Give a Defense

You all know about Apologetics, the defense of the faith. We take the term from the "go to" verse, "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 Peter 3:15) The Greek word, apologia, is translated "make a defense" here, so we get "Apologetics."

I was struck the other day with some points I've never seen before on this text.

First, "In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy." That's the origin, the basis, the primary thought. It is this that spawns the command to always be prepared. The thought is "Have no fear" (1 Peter 3:14) because you have set Christ aside in your heart as holy. There is no higher, no other, nothing else. The honor we offer Christ is exclusive. He is all we need, all we desire, all that matters. He is complete and completes us. There is nothing else. Set apart. This makes sense, then, as an answer to fear. Do you fear suffering? Don't; you have Christ. Do you fear need or pain or harm or lack? Don't; you have Christ. Do you fear evil or failure? Don't; you have Christ. What Peter wrote to Christians in Nero's Rome we need today. What do you fear? Don't; you have Christ. As long as He is it -- singular, alone, all there is, complete -- then you have nothing to fear.

That leads directly into the second point. The text doesn't say what we all seem to think it says. It doesn't say, "Be prepared to make a defense for your faith." It's just not in there. What are we expected to defend? "The hope that is in you." That hope is what we have in the face of all sorts of bad stuff because Christ is all we need and we have Christ. So, in the midst of otherworldly hope, expect questions. Expect challenges. Expect people to ask about this. When our dear sister in Christ discovered she had a brain tumor and not much more than 4 months to live, she responded with cheer and hope and the Gospel for all -- family, friends, neighbors, medical people, anyone she comes across. That is the kind of thing that makes people ask questions. When I was in Basic Training in the Air Force and did not respond with the same despair that other recruits had with the psychological assaults from trainers, fellow recruits asked me how. Why does my sister in church have hope where there appears to be none? Why did I bear up so well in training when others were ready to collapse? What we are told to be ready to defend is not our faith; it is our hope.

A couple of thoughts on that. First, Hebrews says, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for." (Heb 11:1) So while I snatch "defend the faith" from the text and substitute "defend your hope," keep in mind that the two are irrevocably linked. The reason for our hope is our faith. Our faith in Christ, our assurance that He is sufficient, our singular vision of Christ as all in all. So, one stepped removed, we will need to defend our faith. But the starting point is hope. Second, you have to ask yourself. "Do I have supernatural hope?" Do we live lives of unexplained hope? Do people see us and think, "What in the world makes those people tick?" Do we exhibit hope in apparently hopeless situations that will make them ask about it? You see, if we hide the hardships and just put on a plastic smile, they won't see it. If we take on other values than the singularity of Christ, we won't have the hope-filled lives that make people ask about our hope. In either direction, they won't ask, so you won't have to defend or explain it.

Apologetics is commanded in Scripture. It is not commanded that we each take courses to learn the logical, philosophical, and theological reasons for what we believe. Some should, but this is not a command for that. This command is premised on a life built on Christ alone in a fearful world and a life that will make people ask. We are required to be able to explain why we have hope when all outward appearances would suggest we shouldn't. That will certainly include defending our faith. But the command is to be ready to make a defense for your hope. So, do you have hope? And are you ready to tell others why? That's the point.