really are kind of intertwined as one. Thanks for sharing your redemption story. I’ve heard others say the same thing, they were waiting to get right with God or to accept Christ for “later.” Grateful your later was not that far off. Statistics show that older adults, basically the older you get, the least likely to become a Christian.
Karen, it’s obvious God is using you in the lives of others. And, the enemy isn’t happy about it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts here and how you hold firmly to what you believe. The power of testimony is amazing, especially when someone needs the hope of redemption and can find it in the truths from another’s story. I need to be more attuned to see when God may be giving me opportunities to share my story and point others to Him.
Jeanne, there is power in our testimony…power in story. And, I agree how much of this is spiritual warfare. The enemy never likes the name of Jesus to be proclaimed. Still, I want to be a willing witness for a seeking soul (something my husband shared in a sermon once). Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
My redemption story: God transformed me from a hopeless dope fiend to a dopeless hope fiend. My job as a teacher makes it difficult to proclaim my faith to my students, but all of my colleagues know I am a Christian. I know I could better proclaim Jesus to my fellow teachers; thanks for the motivation to do so!
“God transformed me from a hopeless dope fiend to a dopeless hope fiend.” That’s powerful, Candice. Love it! Yes, in the public school system, sharing faith proves difficult for teachers. The times I’ve shared with students at schools were all related to a Christian-based program already set up where it was allowed. Or, it was a private Christian school. Thanks for sharing.
This entire post resonates with me, Karen. There’s so much pressure in the public space. People shout down those they don’t agree with. The ability to listen to one another is gone, and when we’re talking about Jesus, it seems we’re fair game. Sometimes these attacks come within our extended families. This was the place we faced most of our opposition. We began focusing on loving and living our words, our beliefs. We wanted our faith to show through our kindness. That proved more effective than our words at that time, for a time, but then the words – for they are THE WORDS of God – came the fore again. Once we had loved and lived the life under watchful eyes, we could be heard. I read an article lately that mentioned that Christians used to be the ones who lived out kindness, who helped the poor and the orphan. In many ways, the western church has now failed to do that, leaving it to others in large part. When we live the life, we gain the audience. Your words inspire me to hold fast to the WORD, to continue to live it, and to walk toward those the Lord gives me to talk to, speaking his clear message of love and redemption. You did that so well when you addressed the youth – I’m certain your talk impacted young lives. Keep living the life and walking through the doors that God opens, sister. God bless you and your ministry.
Melinda, that’s a good word. To not only hold fast the Word, but to also live it out…to be doers of the Word to gain the audience, at least for some, like extended family members. As to these online critics, I pray the Lord opens their eyes, the Holy Spirit opens their soul to really see truth and draw them to Jesus. And I pray they see other Christians in their daily lives living out the message of the “least of these” from Matthew 25 and see believers as Jesus with skin…so their talk matches their walk.
And on the First 5 APP, Proverbs 31 ministries, we are reading through Psalms and here is what one devotional writer said, In his commentary on Psalms, Warren Wiersbe says, “God’s truth is adaptable to new situations, and old songs become ‘new songs’ when new challenges are matched with changeless theology.” I love that! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I refuse to apologize for my faith, however there are times when I need to humble myself and apologize for the way I communicate it!
Such a valid point, Ava, that sometimes we only need to apologize for our method…not the message. Thank you!
Amen. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, yesterday, today and forever. I pray the world never distracts me enough to forget this truth or to be embarrassed by it.
Me too, Yvonne. We are not ashamed of Jesus Christ or the gospel or the truth that leads to Christ.
There is power in the name of Jesus!! You can’t take from me, my faith in Him. I bear wounds created by sin and they’ve left behind scars but these scars are evidence of God’s redeeming grace because I’m not who I was when I was living my own way. I’m still me but a better me and I tried “improving” on my own but Jesus met me where I was and pulled me out of that sin stained life and set my feet on higher ground and He is my Savior!! He is what sustains my days by giving me peace, showering me with His love and giving me strength in spite of my weaknesses!! You can’t take any of that from me. I am His. He is mine. Always.
Hallelujah! April, Your comment had me fired up and worshipping as I read it. The enemy and no one can take away from us our salvation and redeeming grace. In fact, it reminded me of a song we sung in church when I was a pre-teen, “I’m going to the enemy’s camp, taking back what he stole from me.” Something like that.
Now, we have a message of hope and peace and good news. A message of hope from a publisher who launched the bestselling book of all time. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns'” (Isaiah 52:7, ESV).
