The Great White Throne Judgment

From Lesson 1 of the Biblical Framework Series

Charles Clough

Open your Bibles to 1 Peter 3:15, a classic reference to what we call apologetics. Apologetics doesn’t mean you “apologize.” The Greek word is apologia(apologia), the word from which we get the English word apologize, unfortunately. But the original Greek form, here apologian (apologian) had a lot more powerful connotation. That’s the word Peter is using in verse 15 when he says “be ready to give an answer to every person that asks a reason of the hope that is in you.” That word here is translated “give an answer” or in some translations “to make a defense.” So now you can see what apologia means. What it actually refers to is, when you are accused in court, how do you defend yourself? What is your defense against prosecution? ApologiaSo what Peter is saying to normal, everyday Christians is, you’ve got to be ready to make a defense to everyone that asks “a reason of the hope that is in you.” That’s not optional. In other words, it was expected of early Christians that they could give some account of themselves when asked.

Some cautionary statements about verse 15, let’s look at all of verse 15. For many years I concentrated so much on the second part that I forgot the first part. Why would people come with a question? It’s because they see something in your life, or something’s happened. “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, always being ready to make an answer,” and the context of 1 Peter 3 is the context of suffering. People see Christians, and Christians don’t react to suffering the same way that the non-Christian does, so the unbeliever says “How come you handle your life this way? That doesn’t work for me. How do you do it, do you take pills, are you on drugs, what makes you different?” So apologia comes about after there’s been some event, something has happened that causes people to question you about your faith. This is not ramming an answer down somebody’s throat whether they asked for it or not. It’s not being rude, it’s not being impolite, it is just being ready to give an answer. That’s not saying people are going to like the answer you give. We’ll see what happened when Paul tried to give an answer. Jesus gave an answer and they didn’t like that, so we’re not saying people are going to like the answer. We’re not saying people are going to be totally convinced by your defense. All the Scripture is asking us to do is to at least be ready to give some defense of our faith, and take advantage of the opportunities when we’re asked.

That’s for the believer, but apologiais used in the Bible for the non-Christian because the non-Christian comes to a point where he’s going to be challenged, and he’s going to have to come up with an answer. To see the “apology,” or the “apologetic” of the unbeliever, turn to Romans 1:20 where the word is used again. This is a case where the non-Christian is asked to give an answer, except in this case God is the One that asks. Notice what it says toward the end of verse 20, “so that they are without excuse.” That is the word apologia they are without a defense … without a defense in what? When the non-Christian is finally judged, one of his key defenses is going to be, “Well, I never had enough information, God’s existence wasn’t clear enough, how unfair of You, God, to hold me accountable when You never gave me clarity of information, I never knew, I plead ignorance.” That’s apparently the key defense that will be used, the plea of ignorance, innocent ignorance. Paul is saying in Romans 1:20 that because God’s creation inevitably shows His existence, whether people think so or not (the statement here is clear), that all men have sufficient revelation to be held accountable. Use all the arguments you want to! “Gee, Thomas Aquinas’ medieval version of the ontological argument does not convince me!” Too bad! Creation is still there, your heart is still structured the way it is, we still have conscience, and Paul insists that we all have sufficient information, whether we can intellectually construct 100% persuasive arguments or not. So all men are without a defense.

In Romans 2:1 Paul deals with people who are judging, always going around judging other people. These are more the self-righteous people, and even with them Paul says (the Holy Spirit working through him), you are without excuse, you people who go around judging other people. So all men have no defense before the bar of justice at the Great White Throne where Jesus Christ will hold court. There is no apologia at that moment in history, none! Everything is off at that point because we’ll come face to face with a God who knows our heart. He’s not going to be snowed; we can’t use “smoke and mirrors” as the expression goes, to deflect His attentions.

So at the deepest level, if you can structure it like levels, down at the lowest basement level of the pagan mind there is an awareness that God sustains. We’ll say this is the fact that the pagan has God-consciousness. You know why we have to say that? If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be held accountable. What is God going to do at the Great White Throne judgment if somebody argues from ignorance? He’s going to say, “Sorry, I know and you know that you knew I was there, but you turned away from Me, you deliberately put Me aside, it was a conscious choice on your part. Sorry!”