1 Peter chapter 3 that we we get the word apologetics uh from 1 Peter chapter 3 uh there in verse 15 that famous verse um where Peter tells us to always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us the reason for the hope that is in us and that that reason response that he tells us to give in the Greek is apologia.
Um and so apologetics is really a transliteration um of a word rather than a translation. Kind of like deacon, right? Deacon is not a translation of a word. It’s a transliteration of diaonos. Um and sometimes sometimes that can that can be um confusing. We do that when we do that. But um in this case sometimes it’s confusing for people cuz apologetics we hear apology um and unless you know you have some classical training and unless you you know have have have done some some Greek and Latin in in your education um apologies sounds
like something we don’t want to be doing. Right. And I yeah, I’ i’ve heard preachers even go off on the apologist, you know, because we don’t need to be apologizing for the gospel, right? Um but an apology is a reasoned response. Okay. Um that that’s that that’s what the word means. But in order to grab uh what’s happening there in 1 Peter 3:15, we need to put it in some context.
Um, and so the key text there, 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. Um, there’s some keys here to Peter’s admonition. Um, first, his admonition is for for every believer.
His admonition is for every believer. We’ll make that clear as we go through. It has nothing to do with creating an elite special forces brand of Christian. Um, it is rooted in the context of humility, holiness, and suffering. Th this is what you’re going to discover. And this is why instead of just dealing with that verse, we’re we’re going to deal with this this whole section here so that you can see I want you to see clearly what Peter is doing here because it it’s a gamecher.
Okay? It’s a complete gamecher when you see what he’s doing here. Um and it it ought to be a natural part of our Christian walk. Um, there’s a lost paragraph. There’s a paragraph that we often don’t think of. And the reason I call it the lost paragraph is because it it comes before the well-known apologetics paragraph.
And that’s um chapter 13 uh verse verses 13-1 17, right? That’s the apologetic paragraph. And we know that paragraph, right? And it comes right before that. But it also comes right after the well-known marriage paragraph. 1 Peter 3 1-7. Right? So, if you ask, you know, and I’m not talking about new Christians.