Great post Karen! Yes, we live in the last days when the light of the good news is an offensive blinding light to the darkness of the enemy! Praise Him!
Bless you,
Jennifer
Yes, truth and God’s light are both offensive to those in the darkness. That’s why I’ve always loved 1 John 5:5-10,
“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (ESV)
Amen-Amein Sister in Christ-MESSIAH Jesus-Yeshua Karen!! Hallelujah and Maranatha!!
Happy Shabbat Shalom ( Peaceful Sabbath )!!
Love 💕 Always and Shalom, YSIC \o/
Kristi Ann
Thank you, Kristi Ann! Happy Sabbath to you. Love and peace.
Karen, you are spot on. We can never compromise, dilute, diminish, or apologize for our faith. I’ve never really liked the term “apologetics.” I know what it means, but given the conventional definition of an apology, it doesn’t quite seem to fit. “Defender”, “Proclaimer”, or “Soldier of the faith” seem to be more appropriate. For we are in battle, every minute of the day. Let the world ridicule, dismiss, and belittle us. We must remember the message of the cross is foolishness to them. This should lead us to our knees on their behalf. They need the covering of the blood of Christ too.
Amen, Rob! Agree with you brother! I’ve resolved to proclaim the good news and to be a soldier of the faith…even the gates of hell cannot prevail against God’s people or His truth. And, true, even believers sometimes wane in their boldness, so we can’t expect the message of the cross to sit well with those who don’t know Jesus as Lord. Yes, let’s petition heaven on their behalf.
Karen, I love this post, thanks for putting this clearly into words for the rest of us. I think these facts, 1st that the Bible is truth, 2nd that redemption is real and powerful and 3rd the power and work of Christ’s blood on the cross are 3 foundational truths that are in every Christian religion. These are 3 things that we all agree on, we need to focus on these more than on our differences. Many Thanks 8)
Thanks so much, Debra. I think we all need the reminder of the basics to our faith…simple, yet, powerful truths that makes Christianity stand out from all religions. “Lord, help us be bold and never apologize for the foundational parts of our beliefs. Amen.”
I love the idea of a “triple bypass from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”. God’s Word has the power to change our lives when we spend time in His presence wrestling with the truth.
Yes, all of us had a heart issue before we met Jesus. So thankful the blood of Christ never loses its power. “Lord, I praise You for the blood. May I never apologize for the blood that gives me eternal and abundant life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Wow! You’ve really been through the ringer on your social media accounts, Karen! I guess that means you are touching on a raw nerve in our society! One in desperate need of God’s healing through the gospel! I’m so glad you are not apologizing for your faith, nor your bold sharing of the gospel. Friends like you only inspire me to be courageous and boldly share as well. Keep it up, my friend! You are an encouragement to those who need it, whether they realize it or not! 😉
“…touching a raw nerve…”, so true, Beth. It seems when we put ourselves out there and boldly proclaim the good news of the gospel, the critics call us out or question our words. Appreciate your encouragement about the post, may we be courageous and boldly share about Jesus! Thanks for commenting.
So much truth in this post! I have been struggling with the things I overhear at work about people of faith and issues surrounding faith and this gave me a boost. I will certainly never apologize and it actually makes me want to double down! Thanks for the thoughtful read.
Katie, I’m sure many secular workplaces have the same situations and conversations regarding our faith. Yes, double down! Thanks for stopping by to comment.
I never apologize for my faith – but, admittedly, I have been intimated by those who so easily share their hate. I pray for more boldness…both in writing, speaking and day to day interactions.
It’s sad there are those who insist on showing hate toward Christians and their faith. I hope and pray for that same boldness, it’s important in all areas of life…like how you brought in day to day interactions. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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Karen, thank you for this important message. May we continue to faithfully hold out the truth in love for the next generation. May God give us strength and courage to live in a world rapidly changing. Blessings!
Amen, Joanne. We need courage in this presnt world so we don’t forsake the great truths for the next one. “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—those he redeemed from the hand of the foe” (Psalm 107:2, NIV).
Karen,
There is nothing more the enemy would like than for Christ followers to back down from their faith. I love this post so much. To be honest, it gets me pumped!!! As Christians, we need to be taking a stand! THANK YOU so much for this!!!
Hi Emily, yes the enemy wants to silence us, stifle us, and derail us from sharing about God’s kingdom. Glad your encouraged and pumped! And appreciate your comment!
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