The defense and confirmation of the gospel

The "defense of the gospel" is a familiar term. It conjures up images of fortification: rugged bulwarks of logic able to withstand the onslaught of enemies of the Christian confession.

In theological seminaries the defense of the gospel is an academic department: Apologetics, which derives directly from the Greek word for defense, ἀπολογία. Apologetics teaches you to get your doctrine right every which way, so that you can be prepared against every which parry of the opposition. All of this is good as far as it goes.

But here I am struck by a phrase of Paul's: "... the defense and confirmation of the gospel."

Now this is a beautiful thing. I take confirmation of the gospel as not so much a successful logical defense of the gospel.

I take confirmation of the gospel as something that necessarily blooms on its own.

While defense can take place in academic settings, or at least within academic outlooks, confirmation blooms in the fields of daily life, usually without us knowing it.

Of course I am not suggesting that heretics can bloom successfully; a life that blooms in the gospel -- that is, a life that confirms the gospel -- is no doubt a life that reflects the correct doctrines of the gospel.

My point is simply that there are many whose lives are beautiful confirmations of the gospel -- who are not very good logical defenders of it, in the sense of knowing, for example, how to finely parse the finer points of infra- versus supra-lapsarianism.

Go ahead and defend the gospel.

But once in a while, don't forget to check for the blooms of confirmation.

Logos2Go

Philippians 1.7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.

Artwork is oil pastel on poster board