Must I be Presuppositional in my Apologetics to be Calvinistic?
By Jay Wegter
In 1 Corinthians 1, God states that His intent is to destroy the wisdom of the wise and set aside the cleverness of the clever (1 Cor 1:19, 27). When God destroys the world’s wisdom, He does so with cosmic ramifications (in other words the “demonstration” of divine wisdom in the destruction is meant to be witnessed by an angelic audience). His determination to destroy it and how He will destroy it are laid out in 1 Corinthians 1-3.
God’s wisdom is summed up in Christ who is the only source of total, final, absolute wisdom that there is (Col 2:3). The wisdom of God and the power of God are brought together in one person; our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:30). God’s “Two-fold wisdom” in Christ encompasses both the incarnation, and the crucifixion of the God-man at Calvary.
The very axis and of God’s wisdom is “Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). Here is where God’s wisdom finds its whole fulcrum and balance point (1 Cor 1:30). This divine wisdom articulated in the gospel invades the realm of human wisdom (1 Cor 2:2). Human wisdom is a feeble wisdom—God’s wisdom pierces it like a vast pointed wedge of steel brought down upon human wisdom to crush it and to expose its impotence (1 Cor 1:21).
God’s wisdom is infinite wisdom—wisdom that baffles natural reason; wisdom that towers over the human intellect, wisdom that is infinitely above man’s intellectual efforts of history’s greatest thinkers. God’s wisdom is not conceivable to the natural human mind (1 Cor 2:14). The natural man’s incapacity is characterized by the fact that he can’t welcome, receive, or comprehend spiritual things. He “cannot”—he has no power to do so (Grk. dunatai). Spiritual truth is spiritually discerned. The unregenerate man operates by the empirical—he tends to trust what is reasonable to his natural mind—he is not up to the task to discern spiritual truth.
What is vital to our understanding is that God’s wisdom in the cross is scandalous to the natural reason of man. Here is where the antithesis lies; God’s wisdom in the cross is only made understandable to God’s people through the Spirit. The cross overturns the conventional wisdom of the world. God is doing all through the cross. As believers, we are to glory in God and His mercies in Christ alone. Unless Christ is preeminent and central, God’s wisdom is not exalted. Christ is pivotal in God’s wisdom and power.
At the core of Paul’s argument is antithesis—God’s wisdom and man’s wisdom do not mix! Paul always starts with Christ. He always takes his readers and converts back to Christ. This is how he deals with man-centeredness—it is how the Apostle dealt with every problem in the Corinthian church. Whether the issue is immorality (“the body is for the Lord”) (1 Cor 6), or the abuse of the Lord’s Table, (“discern the body of Christ”) (1 Cor 11), or the resurrection (“Christ the first fruits”)(1 Cor 15), Paul runs everything through Christ and Him crucified.
The spirit of the world loves spurious wisdom, but despises the wisdom of God in the cross (1 Cor 2:12). The presuppositional apologist is intimately aware of this because he derives his anthropology (his doctrine of man) from the Holy Scriptures. Man’s cherished opinions and love of autonomy are on a collision course with the wisdom and purposes of God. Divine wisdom overturns conventional human wisdom. To know Christ and Him crucified is the point of beginning in the understanding of God’s whole purpose of creation and redemption. So Paul says this wisdom was foreordained before the ages for our glory (1 Cor 2:7). We who behold the glory are being changed from glory into glory (2 Cor 3:18). God’s wisdom leads to our glory. God’s people are destined for glory, not shame—how this contrasts to the rulers of this age who are destined for shame.
Here is biblical antithesis at work. The rulers of the world are blind, they hate truth; therefore they use human standards of wisdom. Their problem is not a lack of information. Psalm 19 depicts all men swimming in a sea of light—of divine revelation in the creation. Heaping up biblical proofs by means of evidential apologetics doesn’t reach their rebellious conscience and enmity-filled heart and mind of the unbeliever.
States Paul, Christ’s glory, manifested in His obedience unto death, was not recognized by the rulers of this age—they did not recognize Christ as the agent of God’s salvation of man— therefore in their rebellion, they lose their glory (1 Cor 2:8). Through their wisdom they did not come to know God!
Our message is that there is one cross; one wisdom of God—but there are different reactions to God’s message—unbelief or faith (1 Cor 3:1). We have one message—Christ and Him crucified. Our whole lives are to be built upon this one message. God’s wisdom and value system must be our wisdom and value system—for God is doing all through the cross. We are to glory in God and His mercies in Christ alone (1 Cor 2:7).
We must know the importance of biblical antithesis in our evangelism. Because of the antithesis between human and divine wisdom; you can never fully escape the offense of the cross in your evangelism. Rather than stating “You’re wrong!” Instead form questions which employ antithesis between the claims of Scripture and the claims of the unbeliever. Remember, by the world’s wisdom it is impossible to come to know God. There can be no saving knowledge of God until the sinner fears God as He is revealed in Scripture.
Our unsaved friends have accepted naturalistic assumptions and presuppositions about the nature of reality without even questioning these assumptions. The false philosophies of our age have so saturated the media that there is little incentive to live an examined life. The truth of the gospel cannot be successfully accommodated to the relativism characteristic of postmodernism.
