15But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
Sanctify- Set apart as holy. Used by pagans when they set certain building apart for religious usage.
Lord- kurios– master, the one who is to be obeyed.
“Set God apart in your hearts as the one who is your master, whom you will obey”.
That is the prerequisite to speaking to others about the hope that we have in God.
It doesn’t mean that if we haven’t consistently set God apart in our hearts that we should remain quiet when someone asks us about our hope.
But it does mean that the best way to live is to set God apart in your hearts as the One who is your Lord and Master, the One who you obey. Obedience to God is to be first place in our lives.
That better prepares and equips the Christian to speak about God, and the hope that we have in Him.
and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,
give a defense- apologia– (not apology, but defense) a legal term, which means to “talk off from”.
It was used of a lawyer who would talk to the judge, and get his client released from the charges.
Acts 22:1, 2 1“Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now.” 2And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. (Paul under arrest in Jerusalem)
Apologetics is the study of how to give a defense of Christianity.
Guzik- Peter knew how important it was to give a defense to everyone who asks you.
He was put on the spot in situations described in
Acts 2:14-39
Acts 3:11-26
Acts 4:8-12
Acts 5:29-32
In each situation, Peter relied on the power of the Holy Spirit and was able to give a defense.
- Like Stephen “And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.”
- Like Paul w/Felix “Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”
- Like Paul w/Festus “Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!” But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason.”
- Like Paul w/Agrippa “Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”
NOTE- Remember, that in this instance, these Christians were under attack, and the Christian faith was under attack.
These Believers were exhorted to speak up about the hope they had in Jesus.
They were to be ready to explain why they believed in Jesus.
They were to be internally setting Jesus apart as the One whom they lived for, obeyed, and trusted in.
They were to be prepared to speak about why they have faith in Jesus.
Reason- not a feeling, but a reason, a logical explanation. A Biblical explanation. Chapter & verse.
Christianity isn’t just emotional, but rational also.
It isn’t totally explainable by facts or science, or reason, but those elements do exist in the defense of the faith.
Ultimately, embracing Christ as Lord does require faith, but the Faith doesn’t lack reason or logic as object which lead one to believe.
Many Believers will testify of their feelings of why they believe, which isn’t wrong.
But we also ought to have a reason why we believe.
Word Studies- This attitude calls for an intelligent grasp of the hope and skill in presenting it.
In Athens every citizen was expected to be able to join in the discussion of state affairs.
This doesn’t mean that we all need to drop what we are doing and go to seminary.
But a main criticism of Christians is that they are unthinking and unreasoning people.
That we have a blind faith, based on nothing but emotion and superstition.
In Mexico, they hang garlic over the doors to keep out evil spirits.
I’ll bet that no one could tell you “why” that is done, in any kind of logical sense.
It is just done.
It is superstition.
The purpose of apologetics, giving a reason or a defense…
Is not to win an argument, but to hopefully see people realize the reasonableness of the Christian faith.
We are witnesses, not prosecuting attorneys.
Hope-
with meekness and fear-
Meekness- is not weakness, but power under control.
Matthew 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle (meek KJV) and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Jesus was meek, but He was not weak.
He had incredible power, but was gentle, and under the control of the Holy Spirit.
Fear- Not fear of those who were persecuting them.
Someone has said, “We fear God so little because we fear man so much.”
Instead, we are to have…
Fear of God in the idea of reverential fear towards God.
Believer’s Bible Commentary- To reverence the Lord means to make Him the Sovereign of our lives. All we do and say should be in His will, for His pleasure, and for His glory. The lordship of Christ should dominate every area of our lives—our possessions, our occupation, our library, our marriage, our spare time—nothing can be excluded.
Fear of self in “cautious self distrust”. Tenderness of conscience, vigilance against temptation knowing what we are capable of if we step away from the influence and power of the Holy Spirit.
Wardlaw- It is taking heed lest we fall; it is a constant apprehension of the deceitfulness of the heart, and of the insidiousness and power of inward corruption. It is the caution and circumspection which timidly shrinks from whatever would offend and dishonor God and the Savior”.
This kind of fear produces great reverence for God, and prevents pride and self righteous thinking in a man or woman’s heart.
This kind of fear prepares the Believer to be able to answer challengers and persecutors with the right kind of attitude.
16having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
The early Church was wrongly blamed for many things.
1. They were blamed for being promiscuous, since they had gathering called “agape feasts, or, love feasts”.
2. They were blamed for being cannibalistic.
John 6:53-56 53Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
These Believers were often defamed as evil doers.
The critics of Christianity, Christians, and the Bible, will find the faults of some and assign those faults to all of us.
We cannot prevent that.
But we are called to give no personal reason for someone to blame us of doing evil.
16Having a good conscience means- in the matter of which they speak against you.
Defame- speak evil of you- KJV
Those who revile- “to spitefully abuse, to insult, false accusation”.
those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
We are to live in such a way that when people wrongly accuse us, that they will be ashamed of their words, actions, attitudes against us.
17For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Christians suffer for different reasons.
Some suffer as a result of their own sins.
Others suffer because they are faithfully following Jesus.
Some Christians believe that they are persecuted for their faith when in actuality they are being rebuked for ungodly behavior.
1. Being pushy and insensitive with the gospel.
2. Being harsh in correcting others and about sin.
3. Being hypocritical in their behavior
4. Public display of condemnation at parades and civic events.
We can be acting in a supposed Christian way, but in actuality, we are hyper-spiritual, religious, and pharisaical.
Any opposition that comes from that is not “suffering for doing good”.
See 1 Peter 2:19, 20
It is expected that if we sin and suffer for it, that