Christ the King College

Magsaysay Blvd., Calbayog City, Western Samar, 6710

COLLEGE OF LAW
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APOLOGETICS 1
First Semester: A.Y. 2023-2024, Classwork # 1

DISCLAIMER: “To Non-Catholics, be reminded that this discipline is in

harmony on the matter of the course requirements; and not to swerve or
dispute your own religious belief and your Church teachings.”

Instruction: Respond the underneath questions or faith issues to the utmost

intellect as God’s faithful and apologist.
1. What is the goal of Apologetics?
Answer: The goal of apologetics is to strengthen the faith of Christians and to
attract others to the gospel.
2. What is your comprehension about Catholic Apologetics? Give some of its
obstacles and explain each.
Answer: “Apologetics” is derived from the Greek root word apologia. In
ancient Greece it referred to a formal defense of a belief, an explanation or
argument for one’s philosophy or religion. The word occurs several times in the
New Testament, including sections of the Gospels, seeking to persuade unbelievers
of the truth claims of the Church, especially the unique nature of the person and
work of Jesus Christ.
Answer:
Obstacles to God
Obstacles abound for unbelievers as well. “How can I believe in God,” they may
object, “when there is so much evil in the world?”i No matter how many good
arguments you present, they won’t be open to God’s existence until you deal with
this first.
Others think that science is an obstacle to belief in God—that in order to be
intellectually responsible they must reject God and embrace science. According to
a 2011 study, this obstacle ranked third in a list of reasons why fifty-nine percent
of young adult Christians disconnected themselves from church life after the age
fifteen.ii
Obstacles to Jesus
People who don’t consider themselves atheists but are skeptical about Jesus face
their own roadblocks to faith. For example, many can’t get past the suspicion that
Jesus wasn’t a real historical person. Or that if he did exist, we don’t know much
about him because the Gospels aren’t trustworthy sources of information about his
life.
In the words of the late Christopher Hitchens and H.L. Mencken, “The New
Testament is itself a highly dubious source,”iii and “a helter-skelter accumulation
of more or less discordant documents.”iv Why believe in Jesus if we cannot be
certain that he ever claimed to be God, or that he rose from the dead to vindicate
those claims?
Obstacles to Christianity
Unbelievers also have a problem with Christianity in general. They presume that
Christian faith is blind faith—belief without reasonable evidence—and that’s
enough for them to discount it completely. Atheist Richard Dawkins writes, “Faith,
being belief that isn’t based on evidence, is the principal vice of any religion.”v
Unbelievers are also repulsed by the idea that many Christians are hypocrites, or
that religion does nothing but cause violence.
Obstacles to the Catholic Church
Unbelievers have their own beefs with the Catholic Church, different from those of
Protestants(though sometimes they overlap). They may be turned off by the
Church’s opposition to abortion and so-called same-sex marriage. “How can the
Catholic Church be Christian,” so the argument goes, “when it doesn’t even
respect the fundamental right of women to choose or of people to marry whom
they love?”vi
Others can’t look past what they perceive as superstition in Catholic piety, or
Church rules, rituals, scandals, and wealth. For some people, many or all of these
obstacles are present, adding up to a mountain so big that no way to the Lord can
be seen over it.
Obstacles to Truth
Sometimes people face an obstacle even more fundamental: the very reality of
objective truth. They may say, “How can I believe in truth when so many people
believe different things?” or “How can I believe in truth when it’s intolerant to tell
someone he’s wrong?” A 2017 study identified this doubt in objective truth as a
major reason why Millennials are abandoning God and Christianity.vii
As Allan Bloom, in his influential work The Closing of the American
Mind,observed, “There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost
every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is
relative.”viii
Some unbelievers go so far as even to doubt the trustworthiness of their senses, and
thus doubt whether we can know that truth exists. (As one of my college
classmates once asked me, “How do you know we’re not in the Matrix?” Not
having any philosophical training at the time, I could only respond, “You’d know
if I punched you in the mouth right now.”)
Even if a person does acknowledge the existence of truth, often it is only what he
considers scientific truth to the exclusion of religious truth. Like Dawkins, he
believes that religious truth is purely subjective and “a betrayal of the intellect.”ix
He will probably not be very receptive to the gospel unless you prepare the way of
truth first.

