1 Peter 3:15 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,
As we do good in situations that are difficult, we must be ready to give a reason for why we do good. We do good not because we want people to think highly of us but because Christ is our Lord. Our motive is because we want to please our master. We serve a higher authority than any master, boss, leader, or authority in this world. The word for “revere” is related to sanctify or set aside. Jesus is to be the one we set aside from everyone and everything else to be first in our lives. When we are abiding in him and he is us, we will be better prepared to give answer for the hope that he brings to us.
This verse is related to verses 13-14 and the idea of suffering for doing good. How we live is our testimony of who is master of our life. People may ask us about why we live good lives or why we are different than other people. Our consistent lifestyle will point to Jesus. When people ask us about this, we can point them to Jesus.
We do not necessarily need to be “aggressive” in our testimony but consistent and positive. Peter uses the words “gentleness” and “respect.” This type of approach will win people over more quickly than a strong sermon condemning them. Sin must be pointed out, but the Holy Spirit will do this through the discipleship process. A positive response of faith will lead to repentance. Believers are called to love the world like God. We can only do that when we walk as Jesus walked.
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