What Does 1 Peter 3:15 Mean?
Our Hope Is Not in Apologetics
But in your hearts honor 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; yet do it with gentleness and respect. —1 Peter 3:15
This familiar verse, often marshaled by apologetics ministries, is stunning yet frequently misused.
The inspirational aspects of the text include the possibility of no fear, persistence in defending our hope, and the privilege of honoring the Lord Jesus. However, the text is often misused when the second half the verse is broken off from the first half to serve as a proof text for a rational defense of Christianity—“always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”
1–2 Peter and Jude
Jonathan K. Dodson
This study looks at the letters written by Peter and Jude to churches, encouraging them to persevere in the midst of trials and look ahead to the return of Christ.
How is the verse misused? When lifted out of context, the text appears to be primarily about making a reasonable defense of the faith. Apologists will quip, “Always be ready to make a defense for the faith,” suggesting that the average Christian needs to be a trained apologist.
But notice Peter says we should defend “the hope that is in you.” While faith and hope have similarities, Peter is not asking us to defend a theological repository of Christian belief. Rather, he is exhorting persecuted Christians to live in such a way that their hope provokes questions about their faith.
While rational explanations of our beliefs are certainly in view, the occasion for our defense is a transrational, pulsating hope in the Lord Jesus. There is something more mystical at work here than apologetics.
This mystical emphasis also appears in the first half of the verse, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy . . . ” Peter is as concerned about our heart work—“in your hearts” and “hope in you”—as he is our mental work. In fact, by setting Jesus apart in our hearts, not just good arguments, fear of persecution is displaced.
A closer look at the verse reveals that the word for “honor as holy” means sanctify, and it is the only command in the entire verse. Moreover, in Greek, “Lord” is thrown to the front of the verse for emphasis. What does this mean?
Peter is exhorting oppressed Christians to respond to attacks, not with mere reason, but with the Lord Christ sanctifying our hearts.
It means that Peter is exhorting oppressed Christians to respond to attacks, not with mere reason, but with the Lord Christ sanctifying our hearts. When we experience the holy presence of Christ in our lives, he drives out fear.
When someone asks me a question about the faith that I don’t have a good answer for, it will rattle me unless the Lord Jesus is taking up holy ground in my heart. However, if I am honoring good apologetics in my heart, I am more inclined to feel defeated if I don’t have a good answer or self-righteous if I do. What we hallow in our hearts makes all the difference.
Peter notes that the hope that is in you—the sanctifying Lord—leads to a defense that is done with “gentleness and respect.” But when our hope is in robust apologetics, we will be tempted to respond in “unkindness and disrespect.” We might win the argument but lose the person.
In conclusion, we should certainly use reason to defend our hope, but not reason alone. Rather, we should strive to set apart the Lord Christ in our hearts, making our hope more visceral, so that when others inquire about our faith, they receive an informed, gentle, and dignifying response.
Jonathan K. Dodson is the author of 1–2 Peter: A 12-Week Study.
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