Our Job: Giving an Answer
April 12, 2011
Dear Friends,
In the first epistle of Peter, the Apostle states,
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 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (3:15,16 NIV)
If our job is to get as many people into the Kingdom of God as possible, then it stands to reason, we must be able to give an answer for our faith. However, the correct interpretation of this verse may be slightly different than we have traditionally heard it. The context of this verse is not preaching per se, but the persecution of brethren for their good behavior. They were practicing their faith to the extent that they stood out in the society in which they lived. To practice one’s faith sounds harmless enough unless you understand that this was a time in which Christians were an illegal sect. To do good works such that you were distinguished as a believer in Jesus Christ was to be put in danger of being dragged into court and, if convicted, tortured to death.
The history behind this verse is more than likely the persecutions under Emperor Nero. The historian Tacitus writes concerning this time period in his book Annals,
Therefore, to stop the rumor [that he had set Rome on fire], he [Emperor Nero] falsely charged with guilt, and punished with the most fearful tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were [generally] hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of that name, was put to death as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea, in the reign of Tiberius, but the pernicious superstition – repressed for a time, broke out yet again, not only through Judea, – where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also, whither all things horrible and disgraceful flow from all quarters, as to a common receptacle, and where they are encouraged. Accordingly first those were arrested who confessed they were Christians; next on their information, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much on the charge of burning the city, as of “hating the human race.” In their very deaths they were made the subjects of sport: for they were covered with the hides of wild beasts, and worried to death by dogs, or nailed to crosses, or set fire to, and when the day waned, burned to serve for the evening lights. Nero offered his own garden players for the spectacle, and exhibited a Circensian game, indiscriminately mingling with the common people in the dress of a charioteer, or else standing in his chariot. For this cause a feeling of compassion arose towards the sufferers, though guilty and deserving of exemplary capital punishment, because they seemed not to be cut off for the public good, but were victims of the ferocity of one man.
In this context, Peter says “always be prepared.” Not only are we to be prepared with an answer, we are to be prepared – that is have an expectation – of persecution. Peter asks the rhetorical question “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?” (v. 13) The answer is that there aren’t many people who will repay evil for good, but there are some. Look at Jesus! Here was the world’s only morally perfect human being and yet he was tortured to death for doing good works and teaching the truth. We need to be prepared to face the same IF we are doing enough good so as to get noticed in the first place.
Notice that Peter says to give “an answer” not “THE answer.” If we take the position that our answer is “the one and only answer”, can we truly be said to be presenting our answer with “gentleness and respect?” I doubt it. How many of us in conversations with people have made the made of presenting our point of view with an arrogant “my position is right and you are an idiot” approach? I know that I have been guilty of that more than once. Few people have been argued into belief in the Gospel. We can win people with our argument, but the presentation of the argument is nearly as important as the argument itself. The idea is to win people for Christ, not to win an argument. We need to leave our egos out of it. We need to understand that conviction in the rightness of our position is not necessarily coupled assertiveness of that position. When we present our answer in a Christ-like manner, it really doesn’t matter how people react. They can ridicule us. They can slander us. They can treat us badly. We only need present them with our perspective and respect them if they disagree. This is all God asks of us.
How many of us give an answer for the hope we have but it is not truly our answer? What I mean is, how many of us have an answer that is simply a repetition of something we have heard someone else say without giving much thought the answer? This is fine for someone who is fairly new to the faith. Over time, though, we must move past recitation of other people’s thoughts and make it our own faith. Once we have made our faith our own, we won’t be reticent about giving an answer. It will become second nature to us. Coupled with our lifestyle, the presentation of our own personal thoughts and feelings about our hope becomes very compelling such as to gain people for the Kingdom of God.
Have a great week,
Comments»
Good post, Kyle. I appreciate your attention to the finer details of the intention of the meaning. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:2