3. Why Catholic do or make the sign of the cross? Give at least five (5) reasons or
catholic Church teachings on the former.
Answer: Catholics often make the Sign of the Cross casually, just as a nice
gesture for beginning and ending their prayers. But when we learn to take this act
seriously, signing ourselves frequently with faith and reverence, remarkable results
can take place. We find ourselves doing measurably better in our Christian life:
praying with more passion, resisting our bad inclinations more effectively, and
relating to others more kindly.
Answer: 5 reasons about The Sign of the Cross
 a. A mini-creed.
The Sign of the Cross is a profession of faith in God as He has revealed himself. It
serves as an abbreviated form of the Apostles’ Creed.
Touching our forehead, breast and shoulders (and in some cultures, our lips as
well), we declare our belief in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are announcing
our faith in what God has done — the creation of all things, the redemption of
humanity from sin and death, and the establishment of the Church, which offers
new life to all. When we sign ourselves we are making ourselves aware of God’s
presence and opening ourselves to His action in our lives.
That much alone would be enough to transform us spiritually, wouldn’t it? But
there is much, much more.
b. A renewal of baptism.
First-century Christians began making the Sign of the Cross as a reminder and
renewal of what happened to them when they were baptized. It still works the same
way for us.
When we sign ourselves we are declaring that in baptism we died sacramentally
with Christ on the cross and rose to a new life with Him (see Rom 6:3-4 and Gal
2:20). We are asking the Lord to renew in us those baptismal graces.
We are also acknowledging that baptism joined us to the Body of Christ and
equipped us for our role of collaborating with the Lord in His work of rescuing all
people from sin and death.
c. A mark of discipleship.
At baptism the Lord claimed us as His own by marking us with the Sign of the
Cross. Now, when we sign ourselves, we are affirming our loyalty to Him. By
tracing the cross on our bodies, we are denying that we belong to ourselves and
declaring that we belong to Him alone (see Lk 9:23).
The Church Fathers used the same word for the Sign of the Cross that the ancient
world employed to indicate ownership. The same word named a shepherd’s brand
on his sheep, a general’s tattoo on his soldiers, a householder’s mark on his
servants, and the Lord’s mark on His disciples.
Signing ourselves recognizes that we are Christ’s sheep and can count on His care;
His soldiers, commissioned to work with Him in advancing His kingdom on earth;
and His servants, dedicated to doing whatever He tells us.
d. An acceptance of suffering.
Jesus promised us that suffering would be a normal part of a disciple’s life (see Lk
9:23-24). So when we mark our bodies with the sign, we are embracing whatever
pain comes as a consequence of our faith in Christ. Making the sign is our taking
up the cross and following Him (Lk 9:23).
At the same time, however, it comforts us with the realization that Jesus, who
endured the Crucifixion for us, now joins us in our suffering and supports us.
Signing ourselves also announces another significant truth: with St. Paul, we are
celebrating that our afflictions as members of the body of Christ contribute to the
Lord’s saving work of perfecting the Church in holiness (see Col 1:24).
e. A two-edged move against the devil.
When the devil watched Jesus die on the cross, he mistakenly believed he had won
a great victory. Instead, the Lord surprised him with an ignominious defeat (see 1
Cor 2:8). From the first Easter morning through the present, the Sign of the Cross
makes the devil cower and flee.
On one level, then, making the sign is a defensive move, declaring our inviolability
to the devil’s influence. But, more importantly, the sign is also an offensive
weapon, helping us reclaim with Christ all that Satan lost at the cross. It announces
our cooperation with Jesus in the indomitable advance of the kingdom of God
against the kingdom of darkness.

4. What comes into your mind when you hear the word "Faith”? And elucidate the
teaching of the Catholic Church through the Catechism of the Catholic Church
regarding "Faith".
Answer: Faith is a spiritual force. It is not a natural force: Faith is not found
through reason, it is not a product of the mind. It is a product of the newborn
human spirit.
Jesus said it so clearly in John 3:3 “Truly, Truly I tell you no one can see the
Kingdom of God unless they are born again.” According to Jesus everyone has two
births – our natural birth and our spiritual rebirth. The first one determines when
you are born on this earth, and the second birth determines where you will spend
eternity.
Scripture says we are spirit beings, that man is a spirit and soul that lives in a body.
1Thessalonians 5:23 “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through
and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Biblical faith comes from our newborn human spirit. It is not a product of our
mind. It is what the bible calls a Spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13) “It is written:
‘I believed, therefore I have spoken.’ Since we have that same spirit of faith, we
also believe and therefore speak.”
What is a spirit of faith? It’s believing with your heart and spirit, and then speaking
and declaring it. Christian faith is not a mental evaluation which leads to agreeing.
Faith is a spiritual force that grows and develops in our born again spirit and in our
heart as we come into agreement with God’s word.
Jesus said his word is life (John 6:63) “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for
nothing. The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life.”
Roman 10:17 “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard
through the word about Christ.”
God’s word has the ability to produce a spiritual force in our hearts called faith. As
we hear the word, faith is developing inside of us, and as we speak it out it
becomes a rhema word to us. In Greek, rhema means “a spoken word.” So the
word of God that is spoken in faith becomes a rhema word. It becomes a spiritual
force!
We are born again by speaking it out!
Roman 10:9-10 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in
your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your
heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess
your faith and are saved.”
By declaring Jesus as your Lord, a spiritual force was released and faith was
produced in your heart as your spirit came alive. You should continue to speak his
name, and as you say the name of Jesus faith will rise up and capture your soul.
The natural and the spiritual must function together. We have a threefold nature
which is made up of the spirit, the soul (made up of your mind, will, and emotions)
and the body! These must work together.
That is why if you are believing for healing and speaking out God’s word and
declaring his promises over your life, but in the next breath are speaking words
charged with doubt, it will cancel out the spiritual force that was released through
God’s word.
Mountain moving faith is in every born again child of God.
Mathew 17:20 Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard
seed, you can say to this mountain “Move from here to there,” and it will move.
Nothing will be impossible for you.”
The moment you were born again, faith came to reside in you, getting it to align
with your soul (your mind, will, and emotions), and your body. That happens as
you speak it out.
Notice it says speak to that mountain!
Faith is truly a spiritual force, faith that is the size of a mustard seed – it will move
those mountains! It will move it out of the way – that mountain of sickness, that
mountain of depression, that mountain of anxiety, that mountain of debt.
Today is the day we can move out and take what is ours by faith. It’s important we
remember…
Faith is a spiritual force, it is not a natural force. Faith is not found through reason,
it is not a product of the mind. It is a product of the newborn human spirit.

