Defense?

I was shocked to discover that no where in the Bible are we commanded to defend the Gospel.

No where.

Wait. Is that right? Aren't we supposed to defend what is most precious to us?

Then I had a thought.

This Gospel speaks for itself. We don't need to defend it. It's flawless. It has no weaknesses.

So why would we feel like we have to defend it?

Because we've bought in to the idea that we need to sell the Gospel.
We've bought in to the idea that we can somehow persuade people to accept the Bible as truth by the power of our words.

We don't need to do that. The Gospel speaks for itself.

Paul says as much in 1 Corinthians 2:4 : "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."

See what I'm saying? This Gospel speaks for itself. The Spirit can speak for itself. It's not our job to try to convince people to accept it. It's not our job to argue with people and defend it when they disagree with it.

It is simply our job to know nothing but Jesus and Him crucified. We are to simply show that and let the Spirit do the rest.

In Acts 5, a man named Gamaliel stands up in a council that is debating over what to do with the apostles. The apostles will not stop healing people and preaching the message of Jesus.

Gamaliel says this: "Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. BUT IF IT IS FROM GOD, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

What is he saying here? He's saying that they should let this Gospel that the apostles are preaching speak for itself. It's very simple: if it's not from God, it will be proved as such. But if it is, it's unstoppable.

Why do we need to defend something that is already unstoppable........?

Our job is not to fight. We are simply to present and let the Spirit do the rest. Let people say what they want. The Gospel is still exploding all over the world.

So let's not try to convince people that they should believe. And let's not fight the people that don't. The apostles didn't. Why should we?

This Gospel speaks for itself.