Defending Faith: The Call to Apologetics

When we read 1 Peter 3:15, we realize that apologetics is our duty. It is our responsibility. We are the apologists. Now, you could be forgiven for thinking that maybe when it comes to apologetics and giving a defense of the faith and the hope that is within you, perhaps that is only for your pastor, maybe your youth pastor, someone that has gone to Bible college or seminary. We are going to hear from a professor of apologetics in the next session. Maybe it is only for people like that. But Peter was writing this letter to the church and he was writing it most likely to Jewish converts to Christianity living in a pagan setting. [00:03:08]

If the command to always be ready to give a defense for the hope that's within you was valid for them, these first century Christians living in a much more severe time than most Christians at least in the West are experiencing, how much more is that command and responsibility valid for you and me. Now, I know we do have brothers and sisters around the world who are experiencing persecution and we remember them and pray for them, but in Western countries, the United States, throughout Europe, even Australia, we are not experiencing some of the persecution that these Christians did early in the first century. [00:04:05]

I share this with you by way of encouragement that that conversation was one of the pieces in God's drawing me to Himself that ultimately led me to be sitting here today being able to talk to you. And so, God uses us in our weakness even when we don't give a great defense of the faith to bring people to saving faith. God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary purposes. [00:06:12]

This responsibility to always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is within us, this is not just our responsibility; it is a great privilege. It is a privilege that we have. Just consider the fact that the God of the universe has chosen to use people like you and me to give a defense of the faith and that He uses us even in small ways as the Great Commission is being fulfilled and worked out through local churches around the world. [00:07:01]

He is saying, "As you are going about this act of apologetics, do it without fear." Now, that sounds hard because if you have got to make a defense of the faith that is scary, and I will admit you get nervous when you have to do things like that. And nerves are okay, nerves are okay because it reminds you that we are weak and we need the Lord. So, it encourages us to pray. [00:08:47]

But we are learning here that we are not meant to do it with a fear of man because when your focus is on Christ you won't fear man. You won't fear man when you focus on Christ. But it is not just that we are focusing on Christ and focusing on God to take away this fear. Peter tells us that were thinking about Christ the Lord. And so, as we think about Christ actually being Lord, Him reigning, that helps take away much of the fear that we would ordinarily experience because ultimately it is Christ who reigns, not the one that is persecuting you. [00:08:59]

We have got more in this verse that I just want to focus on a little bit more this afternoon, and that is that we are to do it with gentleness and respect, with gentleness and respect. What is gentleness and respect? Well, I can tell you what it is not. It is not what we so often see on Twitter these days or what we see on Facebook, possibly what you experience in the schoolyard. If you have got siblings, I am sure you can think of times where you have not treated each other with gentleness and respect. [00:10:01]

But when we are talking to unbelievers about the faith, we are to do it with a gentle spirit, a respectful spirit. Why? Well, firstly because Jesus has commanded us to love our neighbors. So, we are doing this as an outworking of loving our neighbor. Now, if you are struggling perhaps to love someone that you are trying to give a defense of the faith to or is perhaps persecuting you or interrogating you for your faith, we are also told we are to love our enemies. [00:10:34]

And so, not only can you go about the task of apologetics without fear because your focus is on God, not on yourself, you are remembering that God is sovereign and so therefore He reigns, not those whom you are talking with. You are to do this with an attitude of gentleness and respect because you love these people and you are sharing the gospel with them. But again, we go back to the fact that Christ is Lord and to focus on His sovereignty, because when you truly understand that God is sovereign and He is the one that is drawing people to Himself, it enables you to have a peace, a peace and a calm when you are having these conversations. [00:12:00]

But as we understand the sovereignty of God, we realize that He calls us to be faithful. He is the one that will cause us to be fruitful. He calls us to offer proofs for the existence of God, proofs for the trustworthiness of Scripture, but He ultimately by the Holy Spirit is the one who persuades. And although you can confess your faith before men, He is the one that will convince men of the faith. So many, many lessons here in 1 Peter 3:15. [00:13:18]

And that is this: Is the hope of 1 Peter 3:15 truly in you? You see, I brought up the story of my friend when I was in high school who invited me to church, and as I said the Lord used that to draw me to Himself and I am thankful to call myself a Christian. But what I didn't tell you, if my memory serves me correct, I think it was a few short months after that that he denied the faith, stopped going to church, denied everything that he had been raised to believe. [00:15:56]

So, the most important question that you can ask is whether or not the hope of 1 Peter 3:15 is truly in you because if you are to be an apologist you have to be a Christian. A true apologist is a Christian. You see, Peter here is not saying, "Give a defense of the Christian faith." He is not saying, "Be able to articulate various points of doctrine." He is not saying that you have to always be ready to recite the Westminster Shorter Catechism. All of those things are wonderful things. No, he is saying you must always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is within you. [00:17:14]