Apologetics and Apology

 

 

Apologetics and apology:

Don’t mix up the two,

Some treat them as synonyms

According to their view.

 

Alas, they are not;

They are vastly different

And to show this in this poem

Is my intent.

 

One is a defence

Of a biblical doctrine

Like for example an examination

Of universal sin.

 

 

The other is a regret

For something said or done

With the intention in the future

It would be shunned.

 

Apology is the word

Used for either case

But let me hasten to explain,

To scoff, don’t haste.

 

For some are quick

To pass searing judgment

On matters they haven’t research

But stoutly resent.

 

 

Thus, the need to apologize

For poor apologetics

And misleading the uninformed

With an erroneous mix.

 

On the other hand

No apology is required

By any apologist whose position

Is the Word, God-inspired.

 

So, don’t mix the two,

They are clearly distinct,

Be clear in you presentation

Even when succinct.

 

 

Two meanings of apology

But don’t mix up the two,

One could be a poor presentation

Of an unresearched view.

 

 

As an apologist

In the practice of apologetics,

Be wary of so-called apologists

That are up to tricks.

 

 

 

Stand on the Scriptures

And not on apology,

For that which pertains thereto

Touches eternity.

 

Stewart Russell © December 16, 2024

 

Will I?

 

Am I going to make it?

Sometimes I doubt,

There are those who make me feel

I could be left out.

 

They point me to scriptures

That appear to point this out

And I must confess after I read

I still sometimes doubt.

 

God is able, they tell me

And plus, we do have a choice,

We could be obedient to Him

Or ignore His voice.

 

The moment we don’t listen

Could spell disaster for us

And the ravenous wolf

Could snatch us from Jesus.

 

Or, maybe I myself

Could take me out of God’s hand,

At any point I could decide

I am finished with His plan.

 

 

Am I going to make it?

Sometimes I doubt,

There are those who make me feel

I could be left out.

 

But it seems strange to me

That after being rescued

One would abandon his rescuer

To go back to that stew.

 

Picture a drowning person

That is pulled to safety

And dives back into the deluge:

That is insanity.

 

From what are we rescued?

That is the question,

And until we can truly answer it

We will have this problem.

 

Sin is the spiritual terror

From which we are saved

And the transformation that occurs

Dictates how we behave.

 

It is the initial choice we make

When we say yes to Christ

And by faith our born-again miracle

Results from his sacrifice.

 

It can happen only once

Just like in our natural birth,

The second birth is from heaven

The first is of the earth.

 

 

Am I going to make it?

Sometimes I doubt,

There are those who make me feel

I could be left out.

 

But having been born,

That is, having been born of the flesh

I am in this world until I die-

That is, when I am laid to rest.

 

Similarly, having been born again

That is, born of the Spirit,

I am a child of God forever

And in heavenly places I sit.

 

Whenever I am in doubt

I remember who my Father is

And since none can snatch me away

I will always be His.

 

It is very hard to be lost

A very good friend once said

And the friend was referring to someone

That was spiritually dead.

 

The Bible shows it is impossible

To foil God’s redemptive plan

And I know most definitively

None can pluck me from His hand.

 

Stewart Russell © October 9, 2020

 

Loving Shepherd of Thy sheep,

Keep Thy Lamb, in safety keep;

Nothing can Thy power withstand;

None can pluck me from Thy hand.

 

From the hymn:

Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep

Jane Eliza Leeson