Horizontal arguments (debate over facts, proofs, and Christian evidences) are like using a weed-whipper. They may cut down weeds at the surface; but only the Word of God can reach the roots below the soil line.
False worldviews have a satanic origin. Satan’s worldviews always spin off the autonomy lie—namely that the individual may order his life according to the dictates of his own counsel. The autonomy lie is the sentiment of every unbeliever. It is ultimately a lie about freedom, for in an attempt to retain his imagined independence from God the unbeliever seeks “freedom” by doing violence to the knowledge of God (Rom 1:18-21).
The natural man is held in a stranglehold of irrational thinking because of his love of autonomy. By insisting upon a definition of freedom that denies he is made in the image of God, the unbeliever cancels out his ability to know the truth—he becomes a “fool” in the process (Rom 1:22). This vital biblical truth of the human condition is often missing in the thinking of well-meaning apologists who eschew the presuppositional approach.
The autonomy lie flatters the sinner by informing him that he can identify himself apart from his Creator—that is, he can know himself apart from the truth that he is created in the image of God.¹ Evidential apologetics alone can leave the unbeliever’s imagined autonomy untouched. Piling up proofs flatters the depraved intellect of the unbeliever who ever imagines that he or she is the final arbiter of truth.
Central to the doctrine of man created in the image of God is man’s responsibility to be a truthful and faithful interpreter of the works of God’s hands (Ps 145). No one interprets the works of God’s hands in an accurate manner unless he or she acknowledges that his faculties of reason were given by the Creator in order to receive divine revelation.
When man falsely assumes that his powers of reason are trustworthy when used autonomously from God, he will necessarily distort knowledge. Inherent to this distortion of knowledge are speculations about reality which war against biblical theism (Rom 1:18-20). This is clearly illustrated in the unbeliever’s preferred worldview, or interpretive framework of life. In order to retain his imagined autonomy, the natural man “needs” a reality greater than God. By a reality greater than God we mean that the non believer chooses a worldview or framework which shrinks God to a blank, pantheistic figure whose existence is but a part of the creation.²
It is important to our evangelistic endeavor that we understand the intellectual rebellion described above—for it is generated by the autonomy lie. By virtue of the fact that the natural man judges God and His infallible Word, he is demonstrating both his preference for the lie and his hatred of God (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21).
Our part in utilizing biblical antithesis in evangelism is to point out to the unbeliever from Scripture that his penchant for distorting the truth flows not from rationality, but from his demand to live by his own desires rather than by God’s truth.³
Pressing the biblical antithesis between God’s truth and the lie plays a critical part in the conviction of sin. By incorporating antithesis in evangelism we bring the truth to bear on the conscience of the unbeliever. This is vital because the debate is not merely one opinion against another—it is God’s indictment of the unbeliever’s willful ignorance of God. The non believer is guilty in God’s sight for what he does to the truth.⁴ Biblical antithesis brings that guilt to light.
If we avoid antithesis and acquiesce to neutrality, it assumes that the unbeliever needs only “religious information” rather than conviction of sin. But, by utilizing biblical antithesis we are following the example of the Apostles and our Lord, for antithesis emphasizes that truth is an ethical issue (Jn 3:19-21). Antithesis has the power to bring the issue of truth to weigh upon the conscience because it contrasts the self-attesting Word of God with the rebellious presuppositions held by the non-believer.⁵
In the course of effective evangelism, we steer the conversation to a point at which there is an irreconcilable clash between sources of authority. The unbeliever’s stubborn adherence to self as the final point of reference must be challenged, or he will continue to spew objections to the gospel. Remember, our witness is aimed at repentance. The Christian apologist must be ever aware that sinners will not be satisfied with the answers we give until they give up their rebellion against God.⁶
The unbeliever’s rebellion against God is manifested by the fact that SELF is his non-negotiable starting point and controlling presupposition. We won’t reach the entrenched rebellion of self and self love by means of proofs, evidences, and probability arguments. A consistent Calvinist will not abandon his understanding of total depravity when he labors in apologetics. Presuppositional apologetics in practice demonstrates that we understand that the natural man has no fixed point of reference outside of self. We must employ biblical antithesis by contrasting the sinner’s point of reference to the authority of God’s Word. Without antithesis, the sinner’s controlling presupposition remains uncontested. We must challenge the sinner’s ultimate reference point as opposition to God. Rather than stating “You’re wrong!” when dealing with the false presuppositions of the unbeliever, we may form questions which employ antithesis between the claims of Scripture and the claims of the unbeliever.
Antithesis exposes a person’s resistance to Christ’s lordship. Christ is not just Lord in the religious sphere—He is Lord of all knowledge. He is Lord of all certainty of knowledge—He is “epistemic Lord.” Christ’s authority is absolute—it overturns every false worldview (Col 2:8). Our patience and gentleness in our witness is informed by the fact that people lack certainty about truth because they lack submission to God’s authority. Jesus made it clear. Unless a person is willing to do the will of the Father, he will live in perpetual doubt regarding the claims of Christ (Jn 7:17).
