Be Prepared For Defense
“But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear or be disturbed, but honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:14-17)
As a Christian, I will inevitably be tasked with defending my faith to someone. There will, I expect, come a time when an unbeliever (or perhaps even another Christian) challenges my faith. They’ll assert many things about my character or my person, claiming that I am ignorant, untrue, or genuinely deceived. I’ll be called a liar or a fool, a miscreant or misanthrope, by those who do not believe in the truth of the gospel.
What must I do? As Peter says, I must be ready to give a defense for the hope within me. I should not fear my opponent or their beliefs. I cannot repay their evil with evil, but must show by my actions and my reason why I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. If I fail, my witness is harmed, and I have compromised my ability in Christ to reach out to the lost and share the gospel.
Anger and a lack of self-control will do me no good. It’s easy to feel a personal slight from someone who attacks your beliefs, but it’s more difficult to restrain yourself and grant your opponent a peaceful debate.
All too often, we are undisciplined and quick to rage when a person dares to question our faith. Peter warns us in this Scripture that we must be vigilant and remain unfettered by the accusations lodged at us. Considering this Peter is the very same impulsive disciple we know from Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts, he’s a fairly good authority on what it means to be hotheaded.
How then, am I to defend my faith? Answer: with reason, by being led by the Spirit in word and deed, and by knowing the Scriptures and our personal testimony of faith.
Why do I believe? From where do I get the hope that lives in me?
My hopelessness in sin led me to question my very reality. I was addicted to pornography. I doubted God’s existence. I was in a horrible, horrible place for a very long time. But when Christ heard my cries, he began to change me. I read His Word through to the end. The Holy Spirit transformed me from within, eliminating my desire for self-gratification with the disgusting pull of vile, lustful imagery. I was reborn with a new purpose in Christ.
Scripture says that Christ is who He says He is. Because I know the power He has on an intimate level, I can also know that His Word is Truth. Scripture says that He is the Son of God, incarnate in man, born of a virgin, who lived a sinless life, who died on a cross, was buried, and rose on the third day, securing the promise of eternal life to all those who would believe on Him. That’s what I believe. That is His Truth.
Scripture is verily supported by archaeological findings and/or personal observance. Thanks to my conversion, I can see the truly foul and loathsome behavior on display by all of humankind, including myself. None of us are good as God defines it. All have sinned and fallen short of His glory (Romans 3:23). Furthermore, the Bible is a testable book; the events contained within are all said to be real occurrences, verifiable by nature. If the Resurrection did not happen, then the whole faith collapses. Yet Christianity and the Word of God persisted for over two millennia in spite of every offense and challenge pushing against the claims of its authority. And the New Testament is one of the most well-attested historical documents with over four thousand verified manuscripts!
This is not meant to be an exhaustive defense in itself. But I hope that I can draw from these positions, can point to Scripture and experience and the natural world, if and when I am challenged to defend my faith. I trust the Lord my God, knowing that He will not steer me wrong. I am fallible, a sinner saved by His grace, but He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13).
Who is Jesus? What is the Trinity? How can one be saved? How do you know you are saved? If Creation is true, how do you explain [insert evolutionary theory here]? Is the Bible truly inspired by God? What reason do you have for the hope that is in you?
All these questions may be asked by those who would challenge my faith or yours. As Peter says, we must be prepared when such an occurrence crosses our paths. We must not be boastful or arrogant, repaying their unkind words with our own. We should be demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-26). Only with a controlled mind, a changed heart, and the work of the Holy Spirit can we hope to defend our faith and reach out to the lost.
Else we rely on ourselves and crumble in our sin, a faithless walk, and a fragile hope.
“May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him.” (Colossians 1:11-14)
Thanks be to Him who saved us from ourselves. May we honor Him in word and deed, defending our trust and faith in Him with all manner of perseverance and forthrightness, not letting our sinful nature get the better of us.
Thank you for reading. God bless and peace be to you.