5. The Catholic Church teaches that salvation comes from Christ the Head through
the Church which is His body. The Church Fathers often repeated and articulated
that “Outside the Church there is no salvation” and this was affirmed by the
Catholic Church. Do you believe that eternal salvation would not be accessible or
achieved to those who do not know Christ and His Church? What is your faith grip
on the teaching of the Church and Church Fathers, “Outside the Church there is no
salvation”? Vividly enunciate your response.
Answer: Yes, I believe that eternal salvation comes from Christ the head
through the church which is his body.
 Answer: The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the phrase,
"Outside the Church there is no salvation", means, if put in positive terms, that "all
salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body", and
it "is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and
his Church". Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through
no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel to that faith without which it is
impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred
right to evangelize all men".
The Church has also declared that "she is joined in many ways to the baptized who
are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its
entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter",
and that "those who have not yet received the Gospel are related to the People of
God in various ways"

6. Is the teaching of the Catholics Church that “Outside the Church there is no
salvation” controverts the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ? What is the teaching
of the Lord Jesus Christ on how can we be saved/ have eternal life? Broadly
illuminate your retort.
Answer: It must be firmly believed that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth,
is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation;
he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted
the necessity of faith and baptism (cf. Mk 16:16; Jn 3:5), and thereby affirmed at
the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through baptism as
through a door. It then adds that "for those who are not formally and visibly
members of the Church, salvation in Christ is accessible by virtue of a grace
which, while having a mysterious relationship to the Church, does not make them
formally part of the Church, but enlightens them in a way which is accommodated
to their spiritual and material situation. This grace comes from Christ; it is [...]
communicated by the Holy Spirit; it has a relationship with the Church, which,
according to the plan of the Father, has her origin in the mission of the Son and the
Holy Spirit"
7. Many religions invoke God as “Father.” The deity is often considered the
“Father of gods and of men.” In Israel, God is called the “Father” inasmuch as he
is Creator of the world. What are the two main things in the language of Christian
faith this calling indicates according to the teaching of the Church? And from your
natural light of reason guided by your faith, is God as “Father” dictates he is man
and not a woman? Explain your responses with unpretentious faith.
Answer: God is our Father not only in that he is our Creator but that he is
also our Redeemer; this is what distinguishes the Christian’s relationship to God
and what allows us to relate to him as Father.
Answer: In the Old Testament, God is the Father of Israel (and Israel is his
son) in the context of God forgiving and redeeming Israel. While the Jews of
Jesus’s day were hesitant to call God their Father (and angry at Jesus for doing so),
Jesus claimed God as his Father and taught his followers to do the same. God is the
Father and is also the Son, whom the Father sent to carry out his plan of
redemption. What distinguishes the Son from the Father is not the quality of his
being, which is just as divine as the Father’s is, but the functioning of their
relationship, according to which the Son had come into the world to do the Father’s
will. We relate to God as Father, therefore, through Jesus the Son, sharing in his
sonship through the adoption we receive through Christ’s redeeming work for us.
Christians today take it for granted that God is our Father, but few people stop to
think what this name really means. We know that Jesus taught his disciples to pray
“Our Father” and that the Aramaic word Abba (“Father”) is one of the few that
Jesus used and that it has remained untranslated in our New Testament. Nowadays,
hardly anybody finds this strange and many people are surprised to discover that
the Jews of Jesus’s day, and even his own disciples, were puzzled by his teaching.
This is because the deeper meaning and the wider implications of the term “Father”
are largely unknown today. So widespread and generally accepted has the name
become that we no longer question it, and so we often fail to realize how important
it is for our understanding of God.
Answer: The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states, in reference
to the Father: "God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. He is
neither man nor woman: He is God." The CCC discusses the traditional imagery
and language of God as Father. It notes, however, that God is not limited to this
role alone—maternal imagery are also used in the Bible. It also notes that human
fatherhood only imperfectly reflects God's archetypal fatherhood. God is referred
to as masculine in Catholic teaching and practice.
Though Church teaching, in line with its Doctors, holds that God has no literal sex
because God possesses no body but is referred to as a male in the bible.
8. One of the most distinctive types of artwork to be found in the Catholic Church
is the statue. To some or non-Catholics this appears to contradict the Word of God,
who said, “Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord
your God” (Leviticus 19:4). Do Catholic worship statues? Enunciate your
comprehensive response.

Answer: This topic was a controversial one in the early Church, requiring a
council to settle the issue when some in the Church sought to destroy all images
(not just statues). They believed any image of God was against God’s laws and a
form of idolatry.

With this in mind “the seventh ecumenical council at Nicaea (787) justified … the
veneration of icons — of Christ, but also of the Mother of God, the angels, and all
the saints. By becoming incarnate, the Son of God introduced a new ‘economy’ of
images” (CCC 2131). The Church has since taught that the, “Christian veneration
of images is not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols. Indeed,
‘the honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype,’ and ‘whoever venerates
an image venerates the person portrayed in it.’ The honor paid to sacred images is
a ‘respectful veneration,’ not the adoration due to God alone”

The main difference between pagans who worship idols and Christians who
venerate statues lies in the intention of the person. Christians who pray before
statues do so to honor God or the saints, praying to the person “behind” the image
rather than the image itself. A Christian is not bound to the statue. If the statue is
destroyed, a Christian’s faith does not waver or cease. It is simply a representation
of God (or a saint) and is a material object.

