A Reason for Our Hope
“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…” (1 Peter 3:15)
This is a verse of scripture that has always intrigued me. Peter’s letter was written to Christians who had been scattered under persecution. What, I wonder, might be the context in which they might be asked to explain the reason for their hope? Most communities in those days probably would have been small enough for a stranger to be noticed. Since the reason for their arrival would soon be known, Peter presumes that there is every possibility that the curiosity of their new neighbours will be aroused. While that might not be the same in our context, the issue of being ready to articulate something about our faith remains as important today wherever we live.
It is also interesting that Peter presumes that it is “their hope” that will be the focus of curiosity. This is the fifth time that Peter has used this wod. In his first reference (1 Peter 1:3) he refers to regeneration into a living hope through the resurrection of Christ. Because Jesus rose from the dead, he demonstrated his Messiahship and divine nature, but this also gives us the expectation that one day we too will rise and live with him forever. It was such an expectation, or hope, that enabled early Christians to endure persecution.
This then is the reason for their hope, as is also explained in 1 Peter 1:13 and 21. The other reference Peter makes about hope was to talk about the character of Christian wives. While some find such veres as (1Peter 3:5) controversial it does bring home to us all that people will make judgements about our faith by how we relate and behave towards one another. It was also for this reason that Peter writes about the manner in which we explain our hope, or our faith in Christ (see verse 16).
I am occasionally asked why I moved from Sussex to the East Midlands. An easy and simple answer would be to state that it was to do with my work, but the real reason is that I believed that God was calling me here. The real reason for that is because Jesus Christ gave his life for me, I have felt it right to surrender my life to do his will. There is absolutely no reason why I should be embarrassed or afraid to tell people that.
While it is unlikely that anyone in the general culture of the UK would ever ask about your hope in God, it ought not to be unusual or surprising if they asked something about the way we behave. For example, “I notice you never use bad language, why is that?” But this begs the question whether our lives are attractively and noticeably different from the way others behave. I emphasise the word “attractively”. This is another point that Peter makes. Our response should be with gentleness and respect.
One way by which I try to bring God and Jesus into the conversation is to make reference to the fact that I go to church. For example, I might be able to say, “Someone made a similar remark at church last Sunday!” When new people move into the street I offer to give them the names of good local churches if they are interested. Just such a comment provoked my most recent new neighbour to reveal that she was also a Christian. Now the neighbour we have between us has two neighbours praying for him!
Times may have changed since Peter wrote his letter, but human needs remain the same. People in the communities in which we live, shop and work, are deeply loved by a God who gave his life for their salvation. Helping them to discover that kove and a personal relationship with God is the best thing we could ever do for them. So, let's make sure that there is something attractive about how we live, and then be ready to explain it with gentleness and respect. Where we live, and the communities in which we move are God’s gift to us, and an opportunity for sharing good news. Let’s “be prepared”.
Barry Osborne 18the September 2021
