“Always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.”
Even though 1 Peter 3:15 was not one of the first Bible verses I came to know after I became a Christian, it was one of the first Bible verses I came to know not long after I became a Christian. Peter exhorts Christians, any Christian, to have their “response” ready at all times. For the past two Saturdays, two LifeWay missionaries have shared with us some of what they learned about doing prayer walking in Siberia! As we put in some exercise and pray at the same time, and we make contact with the world, we carry an explanation of what we believe in our back pocket that is ready to go at a moment’s notice.
I am not changing anything I said so far. But one day, a pastor showed me how to read the Bible in context, and my eyes paid attention to the circumstances, the setting, and the conditions surrounding what came before and what came after 1 Peter 3:15. Peter did not instruct his readers to “always being ready,” even though he did. He instructed his readers to “always being ready” in the face of persecution. Take a look at some of Peter’s words:
v.9 “not returning evil for evil or insult for insult”
v.14 “suffer for the sake of righteousness”
v.16 “keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered”
v.17 “suffer for doing what is right”
The Letter of 1 Peter was written during a time of great hostility to Christians who were scattered and exiled to the Northern Asia Minor. The Diaspora lived among people who didn’t really like them, who were doing everything they could to make their lives harder. It is in this context that Peter wrote, “Always being ready.”
Today, you and I living in 21st century America, we face nowhere near the same hostility from the world as what Peter’s audience faced in the 1st century. Nevertheless, we come into contact with a world who don’t really like Christians. Many automatically think we are people-haters. They think we are closed-minded, and all we want to do is shove our faith down their throats. They think we are people who cannot take a hint, and we won’t go away. You and I don’t have a good reputation. We are starting at the bottom, not at the top. We are not the type of guests they want at their Super Bowl party.
I cannot stress how important it is for us to remind each other to be kind and peaceful when we answer someone who asks us about our faith. Especially during a conversation where the topic is already heated, it is absolutely not the time for us to lose our cool and to turn the thermometer dial even higher. If we will not be respectful, we will not bring the lost an inch closer to God. When the world sees we don’t care about the way we speak to them as long as we speak to them, they shut down. The word “apologetics” means the defense of Christian beliefs. It comes from a Greek word that carries the idea of a lawyer defending a case in court. Peter asks Christians to be ready to defend their faith, however, never to be defensive.
Peter exhorts you and me to answer unbelievers’ questions gently and respectfully. He said, “Always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” Then he ended with, “yet with gentleness and reverence.” It is not hard to sit down and write out what you will say when one day, someone asks you for your reason. Anyone can come up with an explanation for his conversion. That is the easy part. It is delivering your answer in a gentle and respectful way that is not as easy. Let us learn how to do this together. Keep practicing. I encourage you, and you encourage me.