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July 1, 2012
Apologies
Not Accepted
One of the
great joys of my life is engaging in discussions with my
children about our faith in Jesus. Each of them
challenges me to think through what I believe and why. They ask some
really good questions.
The answers are not always easy to come by.
Peter
writes, “Sanctify Christ
as Lord in your hearts, always be ready to make a
defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for
the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and
reverence.” (1
Peter 3:15)
“Be ready to give a defense” carries huge implications. In Peter’s
day, crowds in the thousands could gather in the
Coliseum of Rome to cheer as Christians were being torn
apart by wild animals.
As each Christian died they gave testimony of
their faith in Jesus (consider the 7 Questions for New
Converts [page 8] and your life). Can you hear
Peter’s words for you, “Be ready to
testify in the circumstances of your life” - whatever they may be—even death.
How do we
prepare for that? First,
Peter tells us to “Sanctify Christ
as Lord in your hearts.”
A loose translation would be: “Keep the Lord God
holy in your hearts.”
Put Christ first. No person, no
activity, no though or desire must occupy a greater
place of priority in any part of our lives than Jesus
Christ. 24/7/365
He needs to be the Lord of my family, finances, work,
inner thoughts and life—everything. If we live
that way, then in whatever life throws at us (even
death) we will testify of Him by the way we follow Him
through those circumstances.
Second,
Peter tells us to give an account of our hope, “with gentleness
and reverence.” That means not hitting people over the head
with our Bibles—pounding home our point and winning
arguments based on our “extensive” knowledge of God and
His word. We’re
all sinners and the people that we share our hope with
struggle in life just as we do. We’re not
superior to them. Its
only by God’s grace, as we go through the circumstances
of life, that we live with hope. Peter’s point
about “reverence” reminds us that we should be in awe of
God who is so gracious towards us.
“A ready defense” means preparation both of my life with God
and of my understanding of God. Without both
life and understanding, I will end up apologizing for
Jesus—weakly speaking of what I believe—lacking
credibility and conviction.
Paul writes,
“Be diligent to
present yourself approved to God as a workman who does
not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of
God” (2 Timothy 2:15).
To apologize
for our hope means that we are ashamed of our faith. It means that
we have not been diligent to do our “homework” as a
follower of Jesus.
Apologetics (the defense of Christianity) is
boldly giving a defense of what we believe which answers
the questions of God’s critics and ultimately brings
glory to Him. In
the context of my family, that means that as a father I
am able to speak credibly and intelligently of why I
believe and live as I do.
And, to challenge my children to follow Jesus as
they become who He has created them to be.
What is the
basis of what you believe and for how you live? Why do you
believe what you believe?
Can you articulate it? Or, is it
something you’ve backed into perhaps by growing up as a
Christian or by believing what others have told you? How does what
you believe effect how you live? How will you
pass your faith on to others if you are ashamed by your
lack of understanding and of how you’re living?
Let me
encourage you—do not compromise with the need for
personal preparedness and diligence. Get into God’s
word and study. Go
deep. Seek
His answers. Spend
quality time with Him in prayer. Engage in
discussion and study with fellow believers. Grab a good
book on theology or church history and read. Seek to
understand how others have grabbled with understanding
and living out their faith. Don’t
settle for something less than what God has for you. Be ready to
defend the basis for how you are living your life. To God be the
glory.