Scripture of the Month
June, 2004
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”-I Peter 3:15
We learned how to live in harmony—be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, and be humble—among one another within a church last month. This month we will learn how to live among the nonbelievers, including those who oppose our faith to those who persecute. Paul said that if we are eager to do good, chances are slim people would harm us. Even if they persecute for no reason, we count it as blessed—the same word Jesus used in the Beatitudes, which means “happy”.
Before he tells us why we should be happy, Paul first reminds us that our hearts should be set apart Christ as Lord. When we read this verse, we seldom read the first sentence. But it is important to know the more attacks that come from the world the more we need to live a “set apart” life. Christians overcome “fear” from the world by living a sanctifying (make separate from others) life. Paul emphasizes that to live a different life from others is by having Christ as Lord. A sanctifying life is a conscious choice rather than a passive enrollment. You don’t accidentally fall into this kind of living. When we do that, we would be looked upon as “weird.” That’s the time we should be “happy” because it gives us the opportunity to explain our hope.
Therefore we should always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. Be prepared means to get ready. It serves us well to have our personal testimony ready at all times so that we can share with others our Faith. Our Faith hangs on the hope that we have. The hope that this world cannot provide. It is our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ that we can live a “set-apart” life. The Greek word for “ the reason” is apologian, in which the English word apology came from. The word Apologetics is often being misrepresented. It gives Christians a wrong impression that we should “argue” about our faith. Let’s be certain that we can never bring a person to heaven by argument. This is as if we are saying, “I’m sorry that you disagree with me and the way I live my life, but the reason is that I have this hope in me that rests on Jesus Christ.” Not only should we not “argue,” Paul reminds us that we should give our reason with gentleness and respect. Our testimony should not be given in an arrogant manner but with gentleness as “seasoned with salt” and respect in a non-degrading attitude.
