Ready to Give an Answer

Throughout Peter’s first epistle, the threat of persecution for his original readers in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire runs as an undercurrent, giving additional significance to each of his exhortations. He says in 1:6 that they “have been distressed by various trials,” references “the thing in which they slander you” in 2:12, and encourages them to “patiently endure” it when they “do what is right and suffer for it” for “this finds favor with God” in 2:20. Beginning in the second part of chapter 3 and continuing through chapter 4, this theme of suffering for the sake of righteousness leaps from the background to take center stage in Peter’s words. 

After a stirring exhortation to husbands and wives to live in fearless submission to God and each other for the sake of holiness and witness before a watching world in 3:1-7, Peter enjoins all believers to live in love toward one another, returning blessings when we are given evil (3:9). He emphasizes his words with those of David from Psalm 34:12-16, reminding us that the Lord turns His “eyes…toward the righteous” and “His ears attend to their prayer”—He watches over those who walk in His ways.

In that context, he rouses his readers to continue in their pursuit of holy living despite their circumstances. “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed” (3:13-14a). The obvious answer to Peter’s rhetorical question, based on the Scripture he has just quoted, is “Absolutely no one!” He echoes the message of Romans 8:31: “If God is for us, who is against us?” Even so, his readers faced (as multitudes have and still do face) fierce persecution.

This might be a paradox to us without interpreting these words in light of the full message of Scripture. From the Word, we know that we are not to fear “those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). We know that we serve the Lord of heaven and earth who “does not dwell in temples made with hands” (Acts 17:24), and (from earlier in this same letter) that we “are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God” (1 Pet. 2:5). From these passages, we can see that Peter is reminding his readers that ultimate reality is spiritual in nature—that it is a blessing to suffer for God’s name in this life and that no one can cause ultimate harm, even if one is tortured or killed for Christ’s sake.

Immediately from this, we see the Spirit-directed response to persecution. “And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled” (3:14b). How many times throughout Scripture are we commanded not to fear? Most sources I could find referenced well over 300 times we are told “do not fear,” “fear not,” “have no fear,” or some other construction of the same idea. Clearly God is communicating that fear of anyone or anything other than Him is not becoming to His followers.

Peter goes further than commanding us not to fear, enjoining us to turn from fear to confidence and continuing in the work of Christ with boldness. “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (3:15). This passage, for generations the rallying cry to evangelism and apologetics, sits squarely in the midst of Peter’s discourse on how Christians ought to live in the face of persecution. Peter makes it plain that the opposite of fear is obedience to the calling with which we were called.

This key command of the passage begins with the absolutely necessary step of sanctifying Christ as Lord in our hearts. This is not about anything we do for Christ (as if we could add to His holiness) but rather a further statement of what He has done and continues to do for us. Because He is the Lord, we need to place our fear correctly (as Matt. 10:28)—we need to reverence Christ above the fear of man and submit to His authority above all others. When we have re-aligned our priorities, setting our hearts to listen to Him alone, then we can obey actively, proclaiming His truth.

Peter describes our witness as “a defense” (the KJV renders this as “answer”), which is translated from the Greek apologia, the root of our words “apology” and “apologetics”. This has the connotation of a legal plea or courtroom defense—not something one offers up unprompted, but certainly something of importance to be delivered with passion. Our “defense” is somewhat passive in that we are to be at the ready with it to respond to “everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you,” but when the question is asked, we should hold forth as though life itself depended upon it, because it does. This is not meant to be taken as a reason to avoid active (unprompted) evangelism—many other scriptures bear that out (Matt. 28:19, Rom. 10:14-15, etc.)—but rather an encouragement to always be prepared, “in season and out of season” (1 Tim. 4:2), to preach the Gospel when God places people in our path that need to hear it.

The defense we are to give is on account of “the hope that is in you.” In context, this hope is the same “living hope” to which we are born again (1 Pet. 1:3) and which is borne out in our lives as we live out our salvation. Such eternal hope shines brightest when we have the least reason to hope in anything of this life. In the face of persecution, Peter knew that his readers would be held fast by God’s grace and that the submission and strength they showed under duress would confuse and intrigue their persecutors. It is then, when we have every reason to despair but hope in Christ nevertheless, that our defense is made for His glory. Peter further exhorts his readers to deliver this defense “with gentleness and reverence”—the goal is not vindication in the world’s eyes but obedience to the end that God may be praised, even by those who persecute us. Our defense is really not about us at all, but about God who redeemed us by the blood of His Son. This is the reason for our hope.

In addition to being ready to answer for our hope, Peter gives us another area of active obedience as a believer’s response to feelings of fear. “And keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong” (3:16-17). In essence, he says that we ought to proclaim the Gospel and we ought to back it up by living as though it were true. We ought to live in such a way that those who would persecute us for the sake of Christ will be put to shame by our Christ-like character.

In restating the theme of 2:19-20, he reminds us again that suffering for wrongdoing is the natural order but that suffering for righteousness finds favor with God and turns heads on earth. Paul wrote that “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those of us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18) and that the message of “Christ crucified” was “to the Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness” (1 Cor. 1:23). That message embodied in one who shares in the sufferings of Christ, patiently enduring unjust punishment, is so counterintuitive to the world’s way that it cannot be ignored. Just as the cross itself, such obedience is a stumbling block to some and foolishness to others, but all who witness it are moved. It has been written that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church—the power of God manifested in their obedience to the same Word they faithfully proclaim is a powerful message indeed. In suffering for the sake of righteousness, believers are truly blessed and God is truly glorified.

As we will see in the coming chapters, the road of suffering is not for a select few, but is the calling of all believers. May we be ready with an answer for our hope when our time comes.

Justin Lonas is editor of Disciple Magazine