If someone were to ask you about the reason for your faith, what would you say?
A critical verse that provides us with some guidance is 1 Peter 3:15: “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…”
The word “defense” in Greek is “apologia.” It sounds like “apology,” but that wasn’t the original meaning. It means “to make a reasoned argument.”
But a reasoned argument about what? Peter goes on to specify “the hope that is in you.” In other words, he was encouraging his readers—both then and now—to deliberately think about how they would articulate the hope that they have because of Jesus.
Today I’d like to encourage you to think about the hope that you have because of Jesus. When people ask us about our faith, or why we might have any reason to hope, it certainly helps if we have thought about it ahead of time!
I truly believe that many people in our day are suffering from an existential crisis of hope. Picture someone trudging through the desert on their knees. They haven’t had anything to eat or drink in days. Their clothes are tattered. They look like a zombie from a walking dead movie. All they need is one glass of water.
That’s like hope.
Give some thought to how you would explain the hope that you have because of Jesus. These days, it just might be someone’s water in the desert.
Notes:
-“A real definition of hope (1 Peter 3:8-22)” Sermon. Click here.
-Bible quotes are from the ESV.
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