Without this humbling convicting stage, our evangelistic efforts are like painting over the barnacles on the rotten hull of a ship. The polluted condition of the heart must come to light before the remedy of the gospel will ever be embraced. By utilizing biblical antithesis in our witness we are able to show that the assumptions of the unbeliever are on trial in God’s court. To put it bluntly, the Creator never leaves the sinner’s assumed autonomy in tact. Throughout Scripture God declares that His Word is a fixed immovable point of reference that stands in antithesis to self. Self reliance, the world’s approach to knowledge, is condemned by God as folly (Prov 1:7; 3:5; Jer 17:5).
The unbeliever’s problem is not that he has no idea who God is. His problem is that he does not like who God is, therefore he rejects divine wisdom. This is the cause of the non believer’s rash speculations about reality. The sinner’s intellectual problem is produced by his moral condition.⁷ The faithful Christian apologist is mindful that, to a large extent, we take to the unbeliever what he already knows, but seeks to suppress—the knowledge of God (Rom 1:19-20). The sinner needs conviction more than he needs proofs.
What the unbeliever thinks about himself and what God says about the unbeliever must be put into bold contrast. The reason why is because the sinner still imagines that the answer to his spiritual dilemma is still in his own hands.
Because there are only two philosophies of absolute truth, the Word of God demands antithesis. There are but two philosophies about absolute truth: the Word of God or self. These two philosophies are irreconcilable and mutually exclusive. That is why antithesis is needed. Without a clash between these worldviews the sinner’s autonomous reason is not put on trial. God’s claims as Creator must be brought to bear on the sinner’s conscience (Jn 16:8-11; Gal 3:22).
When I teach evangelism, I frequently draw a map of the United States on the board. It is obvious that in order for a map to benefit us in our travels, we must locate our present position on the map. I’m reminded of the humorous story of the Maine farmer who is asked by a wayward motorist, “Do you know how to get to Bangor?” The farmer answers, “Sure do, but I wouldn’t recommend trying to get there from here.” The point is we have no other option in reaching our destination than beginning at our present location. We have to pinpoint our location if we are to navigate by the map. Yet this seems to be lost upon some well meaning believers who practice personal evangelism. The unbeliever must be clearly shown his exact “location” in reference to Christ and the gospel.
The book of Romans is the most comprehensive treatise on salvation in the Bible. When teaching evangelism, I call the book of Romans God’s “map” to eternal life. When I share the gospel from Romans with a person who is unsaved, I take as much time as necessary to show the unbeliever his present “position” on the “map.” I take him to the passages that deal with sin and unbelief. Before he can be moved to the part of the “map” on redemption, the unbeliever must whole-heartedly agree that the divine “GPS” has located him in the portion of the “map” that deals with falling short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).
This seems obvious, but it is often bypassed. When God saves the sinner, He finds the lost person in a state of rebellion and pollution. That’s where God locates him—that is the sinner’s “position” on the “map.” God’s Word is the locator that uncovers the sinner’s position and condition. Our aim as faithful Christian apologists is not to use biblical antithesis to “outlogic” the unbeliever. The goal of using the biblical antithesis which parallels presuppositional apologetics is to confront the unbeliever’s preference for ignorance and rebellion in his worldview. Because, contained in the sinner’s erroneous worldview is enmity against the rightful rule and authority of God. The hostile condition of the heart is brought to light by means of biblical antithesis.
Only the biblical model of antithesis modeled by the Apostle Paul does justice to the mutually exclusive worldviews of God and self. The truth of the gospel cannot be successfully accommodated to the relativism characteristic of postmodernism. By the world’s wisdom it is impossible to come to know God. There can be no saving knowledge of God until the sinner fears God as He is revealed in Scripture.
Greg Bahnsen offers compelling reasons for the use of biblical antithesis. “Without the ingredient of antithesis, Christianity is not simply anemic; it has altogether forfeited its challenge to all other worldviews.”⁸ “[I]f we are true to the antithetical nature of Christianity, we must engage in a presuppositional challenge to unbelievers to show them that in terms of their worldview they cannot make sense of logic, facts, meaning, value, ethics, or human significance.”⁹ “[W]e must openly challenge the apostate philosophic constructions of men by which they seek to suppress the truth about God, themselves, and the world.”¹⁰
Endnotes:
1 Cornelius VanTil, The Defense of the Faith (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 1955) 84. 2 Ibid. pp. 173, 196. 3 Os Guinness, Time for Truth, from Christian Book Summaries (vol.1, no. 15, Apr. 2000) 6, 7. 4 Greg Bahnsen, Always Ready (Atlanta, GA: American Vision, 1996) 157-159. 5 Michael Kruger, “The Sufficiency of Scripture in Apologetics” The Master’s Seminary Journal, 12:1 (Spring 2001): 72. 6 Thom Notaro, Van Til and Evidences (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 1980) 40. 7 John Frame, Apologetics to the Glory of God (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1994) 232. 8 Greg Bahnsen, “At War with the Word: The Necessity of Biblical Antithesis, www.reformed.org (2001) 1. 9 Ibid. p. 16. 10 Ibid. p. 18.