If someone were to pray to the statue itself or adore the statue, they would be
committing idolatry, but this is not what the Catholic Church instructs her
members to do. The Church teaches Christians to venerate statues, recognizing that
they point to a hidden, spiritual reality that is not bound to the representation.

Another way to put it is that statues are holy reminders of various saints and of
God. They remind us of heavenly things and point our souls to the Trinity. Statues
are instruments, tools to be used in the spiritual life and not ends in themselves.

So while it may seem that Catholics are worshiping statues, they are not. They are
using statues, as God permits, as images that point “symbolically toward salvation
by the incarnate Word.”
9. Non-Catholics claim that “Catholics worship saints.” This statement usually
comes from the fact that Catholics often pray to saints, performing various
devotions to them. Do Catholic worship saints? Explicate comprehensively.

Answer: Catholics view the saints as “intercessors” before God. They

believe that a saint, who is glorified in heaven, has been perfected in love
(including love for us) and has more “direct access” to God than do earthbound
sinners. In Catholic thinking, prayers delivered by a saint are more effective than
our praying to God directly. This concept is blatantly unbiblical. Catholics view
Mary and the saints as “intercessors” before God. They believe that a saint, who is
glorified in heaven, has been perfected in love (including love for us) and has more
“direct access” to God than do earthbound sinners. In Catholic thinking, prayers
delivered by a saint are more effective than our praying to God directly. This
concept is blatantly unbiblical. Hebrews 4:16 tells us that believers here on earth
have direct access to God and can “approach the throne of grace with confidence.”

10. Explain the Dogma of the Holy Trinity.

Answer:
 Christ the King College
Magsaysay Blvd., Calbayog City, Western Samar, 6710

COLLEGE OF LAW
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…
APOLOGETICS 1
FINAL EXAMINATION
1 Semester: A.Y. 2022-2023
st

INSTRUCTION: Broadly retort the situations beneath with authority as apologist.

SET A:
Case # 1
One day, while going to the Church you met someone who is not a Church
goer. To your stunned, inadvertently he caught your attention and asked, is your
Church will save you? I do not believe in God and I have no Church for
fellowship; but I am righteous man in my own rights. But your catholic teaching
articulates "outside the Church there is no salvation." Defend your religious/
catholic faith.
Answer: The church is of great importance, yet the Bible is clear that the
way to heaven is by faith in Christ alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 notes there are no works
involved in earning our way to heaven: "For by grace you have been saved through
faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so
that no one may boast." Going to church is a good thing, but it is not meritorious—
it does not merit eternal life.

A person's church involvement does not determine entrance into heaven. Going to
church doesn't make a person saved. However, the Bible does emphasize the
importance of Christian fellowship in a local church. The word translated "church"
is the Greek word ekklesia, a reference to an assembly meaning "called out." The
church is not a building, but rather the "called out" ones of God, the gathering of
people with faith in Jesus Christ.

In addition, Christians are specifically told not to neglect "meet[ing] together, as is

the habit of some." Rather, we should encourage "one another, and all the more as
you see the Day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:25). Church involvement is both an
encouragement to us and an opportunity to encourage others.

The local church is a family, not a facility. A strong family will be there for each
another during good times and bad. We are united by our faith in Jesus Christ, and
we seek to help one another grow closer to Him and to share Him with others. "We
know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers" (1
John 3:14), and if we love them, we will desire to spend time with them.

The church is so important that the Bible calls it the bride of Christ. Ephesians
5:25 teaches that the model for a husband's love for his wife is Christ's love for the
church. Wrapping up the topic of marriage, Paul says, "I am saying that it refers to
Christ and the church" (verse 32). If God thinks so highly of the church as to call it
His "bride," we must consider our fellowship with one another extremely
important.
While no amount of church attendance will get a person to heaven, a person who is
saved should be a regular church attender and active participant within his or her
church. Church involvement is the expected norm for someone who follows Jesus
Christ. Our salvation is found in Jesus, and only Him (Acts 4:12), and the church is
the context in which we encourage one another to grow and actively serve others.
Case # 2
Currently we are pebbledash the most atrocious spate after centuries, the
Covid-19 pandemic. Many have victimized and loss lives because of this deadly
virus. Your neighbor and at the same time a close relative friend were plague-
ridden by the virus and one of their loved ones died. They grief and mourn. One of
the family members went to you for relief, hopeless, and his faith to God seems
was vanished. In your chat, he raised qualms and queries to you; why there is evil
suffering when God is powerful? If God the Father almighty, the creator of the
ordered and good world, cares for all His creatures, why does evil exist? Why God
did not create a world so perfect that no evil could exist in it? What are your
responses to the enquiries as apologist?
Answer: If God has a good reason for allowing evil to exist, should you
expect to know what that reason is? There are four main responses to this question.
First, some theists answer the question affirmatively and claim to know why God
allows evil. Other people suggest possible reasons God might have but don’t claim
to be certain of them. Third, there are those who don't have any idea why God
allows evil but they still trust there is a good reason. And lastly, many atheists are
certain that there is no good reason.
The assumption that many atheists make is that if they cannot think of any
good reason, then there must not be a good reason. But is that the most rational
option? Should atheists expect to be able to think of every possible reason that God
might have? Is it possible that they have not considered all the options? Is it even
possible that God has a good reason which no one has ever considered? Perhaps
atheists are too quick to jump to this conclusion. Pastor Tim Keller highlights this
issue in a talk he gave at Google. He points out that when someone says he can't
believe in God because of evil and suffering, he is indirectly claiming to have
considered all the possible answers and found them wanting.
When someone says, 'I can't believe in God because he allows such evil and
suffering', what you actually are saying is this: 'Because I can't think of any good
reason why God would allow evil and suffering, therefore there can't be any good
reason'... See the only way to walk away from God is to assume there can't be a
good reason.
After appreciating this point, you may be interested in exploring possible
reasons as to why God allows evil. If that's you, check out the second half of the
video below.

