1 Peter 3: Be Prepared

^“15 But in your hearts revere 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, ¹⁶ keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” -1 Peter 3:15-17

As people who follow Jesus, we will naturally have people who question why we worship a guy who claimed to return from the dead, walked on water, and made sick people well. How we handle these questions, whether there are sincere or in spite, often speak volumes about the depth of our faith.

Peter was not a person we would consider a scholar, but he knew what was important in responding to spiritual questions. Of utmost importance was to “revere Christ as Lord.” This would include much more than believing Jesus, but also a life of worshiping him.

Second, Peter challenged readers to be prepared to answer those who ask about our hope in Christ. Again, this was not intended to spark formal debates or PhD students in theology, but was designed to help believers understand they must be ready to share why they came to faith in Jesus.

Third, a Christian’s life should match their beliefs. Peter was a doer, not just a talker. He walked with Jesus and despite his failures, continued to teach the message of Jesus until dying for his faith years later.

If we could live a lifestyle of worship, answer the questions people have about our faith with grace, and live what we believe, many more people would be compelled to follow our example. In many cases we are the only Bible people will read. Let’s make sure they’re getting the right story.

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Dillon Burroughs is the author and coauthor of numerous books and is handwriting a copy of all 31,173 verses of the Bible at HolyWritProject.com. Find out more about Dillon at Facebook.com/readdB or readdB.com.