If you been a Christian for any time you would have heard of 2 Timothy 4:2:
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction.
I think if one reads the context there’s apologetics implications to being ready in season and out of season.
Notice what the next verse in 2 Timothy 4:3=
For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires,
Notice the context of a man of God doing ministry that include correcting is the fact that there will be the reality of false teachings.
And apologetics, as a discipline of defending the faith, will be involved with responding to false doctrines.
I think there’s some application from this.
- If one is going to be ready in season and out of season to correct false teaching, that means Christians should study ahead of time.
- What should one study? the Bible and its contents. One would be greatly help with reading and being familiar with books on the Bible such as Systematic Theology, historical theology, Biblical Theology, Exegesis, etc.
- Also one should consider the help that comes from books that refute false doctrines.
- There’s a lot of books out there and not enough time to read them all; so try to read the best. This blog tries to review and recommend good resources.
- If one is going to be ready in season and out of season to correct false teaching, that means Christians should work on the skill of correcting others.
- I find it helpful reading resources on biblical counseling of how to correct others. It might not be apologetics but it helps me with my pastoring when I engage issues that has apologetics dimension.
- Also whenever you can look at other pastors and how they interact and correct others; I feel somethings are caught rather than taught.
- If one is going to be ready in season and out of season to correct false teaching, that means Christians should warn people even before there are emergencies of someone being persuaded by false teachings. I think a Christian should have the regular diet of the Word of God taught expositionally but there are times that its appropriate to have series teaching on apologetics, worldview, ethics, counter-cults, response to false teachings, etc.
- Sometimes those who engage in apologetics can be discouraged because of people’s negative response; but if one read the context with 2 Timothy 4:3-5 notice this is not surprising to Paul; so we should let us not be discouraged as if it is something new and shocking. Secondly notice Paul’s encouragement to continue to still do the work of ministry.
Anen 🙏 Very well said. And we also thank you for the insight you share about books to help us and teach us.
Be Blessed and Continue to be a Blessing.
Thank you for reading this brother! I appreciate it. I also appreciate your comment!
I never would have thought of pursuing biblical counseling as a background for apologetics. But I see how it is certainly helpful.
I’m so fascinated with how different disciplines help other disciplines!! For example over the years the way I teach systematic theology has been more conscious about biblical theology in presenting how doctrines unFord in the Scriptures. Is it not fascinating that various disciplines and field have implication for other fields and disciplines?
Yes, indeed! As I tried to really comprehend how to interpret the perfect (and pluperfect) tense-form, I learned about aspect (and how it differs from aktionsart), which led me to linguistics (and discourse analysis) and how that discipline can inform biblical exegesis, which, in my view, immensely assists in proper exegesis.
Dr Moore would be loving what you are saying, Craig!!!
Amen and amen and amen! As a BT/OT girl, this does the heart good!
Aww. Amen! I appreciate your insight with the OT and Biblical Theology!!!
[…] The Apologetics Implication of Being Ready In Season and Out of Season […]
Thank you!
Never thought of the Verse and apologetics before
Good job
Thanks for reading this
Thanks for a very important message!
I find that listening to a good debate is also helpful. This morning I heard Ken Ham debating Bill Nye on the topic of origins (Creation vs. darwinian evolution). Good stuff.
True good debate is also helpful! Grateful to hear you are learning! God bless you
Good point:
“What should one study? the Bible and its contents.”
Amen to that brother Frank!!
Thanks for this good outline! It can’t be stated enough. Evangelicals are increasingly willing to tolerate and embrace false teachers with their false gospels as we’ve discussed many times in the past.
You are right about the tolerance of false teachings these days, I’m behind on some things and got around to hearing the audio for the round and will remove one link…how goes your day?
Doing well, thanks! Our new dog is keeping me hopping!
How did your Thursday go?
Always start here…“What should one study? the Bible and its contents.” Amen and Amen! 🙂
Amen to that sister thanks for reading and commenting on this post!!!
Excellent brother! This is it: “notice Paul’s encouragement to continue to still do the work of ministry.” There needs to be a balance in favor of teaching the truth vs. continuously shouting at others about error.
Blessings.
Amen there’s a need for that balance, amen!
I hope it’s ok if I process out loud here! So, with my Apologetics assignment, I focused on this verse as much as 1 Peter 3:15. What I keep thinking about is how Christians in order to be prepared and ready both in and out of season means they need to be aware of what is happening in culture at large. I am finding Christians in my area want to shrink back and just separate from the world. I do get that, but to do ministry we need to be willing to meet people where they are at. This doesn’t mean we conform or get sucked into culture, we just need to be aware. It grieves me when Christians are ignorant, naive and blind to what is happening in the world. I have said SO many times lately, what we are seeing in the world is unbelieving people acting in the only manner they can, which is hostile and antichrist. Therefore we need not be afraid of what is happening, but recognize again the battle isn’t with flesh and blood. Thank you for this post Jimmy and I hope my comment makes sense! The Word of God is the only way we can be prepared and ready at all times and places. The Bible helps us know where and who were and where all of human history is headed. May the Lord continue to use you, your ministry and your family to draw more people to Himself!!!!
I agree with you sister! We can’t retreat! We can’t be thinking the solution is just isolation! We gotta witness and be informed and give good refutations and responses to and. yet be biblical in our worldview and how we communicate the truth! I do see the desire to retreat by many Christians today…wow I’m not the only one who sees this!!!
Great post. What has helped me alot during the years is to stop trusting in my feelings. And surprisingly, also to stop trusting in logic (atleast human logic). Forgiveness sometimes is not logical, but we must perform it. Defending the faith may not seem like something we feel like doing, or perhaps the circumstances make seem “illogical”. But God never calls us to perform things based on feeling or logic, but out of obedience, which is the expression of our love for him. Blessings.
Would mean alot if yall give my blog a read and Follow@ http://www.christiantalkwithgeorgiosmitrakos.wordpress.com
Amen! Thanks for reading this! Going to check out your post right now Georgios (I’m assuming that is your name?)!!!
Haha yes have a blessed say. 🙏
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[…] The Apologetics Implication of Being Ready In Season and Out of Season […]
Thanks for sharing this
Pastor Jim, I have found this post encouraging and very helpful. (I’ve read through it twice.) It is very hard to always be the one who informs the pastor about false teaching in our church. He either delegates the matter to someone else or disagrees with me. For example, The Chosen used as a Sunday School class, Bible teaching by unbeliever Amy-Jill Levine, and contemplative prayer teaching. Someone in leadership once said to me, “We have to pick our battles.” I thank you for your encouragement and support for those of us who think the truth matters. God bless you today!
Wow that is soooo concerning. Can I pray for this situation you are dealing with?
Yes, please. I have been a member of this church for about 20 years. Please pray that God will show me if I’m supposed to find another church. And if He does, WHAT church? I have never heard the pastor preach anything false from the pulpit. The women’s Bible study is where I find the most problems. (I don’t even attend them anymore.) They mostly consist of reading somebody’s book. I have prayed many times about leaving, but God often speaks to my heart in the Sunday Sermon. The pastor is young and this is his first position as a senior pastor. I don’t feel that God is sending me to another church because I wouldn’t have a clue where to go. Thank you for offering to pray for me. I suppose God has me there for a purpose, but I don’t enjoy pointing out errors! In fact, it causes me anxiety. Blessings, Pastor Jim!