Case # 3
A Non-Christian/ Catholic pastor visited you at home one morning of
Monday for evangelization expose. The context of his evangelization expose is to
discredit the catholic teaching on the dogma of Holy Trinity, addressing the issue
on the work of the Holy Trinity on Creation. The pastor extremely indoctrinated
that the Creation according to the scriptures God the Father is the sole Creator of
the world and everything exist in it. How would you respond or defend your
religious/ catholic Faith?
Answer: Central to the theology of the Reformation is its doctrine of God.
The Protestant Reformers worked to recover the fullorbed biblical understanding
of redemption, the heart of which is our Savior's claim that "this is eternal life, that
they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (John
17:3). To know God truly is to know His salvation, so when we are dealing with
the doctrine of the Trinity, we are dealing with matters essential to our being
redeemed.
Because of the distinction between the Creator and His creation, we can
know God only as He reveals Himself. With Scripture, both the early church
fathers and the Protestant Reformers teach us that God reveals Himself through His
work in the world, particularly through His acts of creation and redemption. The
way in which the Bible describes these activities help us to have a better
understanding of our Maker both in His oneness and His threeness.
Today, we will look at the revelation of our triune God in His work of
creation. Note that Scripture attributes creation to each of the three persons.
In Genesis 1:1–2, for example, we read that the Spirit of God—the Holy Spirit—
hovered over the primordial waters at the moment of creation, pointing to His
intimate involvement in the seven-day process of making the earth and filling it
with life. John 1:1–3 refers to God the Father and the Son ("the Word") at the
beginning of creation, indicating that the Father made all things through the Son
and that nothing was created apart from the agency of the Son.
In many places, Scripture attributes the work of creation particularly to the
Father (see Eph. 3:9, for instance). However, the references to all three persons of
the Holy Trinity and Their involvement in creation show us that while the work of
creation may reveal the Father in particular, creation is something all three persons
do in common. This must be so, for if God is one, then each person of the Godhead
must be involved in everything that God does. When the Father acts, the Son and
the Holy Spirit act as well. Father, Son, and Spirit are identical in Their attributes,
so if the Father exercises His omnipotence to create, the Son and the Spirit do so as
well because the omnipotence of the Father is the omnipotence of the Son is the
omnipotence of the Spirit. Traditionally, this coworking of the three persons of the
Godhead is known as the doctrine of inseparable operations.

