On the surface, exegesis and apologetics may seem like two unalike disciplines of Christian studies, but they have more in common than it may appear. After all, exegesis entails the interpretive approach of “ extracting from” the text and apologetics deals with the idea of providing a written or oral defense of the Christian faith. Yet, these two concepts converge in a way that I think many Christian’s don’t realize. Without sound exegesis, our apologetics will suffer, leading to Christians being exposed in society as “inconsistent and irrational” people. Both concepts hinge on the Christ-follower being thoroughly faithful and having a firm commitment to integrity.
When a Christian regularly shares his faith and therefore defends it against opposing worldviews, he will often find flaws in his interlocutor’s logic, reasoning, exegesis, epistemology,1 and general morality—ultimately, errors in the opposition’s worldview defense. That should not be the case with the Christian because doing so betrays the character of Christ. This is especially true for poor exegesis. For example, a Christian with a poor approach to Scriptural interpretation (exegesis), an approach that allows for loose, arbitrary interpretation of the text, may find that their interpretive methods are more closely aligned with those in theological error—like Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter Day Saints, Islam, or Hebrew Israelites—than they do with orthodox Christianity. Instead, Christian disciples should use the tools of exegesis and apologetics with an unrelenting integrity that will speak volumes to a lost world.
Additionally, exegetical and apologetic faithfulness reveals virtuous Christian character. Rather than expressing biblical truths in a way that is most expedient for the Christian, the faithful exegete will express precisely what a text means and not conveniently omit or inject it with ideas that are foreign to that particular text. This is integrity, and it’s critical in both apologetics and exegesis. The apologist must have integrity so that he doesn’t misrepresent the claims of another religion or worldview in favor of straw man2 arguments. The exegete must have integrity to avoid sloppy, convoluted interpretations that sound good or serve his own purposes rather than what God communicated through the various inspired authors of Scripture.
In the end, my goal is to call all readers to a greater level of faithfulness—faithfulness in Bible interpretation and faithfulness in arguments defending the Bible. The reason is simple: integrity is critical for Christians, even if it’s becoming less valued by others. We should be so trustworthy with the word of God, that people know—with absolute clarity—what we believe, why we believe it, and with a clearly communicated framework of biblical exegesis. Moreover, when we don’t know—that is, we lack knowledge on a biblical text or when a particular text is silent on a matter—we don’t import our own ideas and machinations in an effort to win arguments or sound extra spiritual. Anyone who’s been in these “ministry streets” for a while knows this; they know what they’re up against when engaging opposing religions and worldviews. Let us remember the appeal that Paul made to the Corinthians: “for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man” (2 Cor. 8:21).