Sunday Hymn: We All Believe in One True God

We all be­lieve in one true God,
Who cre­at­ed earth and Hea­ven,
The Fa­ther, who to us in love
Hath the right of child­ren giv­en.
He both soul and body feed­eth,
All we need He doth pro­vide us;
He thro’ snares and per­ils lead­eth,
Watching that no harm be­tide us.
He car­eth for us day and night,
All things are gov­erned by His might.

We all be­lieve in Je­sus Christ,
His own Son, our Lord, pos­sess­ing
An eq­ual God­head, throne, and might,
Source of ev­ery grace and bless­ing.
Born of Ma­ry, vir­gin mo­ther,
By the pow­er of the Spir­it,
Made true man, our el­der bro­ther,
That the lost might life in­her­it.
Was cru­ci­fied for sin­ful men
And raised by God to life again.

We all con­fess the Ho­ly Ghost,
Who sweet grace and com­fort giv­eth
And with the Fa­ther and the Son
In eter­nal glo­ry liv­eth;
Who the Church, His own cre­ation,
Keeps in uni­ty of spir­it.
Here for­giv­eness and sal­va­tion
Daily come thro’ Je­sus’ mer­it.
All flesh shall rise, and we shall be
In bliss with God eter­nal­ly.

—Martin Luther

Theological Term of the Week: Apologetics

apologetics
The theological discipline concerned with defending the truthfulness of the Christian faith.

• From scripture:

… but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. (1 Peter 3:15-16 ESV)

• From Apologetics: 

The biblical mandate to defend the Christian faith comes from 1 Peter 3:15–16, where the Apostle Peter writes, “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” The word apologetics comes from the Greek word apologia (i.e., defense) that Peter uses in verse 15. Christians are called by God to give the watching world a well-reasoned defense of their faith, in humility and with a good conscience. Additionally, Acts 17:16–34 gives us a record of the Apostle Paul’s defense of the Christian faith in his confrontation of the philosophers at the Areopagus in Athens.

Apologetics has a threefold aim: first, it provides an answer to the critics of the Christian faith; second, it tears down the idols of our culture; and, third, it builds up the church in the truth of the faith. Depending on the context, an apologist may have one of these aims more in mind than the others. However, the apologist aims at all three to varying extents.

Learn more:

1. Ligonier Ministries: Apologetics
2. John Frame: What Is Apologetics?
3. Brett Kunkle: What Is Apologetics?
4. Gavin Ortland: Why Apologetics Needs Beauty 

Related terms:

• classical apologetics
• evidential apologetics
• presuppositional apologetics

Filed under Apologetics

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Sunday Hymn: Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word

Lord, keep us stead­fast in Thy Word;
Curb those who fain by craft and sword
Would wrest the king­dom from Thy Son
And set at naught all He hath done.

Lord Je­sus Christ, Thy pow­er make known,
For Thou art Lord of lords alone;
Defend Thy Christ­en­dom that we
May ev­er­more sing praise to Thee.

O Com­fort­er, of price­less worth,
Send peace and un­ity on earth.
Support us in our fi­nal strife,
And lead us out of death to life.

—Martin Luther