Case # 4
You were invited by your Non-Christian/ Catholic best friend and classmate
in the college of law in one of their Church meeting and worship. The topic is
about salvation, and it was thoroughly shared and conversed by your best friend
that in order to be saved Faith alone works. After the presentation of your best
friend, you were introduced by him to his fellow protestant members and
recognized to give your stance and religious belief on the doctrine that faith alone
can save us. As catholic faithful or apologist, how and what is your response?
Answer: During the Protestant Reformation in the early 1500s, a familiar
term regarding salvation was "sola fide," Latin for "by faith alone." The reformers,
at that time, accused the Catholic Church of departing from the "simple purity of
the Gospel" of Jesus Christ. They stated it was faith alone, without works of any
kind, that brought a believer to eternal life. They defined this faith as "the
confidence of man, associated with the certainty of salvation, because the merciful
Father will forgive sins because of Christ's sake."
This view of salvation is a crucial issue because it strikes at the very heart of
the Gospel message eternal life. Roman Catholicism teaches that we are not saved
by faith alone. The Church has taught this since 30 A.D. as part of the Divine
Revelation. The truth of the Catholic Church's teaching can be demonstrated from
Sacred Scripture alone.
 All who claim the title "Christian" will be able to agree on the following two
truths: salvation is by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8) and salvation is through Christ
alone (Acts 4:12). These biblical facts will be our foundation as we explain the
teaching of the Catholic Church.
If we take a concordance and look up every occurrence of the word "faith,"
we come up with an undeniable fact the only time the phrase "faith alone" is used
in the entire Bible is when it is condemned (James 2:24). The epistle of James only
mentions it in the negative sense.
The Bible tells us we must have faith in order to be saved (Hebrews 11:6).
Yet is faith nothing more than believing and trusting? Searching the Scriptures, we
see faith also involves assent to God's truth (1 Thessalonians 2:13), obedience to
Him (Romans 1:5, 16:26), and it must be working in love (Galatians 5:6). These
points appeared to be missed by the reformers, yet they are just as crucial as
believing and trusting. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) should be heeded by all it's certainly
an attention grabber.
Paul speaks of faith as a life-long process, never as a one-time experience
(Philippians 2:12). He never assumes he has nothing to worry about. If he did, his
words in (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) would be nonsensical. He reiterates the same
point again in his second letter to Corinth (2 Corinthians 13:5). He takes nothing
for granted, yet all would agree if anyone was "born again" it certainly was Paul.
Our Lord and Savior spoke of the same thing by "remaining in Him" (John 15:1-
11).
Paul tells us our faith is living and can go through many stages. It never
stays permanently fixed after a single conversion experience no matter how
genuine or sincere. Our faith can be shipwrecked (1 Timothy 1:19), departed from
(1 Timothy 4:1), disowned (1 Timothy 5:8) wandered from (1 Timothy 6:10), and
missed (1 Timothy 6:21). Christians do not have a "waiver" that exempts them
from these verses.
Do our works mean anything? According to Jesus they do (Matthew 25:31-
46). The people rewarded and punished are done so by their actions. And our
thoughts (Matthew 15:18-20) and words (James 3:6-12) are accountable as well.
These verses are just as much part of the Bible as Romans 10:8-13 and John 3:3-5.
Some will object by appealing to Romans 4:3 and stating Abraham was
"declared righteous" before circumcision. Thus he was only saved by "believing"
faith (Genesis 15:6), not by faith "working in love" (Galatians 5:6). Isn't this what
Paul means when he says none will be justified by "works of law" (Romans 3:28)?
No, this is not what he means. He's condemning the Old Covenant sacrifices and
rituals which couldn't justify and pointing to better things now in Christ Jesus in
the New Covenant (Hebrews 7-10). A close examination of Abraham's life
revealed a man of God who did something. In Genesis 12-14 he makes two
geographical moves, builds an altar and calls on the Lord, divides land with Lot to
end quarrels, pays tithes, and refuses goods from the King of Sodom to rely instead
on God's providence. He did all these works as an old man. It was certainly a
struggle. After all these actions of faith, then he's "declared righteous" (Genesis
15:6). Did these works play a role in his justification? According to the Bible, yes.
The Catholic Church has never taught we "earn" our salvation. It is an
inheritance (Galatians 5:21), freely given to anyone who becomes a child of God
(1 John 3:1), so long as they remain that way (John 15:1-11). You can't earn it but
you can lose the free gift given from the Father (James 1:17).
The reformer's position cannot be reconciled with the Bible. That is why the
Catholic Church has taught otherwise for over 1,960 years.
Where does our assistance come from to reach our heavenly destination?
Philippians 4:13 says it all, "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me."

Case # 5
In your Barangay there was a group of Anti-Catholic/ Christian and they
preach that because God is transcendence and omnipotent He never had the
juncture to divulge His name to any man, hence, God has no name. But in the
Lord's Prayer, it states there; "Our Father in heaven, Holy be your name", thereby,
God has a name. In your existence as of today, did you really know the name of
your God? And if the Anti-Catholic asks you, did God reveal His name? And what
is the name of God? Explain and address the questions properly as apologist.
Answer: In the Bible, God says: “I am Jehovah. That is my name.” (Isaiah
42:8) Although he also has many titles, such as “God Almighty,” “Sovereign
Lord,” and “Creator,” he honors his worshippers by inviting them to address him
by his personal name.—Genesis 17:1; Acts 4:24; 1 Peter 4:19.
 Many translations of the Bible contain God’s personal name at Exodus 6:3.
That passage says: “I used to appear to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God
Almighty, but as respects my name Jehovah I did not make myself known to
them.”
Jehovah is a rendering of God’s name in English that has been used for
centuries. While many scholars prefer the spelling “Yahweh,” Jehovah is the form
of the name that is most widely recognized. The first part of the Bible was written
not in English but in Hebrew, a language that is read from right to left. In that
language, the divine name appears as four consonants, ‫יהוה‬. Those four Hebrew
characters—transliterated YHWH—are known as the Tetragrammaton.

SET B:
1. The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the
Christian faith and of Christian life. God alone can make it known to us by
revealing himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As a faithful believer, explain the
truths of our faith in the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, to wit:
a. “The Trinity is One”,
Answer: Trinity, in Christian doctrine, the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as
three persons in one Godhead. The doctrine of the Trinity is considered to be one
of the central Christian affirmations about God. It is rooted in the fact that God
came to meet Christians in a threefold figure: (1) as Creator, Lord of the history
of salvation, Father, and Judge, as revealed in the Old Testament; (2) as the Lord
who, in the incarnated figure of Jesus Christ, lived among human beings and was
present in their midst as the “Resurrected One”; and (3) as the Holy Spirit, whom
they experienced as the helper or intercessor in the power of the new life.

