1 Peter 3:15: But In Your Hearts Honor Christ The Lord As Holy, Always Being Prepared To Make A Defense To Anyone Who Asks You

1 Peter 3:15

[15] But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, (ESV)

The main point of this verse is found in the phrase, "make a defense to anyone who asks you." The Greek word for defense is where we get our word, "apologetics." Apologetics does not mean being sorry. Rather, it means to defend our position. When we are living in an ungodly culture we need to be able to share with others exactly what we believe and why we believe it.

To defend our faith starts with a foundation of honoring Christ the Lord as holy in our hearts. There are many people who attend church who are not able to give a reason for the hope within them. The reason for this inability is that they do not honor Christ the Lord as holy. Jesus is a passive, wimpy, coddling deity of their own imagination. If we are going to share our faith, we need to know who Jesus is.

How do we honor Christ the Lord as holy? We must surrender our lives completely to him. We do not live for our own glory. We have seen in the previous verse that even if we should have to suffer physical pain and loss because of our faith in Jesus Christ it will be a blessing. A true Christian does not live for the glory of themselves. They live for Christ and him alone. 

As we share this wonderful faith in Jesus Christ with others, it is vital that we do so in a way that is gentle and respectful. The reason for this is that if we want people to see the character and nature of the God that we serve. He has reached out in love to us, and offered us the message of salvation and forgiveness. We ought to share that message in a way that demonstrates love and forgiveness. 

Are you sharing your faith? How are you doing it? Are you gentle and respectful? Remember, that Christ must be Lord in your heart, if you will ever be able to defend your faith.