So what do you think?
Will our theology be better if we are obeying God?
- less defending
- more listening
- more learning
- more humility
I mean, really, do we think that God’s message and our ability to comprehend what he is telling us is so disconnected to our lives that we can trample the basic principles of love and kindness and still hope to grasp the “deep” truths of God?
Could we be so steeped in our intellectual bias that we are blind to the living quality of the living words?
Here is our big apologetic verse, our lynchpin so to speak:
(1 Peter 3:15 ESV) but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
lynchpin – a central cohesive source of support and stability
TWO THINGS:
- We might want to take some time to allow the words of this verse to sink into our hearts. We bow before Christ the Lord in our hearts as we acknowledge his holiness. Our preparation is to answer a question that is being asked about the hope within us. Something is going on in our lives that draws the person’s attention past the conflict of this world.
- And what might that be? We might want to take some time to allow God to set the context with the previous verses.
1 Peter 3:8-14 GW
Finally, everyone must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble.
(9) Don’t pay people back with evil for the evil they do to you, or ridicule those who ridicule you. Instead, bless them, because you were called to inherit a blessing.
(10) “People who want to live a full life and enjoy good days must keep their tongues from saying evil things, and their lips from speaking deceitful things.
(11) They must turn away from evil and do good. They must seek peace and pursue it.
(12) The Lord’s eyes are on those who do what he approves. His ears hear their prayer. The Lord confronts those who do evil.”
(13) Who will harm you if you are devoted to doing what is good?
(14) But even if you suffer for doing what God approves, you are blessed. Don’t be afraid of those who want to harm you. Don’t get upset.
This is another of those passages that I had one of those “aha” moments. Look at the lifestyle which is described in the verses preceding the “big one” on apologetics.
Another “this is not rocket science” passage.
Can we learn that we display hope in verses 8-14, and we are exhorted to explain the reason for the hope in verse 15?
So what do you think? Will our theology, our apologetics, be better if we are honoring God with lives of obedience?
How about replacing winning the argument with compassion and humility? Maybe ditch the ridicule and pay back for blessing. Now wait a minute, who came up with that? Oh, that’s right, God did!
Is there possibly an outside chance that if we listen to God and do things his way that he might touch us with his goodness in the very deepest parts of our lives? And enough so that whatever is happening deep inside of us because God is moving and shaking in the foundations and tunnels of our innermost being that a flickering, a glimpse of his glory, a little hope escapes the clay pot, a little flash of hope gleams in the eye of our friend?
And then, she might have a question for us concerning those flashes of God-light and that is where Peter tells us to be ready with an answer.
I think I’m on to something here. 🙂
(2 Corinthians 4:6 MSG) It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.