Trinity
Neither the word “Trinity” nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament,
nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Hebrew
Scriptures: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4).
The earliest Christians, however, had to cope with the implications of the coming
of Jesus Christ and of the presumed presence and power of God among them—i.e.,
the Holy Spirit, whose coming was connected with the celebration of Pentecost.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were associated in such New Testament passages
as the Great Commission: “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”
(Matthew 28:19); and in the apostolic benediction: “The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2
Corinthians 13:13). Thus, the New Testament established the basis for the doctrine
of the Trinity.
The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many
controversies. Initially, both the requirements of monotheism inherited from the
Hebrew Scriptures and the implications of the need to interpret the biblical
teaching to Greco-Roman religions seemed to demand that the divine in Christ as
the Word, or Logos, be interpreted as subordinate to the Supreme Being.
An alternative solution was to interpret Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three modes
of the self-disclosure of the one God but not as distinct within the being of God
itself. The first tendency recognized the distinctness among the three, but at the
cost of their equality and hence of their unity (subordinationism). The second came
to terms with their unity, but at the cost of their distinctness as “persons”
(modalism). The high point of these conflicts was the so-
called Arian controversy in the early 4th century. In his interpretation of the idea of
God, Arius sought to maintain a formal understanding of the oneness of God. In
defense of that oneness, he was obliged to dispute the sameness of essence of the
Son and the Holy Spirit with God the Father. It was not until later in the 4th
century that the distinctness of the three and their unity were brought together in a
single orthodox doctrine of one essence and three persons.
The Council of Nicaea in 325 stated the crucial formula for that doctrine in its
confession that the Son is “of the same substance [homoousios] as the Father,”
even though it said very little about the Holy Spirit. Over the next half century, St.
Athanasius defended and refined the Nicene formula, and, by the end of the 4th
century, under the leadership of St. Basil of Caesarea, St. Gregory of Nyssa,
and St. Gregory of Nazianzus (the Cappadocian Fathers), the doctrine of the
Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since. It is accepted in all
of the historic confessions of Christianity, even though the impact of
the Enlightenment decreased its importance in some traditions.
 b. “The divine persons are really distinct from one another”, and
Answer: The three divine Persons are really distinct from one another.
(a) Although the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are distinct Persons, they are
not distinct in nature. The nature of the Father is entirely the nature of the Son; and
the nature of the Father and the Son is entirely the nature of the Holy Ghost.

c. “The divine persons are relative to one another.”

Answer: Perhaps the deepest, the most profound of all mysteries is the mystery
of the Trinity. The Church teaches us that although there is only one God, yet,
somehow, there are three Persons in God. The Father is God, the Son is God, the
Holy Spirit is God, yet we do not speak of three Gods, but only one God. They
have the same nature, substance, and being.
We came to know this immense mystery because Christ revealed it to us. Just
before ascending He told them: "Go teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). We know
that these Three are not just different ways of looking at one person. For at the Last
Supper, Jesus told us: "I came forth from the Father." So He is different from the
Father. But He also promised: "If I go, I will send Him [the Paraclete] to you. . . .
He will guide you to all truth" (John 16:28, 7, 13). So the Holy Spirit is also
different.
Even though the Three Persons are One God, yet they are distinct: for the Father
has no origin, He came from no one. But the Son is begotten, He comes from the
Father alone. The Holy Spirit comes or proceeds from both the Father and the Son.
These different relations of origin tell us there are three distinct Persons, who have
one and the same divine nature.
Even though everything the Three Persons do outside the Divine nature is done by
all Three, yet it is suitable that we attribute some works specially to one or the
other Person. So we speak of the Father especially as the power of creation, of the
Son as the wisdom of the Father, of the Holy Spirit as goodness and sanctification.
The two doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation are the foundation of Christian
life and worship. By becoming man, God the Son offered us a share in the inner
life of the Trinity. By grace, we are brought into the perfect communion of life and
love which is God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This sharing in the life of the
Trinity is meant to culminate in heaven, where we will see the three Persons face
to face, united to them in unspeakable love.
25. How many Persons are there in God?
In God there are three divine Persons--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
(a) Unaided by divine revelation, the human mind could not know the existence of
the Blessed Trinity because it is a supernatural mystery.3 Even after God has
revealed the existence of the Blessed Trinity, we cannot understand it fully. When
we believe, on the word of God, that there are three Persons in one God, we do not
believe that three Persons are one Person, or that three gods are one God; this
would be a contradiction.
26. Is the Father God?
The Father is God and the first Person of the Blessed Trinity.
(a) The first Person of the Blessed Trinity is called the Father because from all
eternity He begets the second Person, His only-begotten Son.
(b) God the Father is called the first Person not because He is greater or older than
the other two Persons, but because He is unbegotten.
27. Is the Son God?
The Son is God and the second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
(a) The second Person of the Blessed Trinity is called the Son because from all
eternity, He is the only begotten of the Father. Proceeding from the Father, the Son
is called the Divine Word or the Wisdom of the Father.
28. Is the Holy Ghost God?
The Holy Ghost is God and the third Person of the Blessed Trinity.
(a) The third Person of the Blessed Trinity is called the Holy Ghost because from
all eternity He is breathed forth, as it were, by the Father and the Son. Proceeding
from the Father and the Son, He is called the Gift or Love of the Father and the
Son.
(b) The word "Ghost" applied to the third Person means "Spirit."
29. What do we mean by the Blessed Trinity?
By the Blessed Trinity we mean one and the same God in three divine Persons.
30. Are the three divine Persons really distinct from one another?
The three divine Persons are really distinct from one another.
(a) Although the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are distinct Persons, they are
not distinct in nature. The nature of the Father is entirely the nature of the Son; and
the nature of the Father and the Son is entirely the nature of the Holy Ghost.
31. Are the three divine Persons perfectly equal to one another?
The three divine Persons are perfectly equal to one another, because all are one and
the same God.
(a) No one of the three Persons precedes the others in time or in power, but all are
equally eternal and all-powerful because they have the same divine nature.
32. How are the three divine Persons, though really distinct from one another,
one and the same God?
The three divine Persons, though really distinct from one another, are one and the
same God because all have one and the same divine nature.
(a) Because the three divine Persons have one and the same divine nature, they
have the same perfections and the same external works are produced by them. But
in order that we may better know the three divine Persons, certain perfections and
works are attributed to each Person; for example, omnipotence and the works of
omnipotence, such as creation, to the Father; wisdom and the works of wisdom,
such as enlightenment, to the Son, love and the works of love, such as
sanctification, to the Holy Ghost.
33. Can we fully understand how the three divine Persons, though really
distinct from one another, are one and the same God?
We cannot fully understand how the three divine Persons, though really distinct
from one another, are one and the same God because this is a supernatural mystery.
34. What is a supernatural mystery?
A supernatural mystery is a truth which we cannot fully understand, but which we
firmly believe because we have God's word for it.
(a) In addition to those truths which can be attained by man's natural reason, there
are certain mysteries hidden in God which we cannot know without divine
revelation, but which we must believe because God has revealed them. Divine
mysteries by their very nature are far above the power of human understanding and
even when revealed and accepted on faith they remain obscure during our life on
earth. To understand these things fully, a finite mind would have to comprehend
the infinite.
(b) In heaven there will be a fuller understanding of these mysteries, but never an
infinite comprehension of them.
It is reasonable to believe supernatural mysteries revealed by God because He can
neither deceive nor be deceived. In our everyday life we believe many things on
the word of human beings even though at times they deceive or are deceived.
 Christ the King College
Magsaysay Blvd., Calbayog City, Western Samar, 6710

