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At First Priority, we are learning to share the GOSPEL in 3D – to Declare, Discuss and Defend the Gospel. On this resource page you will find additional resources to introduce you to apologetics – how to defend the GOSPEL (God, Our, Sins, Paying, Everyone, Life).

Defend GOD

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EXISTENCE
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  1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause (you came from your parents, their parents, etc.).
  2. The universe began to exist.
  3. Therefore, the universe has a Cause – God.
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DESIGN
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  1. The universe displays design.
  2. Design implies a designer. For example, if you found a watch, you know there is a watch-maker.
  3. Therefore, a Designer of the universe exists – God.
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MORALITY
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  1. Moral laws (absolutes) exist. Some things are always right and always wrong.
  2. Moral law implies a moral lawgiver.
  3. Therefore, a Moral Lawgiver exists – God.
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Defend OUR (The Problem of Evil)

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REAL FREEDOM
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  • God created us as free creatures with the ability to make real choices (we are not robots).
  • This free choice means we also have the freedom to turn away from good/God (which is evil).
  • God is the author of freedom, we are the authors of evil.

Joshua 24:15
“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
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MORE GLORY
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  • God is glorified more in a world where he redeems suffering.
  • God allows sin and death so that, on the cross, he would suffer for our sin and die for us.
  • In Heaven, we will forever glorify God’s mercy as redeemed sinners, not perfect angels.

Romans 5:8
“…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
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GOD’S PATIENCE
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  • Evil isn’t just “out there.” Evil is inside of you and me.
  • Therefore, to judge and destroy evil now means to judge and destroy millions of people.
  • God permits evil to continue because he is patient, allowing more time for repentance.

2 Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

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Defend SINS

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THE FISH
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  • If you want to know what it’s like to be wet, don’t ask a fish.
  • Fish don’t know they are wet because they are covered in water.
  • We don’t think we’re sinful because we are covered in sin.

Romans 3:9-12
“For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
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THE LAW
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  • God’s moral law, such as the Ten Commandments, shows our sin.
  • It’s like a mirror that shows our dirt, so we come to Christ for cleansing.
  • Ask your friend, “Have you ever lied, coveted, lusted, cursed, used God’s name in vain, etc.”

Romans 3:19-20
“Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”
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THE CONSCIENCE
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  • Every human has a God-given conscience; a moral compass.
  • Even without the Bible, or knowledge of God’s law, our conscience condemns us.
  • We don’t even live up to our own standard, let alone God’s.

Romans 2:14-16
“For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”

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Defend PAYING

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“WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO DIE?”
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  • Whenever true mercy is granted, someone else pays the price.
  • For example, if I freely forgive you for breaking my phone, I personally absorb the cost.
  • Only the cross reconciles God’s mercy and justice – God forgives sin and also pays its penalty.
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FIVE RESURRECTION PROOFS
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We know Jesus is alive, because…

  1. The first witnesses were women (watch video to understand why).
  2. It fulfilled prophecy.
  3. The empty tomb (no body).
  4. The risen Jesus appeared to hundreds of eyewitnesses.
  5. The risen Jesus changes lives.
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DEBUNKING RESURRECTION SPROOFS
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  • Twin Brother: A look-alike could not have fooled Jesus’ friends.
  • Hallucination: Only individuals hallucinate, not entire groups.
  • Stolen Body: Romans or Jews would have produced the body. Disciples wouldn’t die for a lie.
  • Never Died (Swoon): Whipped & speared.
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Defend EVERYONE

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FAITH IS CONFIDENCE
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  • Biblical faith is not believing against evidence.
  • Rather faith is confidence or trust in a reliable object (God).
  • For example, when I sit in a chair, I believe it will hold me up because I trust in the object.
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FAITH IS NOT BLIND
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  • Christian faith is not a leap into the dark but into the light.
  • Our faith rests on objective facts not our subjective feelings.
  • The object of our faith (Jesus) saves us, not the strength or sincerity of our faith.
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WHAT IS REPENTANCE?
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  • Repentance is a 180 (U-Turn).
  • We stop fighting against God (sin) and stop trying to earn salvation (self-righteousness).
  • In repentance, we take all our bad deeds and good deeds and flee from both to the cross of Christ.
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Defend LIFE

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CHRISTIANITY IS BORING
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  • Idols (sin, drugs, money) promise fun, but ultimately enslave us.
  • Christ came to set us free to live the life we were created for.
  • We live a life of freedom and purpose, for the person and the cause that matters most!
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HEAVEN SOUNDS BORING
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  • In Eternity, we won’t be floating spirits, we’ll be resurrected people.
  • Heaven is everything you love most now, without brokenness.
  • Worship in Heaven will be the greatest experience ever. You will never want it to end!
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HELL IS UNFAIR
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  • Hell shows that God is just, not unjust (unfair).
  • Hell means that a good God will not let evil go unpunished.
  • God is perfectly just. The punishment will perfectly match the crime in Hell.
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