TUESDAY
Next, Peter continues on with his theme of calling Christians to practice righteousness even if they are persecuted and treated harshly. They are to act like Jesus and not return evil for evil, but to go as far as to bless those who persecute them.
1 Peter 3:13-17 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 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, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
Here again Peter is speaking proverbially and generally. If Christians are zealous for doing good, who would want to harm them? Generally this holds true. If someone wants to start a fight with you and you don’t retaliate with sharp comebacks and threats but bless them instead, they likely won’t fight you. But he is not naive either. Even if you do good, Christians still may be persecuted. This is a blessed thing in the sight of God. This is how Jesus was treated. And in the scope of eternity, who can really harm those who are zealous for doing good for God?
Christians are to fear the Lord, not those who would persecute them. The positive to his negative prohibition (don’t fear them or be troubled) is to honor Christ as holy. This is a peculiar phrase that we find elsewhere in the Lord’s prayer “hallowed be your name.” This is the primary imperative of this oft-quoted verse. We tend to spend more time on the subsequent phrases but this seems to be his main point. Prior to mounting a defense of the faith, we must revere Christ the Lord as holy in our hearts. He is to be the one we cherish the most. His teaching and his way of life are to be the most sacred things in the Christian life.
“Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy” is a quotation from Isaiah 8:12-13. Peter here inserts “Christ” into the quote that references YAHWEH, thus freely stating Jesus is God.
Once Christ has been set apart as holy, then Christians are to “always be prepared to make a defense (apologetic)…for the reason for the hope that is in you.” Hope refers to the hope among believers, i.e., their shared belief in the gospel which gives eternal life. Apologetics, an entire Christian field of study, is built on this idea. This field seeks to provide reasonable answers to the questions and challenges that are posed against the Christian faith. William Lane Craig and his organization Reasonable Faith, is one of the best I know in the apologetics field. This imperative statement of Peter requires that Christians be able to articulate their faith to someone who doesn’t know Jesus. This is still an important matter of discipleship today. We don’t have to have all the answers to the culture’s questions, but we have to be able to articulate why we have hope in the gospel! If we truly honor Christ the Lord as holy in our hearts, it will be a joyous thing for us to learn and share the reason for our hope.
Peter tells them to give a reason for the hope that they have with gentleness and respect. This is a far cry from the “TheoBros” who, mostly online, seek to own the other side, which is most often fellow Christians. Sadly our discourse and our apologetics has largely missed this teaching. We seek to only win the argument at all costs instead of focusing on our character of gentleness and respect while still clearly articulating the truth.
He goes on to say Christians are to “have a good conscience” in this process as well. Jobes says this speaks to two issues: “walking the talk and talking rightly.” Christians are to live rightly and maintain integrity. This can’t just be an “in the moment” thing. Integrity is built over time with consistent, right behavior. Christians are also to speak truthfully in the content they speak. We must articulate the true gospel. This also implies that how Christians articulate that truth must come with a clear conscience as well. Christians are not seek to humiliate their hearers.
This is so that when they are slandered their integrity will speak for itself. Those who are trying to shame them will in turn be put to shame when their accusations are debunked.
Reflection
In our Ownership 101 course, we talk about God’s story and your story. I’d encourage you to write out God’s story, which we cover in the course. Write out the story of the gospel in 200 words or less. Articulate an “elevator pitch” for why you believe the gospel.
Finally, you can be a brilliant apologist and evangelist, but if you don’t honor Christ the Lord as holy in your heart, it will be done out of the wrong motives. So, begin there, reflecting on your heart. Have you set apart Christ in your heart as the most precious thing in your life?