COLLEGE OF LAW
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…
APOLOGETICS 2
FINAL EXAMINATION
2nd
Semester: A.Y. 2022-2023

INSTRUCTION: Broadly retort the situations beneath with authority as apologist.

Case # 1
One of the gatherings in your Parish, the Parish Priest invited you to talk or
share about the personhood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Learning from the apologetics
course, you have shared to the faithful that the Lord Jesus Christ is not a “human
person.” The faithful was dumbfounded and dejected. One of the catechists and
lay leaders stood up, disagreed with you and said, “sorry to differ with you, but
you may have all the theological and media background but what the Church
has always taught is that Jesus was true God and true man. So, yes, He was a
divine person but He was also a human person; God, made man, by the power
of the Holy Spirit who descended unto Mary. Jesus is a person with both a
divine nature and a human nature, and if being a person with a divine nature
makes Him a divine person, then it is also incumbent that being a person with
a human nature makes Him a human person.” Elucidate comprehensively your
response as apologist?
Case # 2
In the morning of Saturday, you visited your cousin, and had a great chat
with him. Inadvertently, your cousin queried you about the theology of “God’s
Powerlessness.” He said, “God actually is not absolutely powerful because of
the fact that He could not control everything. In fact, wars between Russia
and Ukraine ensued and still at present continues and other places around the
world; to which mass destruction of properties, inhabitants and human lives
was truncated. If God is powerful and omnipotent, why this happened? Isn’t
it the teaching of the Church, in God everything is possible? Hence, He could
shut wars, but not, and still there are countless lives that was lost. Thereby, I
do not subscribe that God is absolutely Almighty.” How would you counteract
the claim of your cousin using the theology of God’s Powerlessness?
Case # 3
In contemporary religion, there are efforts of the anti-Christ and non-
Catholics to worsen and reject the divine person of Jesus Christ. They
indoctrinated that Jesus is not divine and not God as contrary to many people in the
world believed especially Christians. According to them even “Jesus Christ did
not claim that He is God”, and defied Christ’s believers to show any single
unequivocal account in the Bible/ Scriptures that Jesus Christ said that He is God.
As apologist are you in the agreement that there is no claim by Jesus Christ in the
Scriptures that He is God, henceforth, He is not really divine or God? Evidently
articulate your stance within the ambit of your faith and through the Church
teachings.
Case # 4
Your batchmates in the College of Law had a gathering at Ceriaco Hotel. In
the course of conversations, they exchanged theological thoughts on the divinity
and humanity of Jesus Christ. One of your batchmates said, “to tell you in faith
and as adherent of the Catholic Church, I have no doubt on the truth that
Jesus Christ is perfectly true God and true man. That is why He truly died on
the cross because He is truly man, this reality attests of the perfect humanity
of Jesus.” He added, “since the Word became flesh in assuming a true
humanity, Christ’s body was finite, therefore; His body when He died on the
cross is a mortal corpse capable of decomposition and corruption.” Your other
batchmate upstretched his divergence and said, “Christ death was not a real
death for it was not possible for death to hold Him and thus divine power
preserved Christ’s body from corruption.” As apologist how would you edify
your batchmates on their theological views? Explain vividly.
Case # 5
One of the Non-Catholic religious groups steered a mass indoctrination or an
expose in your barangay. It so happened that your one among the onlookers. The
pastor asserted that, “in Christ the divine Word had replaced the soul or spirit.
The Word became flesh, without having assumed a human mind, but which
exists as an immutable and heavenly divine mind. Christ became flesh but He
did not become fully human.” How would you retort on the pastor’s assertion?
Explicate with faith and conviction as Christ’s disciple.
6. What is your understanding of St. Augustine’s line “the human nature of
Christ was non-personal?”

7. Do you subscribe that "Apologetics" as one of the disciplines is imperative to

the course program (Juris Doctor)? and how the former if any, would become of
great aid to reach your trance to become a lawyer or a successful priest of justice in
the future?
.