“…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“(1 Pet. 3:15). Paul has just addressed suffering for doing Good, and now he is telling his readers how to respond when asked by someone about their attitude. This is one of the verses where context matters, and context can only be understood when the verse is read as part of a paragraph, a chapter, and a book.
Once we discover the purpose of the book we can begin to dissect the chapters and paragraphs to find that sometimes elusive context we need to properly understand God’s word. Space will not allow me to go over all the different parts of the book, but I suggest you take the time to read 1 Peter since you will find many other helpful lessons as well. Suffice to say that when we put our trust in Christ and decide to become His followers by obedience to the scriptures and all that entails, we will be changed. When that happens, our outlook on life and our attitude will be transformed and we will be able to overcome the suffering with relative ease.
One of the most obvious changes is that we will then have a different hope than the world. Their hope is fleeting in nature and has no security attached to it. If something positive happens it has as much to do with luck as with anything they have done, but our hope is way different from that. Ours is based on an assurance and is the foundation of our faith. Heb. 11:1, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” When we have that kind of spiritual hope, our attitude to suffering will be rather curious for the non-believer.
How can we “handle” it so well? Why aren’t we coming “unglued” from all the stress? Where are we deriving the strength from to overcome those sufferings with such ease in our spirit? Those are the questions, among others, that the world may ask of us, and it is then when Paul says we need to be ready to give that defense for the hope that is in us. Here is a problem though; many people don’t have the faintest clue how to answer those questions. How do we explain our Christianity to them? How do we explain the peace that comes from being a child of God? How do explain the joy that comes from being in Christ? How do explain the comfort we receive from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in times of great stress?
Unfortunately, I am not going to reveal a “magic” answer that will work in every instance. That is for you to work out in your own mind. But, you will only be able to do that if you read the Bible, study what you have read, and pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit when it comes to understanding it all. Nothing is worse than when someone asks us why we are so calm during the storm only to stand there in ignorant silence, unable to articulate the reasons. Now would be a great time to not only begin to study the Bible but also to ask yourself how you would answer the question, “What is the reason for the hope that is in you?” Take the time to formulate a coherent and compelling answer.
Paul has one more admonishment, however. When you are called on to answer the question, leave the arrogance and confrontational attitude at the door. If you respond in a peaceable manner that is cloaked in gentleness and respect, they will entertain your thoughts, but attack them and they will respond in kind. Treat their question with disdain and they will treat your response the same way. Discourteousness will only result in losing the opportunity to witness and teach the Good News to someone who may possibly be a seeking soul. Always remember, your answer could be the catalyst for them to seek salvation – for them to have the same hope you have.
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