The Hope That Lies Within

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The Hope That Lies Within

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:14 ESV

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

Devotion

          This verse is often cited as the proof text for apologetics. It is much more than just that. It is an appeal to testify to the life that Christ has placed within the believer. The work of the Holy Spirit within the believer to make them always prepared to give reason (defense) to anyone who asks you what is the reason for the hope that lies withing a believer’s heart.

          Peter begins the verse by encouraging believers to honor Christ as Lord of their lives and to treat Christ’s presence in their hearts as holy. The believer is to prepare to answer those who question the hope that lies within their hearts ahead of time.

           It is interesting that Peter chooses the word hope in the Greek elpis rather than the word faith. Peter is telling Christians that they will be questioned because their lives should be measurably different from the unbelieving world. As this commentator states “Peter must be assuming that the inward hope of Christians results in lives so noticeably different that unbelievers are prompted to ask why they are so distinctive (cf. 4:4). Christians therefore should always be ready (prepared) to give an answer. Paul provides a good example of seizing the offensive and bearing testimony to Christ even when on trial himself (Acts 22:1–21; 24:10–24; 26:1–23, 25b–29). In hostile situations the opportunity for witness to Christ often comes unexpectedly; the Christian who is not always ready to answer will miss it”[1]

          We see that when we are confronted with objections to our Christian hope, we are to maintain our composure and keep our wits about us that we may give a good accounting the hope that lies within. This hope is our very bedrock conviction that we have salvation through the name of Jesus. We must be ready to explain why we believe, while at the same time doing that with gentleness and respect. Gentleness here is in opposition to harshness, and respect is a “profound respect and awe for deity— ‘reverence, awe.”’[2] It is important that we as Christians discuss our faith with unbelievers in such a way that it brings glory to God. That those who see that we have a reasonable answer to the questions of the hope that we have in Jesus. Our defense of the faith is the most important job we have to do as believers. We are to do it out of love for those who seek to contradict the faith. Wishing them to come to a knowledge of the truth we have in Jesus. Let us pray for readiness to share the Gospel with those outside the faith.

Prayer

          Holy Lord help us to learn more and more about the faith we have in Christ Jesus, so that we might be prepared to offer a reasoned explanation of that hope that we hold so dear. Teach us to be gentle and respectful as we deal with outsiders. Hoping to convince them that our hope in Christ is not in vain but rather a reasonable response to the fact of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. O Lord give us the words to say when it comes our turn to witness for your name. Amen.


[1] Wayne A. Grudem, 1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 17, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 161.

[2] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 540.

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