Two types of religions exist. Those that evangelize and those who do not. An example of both would be Christians and Jews. The Jews are not evangelistic, believing that they are Jewish by lineage. While proselytes exist for Judaism, they are not actively sought out. After conversion they are restricted in who they can marry, and the specific roles they can hold in the Jewish community. Christians actively evangelize, seeking to save the “lost,” or those who are not following Christ. They preach and teach with the goal of changing a person’s life and thinking, to become Christian.
I once knew a man who would have considered the previous information irrelevant to him. If I had gone on to say that Muslims, like Christians, are also evangelistic, he might have stopped reading and dismissed the article as unrelated to his personal salvation. And that is true — he does not need to know anything about the Muslim faith in order to be saved. But as Christians, we do have a mission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a).
We go out into the world making disciples of all nations; however, there is an important fact to remember: “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you” (1 John 3:13).
Since we go out into the world which will war against us, we put on the armor of God. Paul wrote, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:11-12).
The following verses tell us of many defensive armaments such as the belt, breastplate, shoes, a shield, and a helmet. These are often our apologetics against the people who would destroy our efforts. Apologetics are when we are defending our faith against the attacks of others using Scripture. We “do our best to present [ourselves] to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). We go out and speak with people, handling their objections and trying to convince them to be a Christian based on an established knowledge of God in our country, and a common faith which needs to be strengthened.
For those who are strong in the faith — not babes in Christ who may be swayed by false doctrine — it is good to understand other religions so that one can engage in polemics. By polemics, I mean an aggressive engagement with another person’s religious beliefs in an effort to expose the error of falsehood; it is the opposite of apologetics. When speaking with a Muslim, for example, one may encounter aggressive attempts to defend and advance Islam against the one trying to evangelize. To use polemics well is to know that religion well enough to show, for instance, that Muhammad was not a prophet, the Quran was not the delivered Word of God, and Jesus was not a Muslim. From there, an honest heart will seek the truth.
The final piece of the armor of God stated in Ephesians 6:17 is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” With any weapon, to “rightly handle” it means to wield it effectively. Any fighter will tell you that an important way to win a fight is to study your enemy and identify their weaknesses. A boxer, for example, looks for the weakness in the stance of his opponent. He delivers blows to knock his opponent off balance, and when the opponent’s left hand drops, a mighty right hook can end the match. He may be able to cadence a punching bag and measure his blows very well, knowing his art on one side, but without being able to study his opponent and knowing how to go on the attack, he simply continues to take blows until the match is lost. Polemics are the attack of the sword, wounding and killing the enemies of Christ in the mind.
Do not fear. Many rejected the apostles and many more rejected Jesus Himself. There will be times when you fail too. You will question what you could have done better. Do not be discouraged. Study and become more knowledgeable and stronger in your own faith, and study and become more knowledgeable in what others believe. You want to guide others to Christ not from a wood you do not know, guessing at which path will lead you out, but from one you have studied well — one whose maps you know and whose trees you recognize, even though it is not your home. God will guide you with your faith just as He encouraged the apostles with their great commission: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b).
Lance Byers