THE REASON OF OUR HOPE

“Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a REASON of the HOPE that is in you with, meekness and fear” – 1 Peter 3:15b

Believers in Christ Jesus must be equipped on the REASON of OUR HOPE: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a REASON of the HOPE that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Pet.3:15). Our deliverance from the dominion of Sin and Satan is a good reason to rejoice and keep hope alive. There are events that occur in life and news that come, which are just too good to keep to ourselves. With beaming faces, we tell even complete strangers why we are excited and happy. It could be the safe delivery of a new baby, a long-awaited promotion, or a clean bill of health after a long bout with sickness. Our Hope in Christ ought to be like that, too. In Christ we have found Hope. We should display so much of it that strangers ask us why, as we radiate a joy that requires explanation.

First, Peter gives wise instructions on how to grow in grace and live in harmony with brethren (v.8). He then encourages us to guard our hearts and speech and to turn from evil and do good (vv.9-10). We are to seek peace and pursue it, be sanctified unto God and live godly in Christ Jesus – which is the Father's will for all His children (vv.11-13). We are called to be holy even as our heavenly Father is holy and to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts. Above all, as the elect of God who are set apart unto Him, no matter our location or circumstances in life, we should be ready to answer anyone who asks us about our faith in Christ and our trust in God – equipped to talk of the Grace of God that gives salvation to whosoever wills.

We are encouraged to properly prepare and be readily inclined to give a Defence of the Gospel of Grace in which we stand, and an Answer for the Blessed Hope in our hearts; to share the glorious Hope that we have in Christ Jesus our Saviour. In the previous verse, Peter instructs Christians not to fear those who cause them to suffer for the sake of Christ. In this verse, he reveals how believers should choose to respond, instead. Essentially, we should set aside our hearts as the place where Christ is fully honoured as Lord. Although, we as believers already know Jesus as the Lord of all, we need to focus intently on Christ's role as our Master, and to live by this truth in all cases, even in suffering, being called to full submission to Christ.

Setting apart Christ as Lord changes us; and observers will notice the difference. That difference is HOPE. Even in the midst of trials, our hopefulness should be apparent through the readiness to answer the question our life should inspire: "How can you be so hopeful in such difficult situations?" People will definitely become curious because hopefulness and joy are starkly different from the normal human response to trials. People will be eager to understand it. We must therefore be prepared to make the case for faith in Christ. Believers should openly share the good news of redemption through faith in Christ.

Finally, it matters how we make that case for Christ. We must present it with gentleness of spirit – meekness and grace. Christians are not called to condemn those who are curious about our hopefulness or to be dismissive, harsh, vindictive, vengeful, or insulting to those who disagree. Rather, we should explain our faith firmly, but with gentleness and respect.

The ultimate Reason for our Hope is that: “Jesus has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies. He’s standing alongside God, and what He says goes” (v.22, The Message Bible). Our Hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ Blood and Righteousness – His death, Resurrection, and Glorification!