‘But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,’ – 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
Did you know the Mona Lisa is one of the most protected paintings in the world? It is housed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, behind bulletproof glass, with 24-hour security, surveillance cameras, and a specially controlled environment. All of this is because it is not just a painting. It is a symbol of history and culture, and it is treated like something priceless.
Similarly, the value of the Christian faith is inestimable. The treasure of eternal life founded in Christ Jesus is what Apostle Paul describes as a gain that outweighs all other things he had achieved in life. (Philippians 3:7-8).
From the Parable of the Field, we see that salvation comes through hearing the true message of our faith. This message must be based on the Word of God and believed in the heart of the listener (Romans 10:17).
Thus, if the integrity and accuracy of the message is key to receiving salvation, our desire to protect it reveals the extent of our belief in its promise of salvation. We should not adopt a biased or neutral stance against defending the faith, as it’s part of our obligation and an instruction in the Word of God to do so (Jude 1:3).
Also, contending for the faith is a form of love practised through evangelism. As a believer who claims to love the Lord, your desire to teach the faith reveals your love for Him (John 21:15-18). Love is not letting people have their way in holding onto false doctrines. We must show compassion for the many people that will be led astray, and if we do not contend, falsehood would hold sway.
Consequently, learning to defend the faith enables us to be more effective in evangelism. How do we know to correct false doctrines if we do not know or understand what we believe? We see an example in Aquila and Priscilla defending the accuracy of the faith because they understood the truth (Acts 18:24-26).
Our anchor text emphasises sanctifying the Lord in our hearts, and one way to practice this is by learning to defend the person of God. We do this by defending His Lordship above anything that seems like a contrary ideology and making known His rightful place.
Every believer is being taught to be equipped for ministry (Ephesians 4:12). This begs the question: How is your ministry? If we believe Jesus is the only way to eternal life, then it is a matter of life and death to defend the faith. However, we must ensure that we teach the truth in love, firmly, consistently, and respectfully.
Bible Reading Plan: Psalm 78, 2 Corinthians 12:20 -21; 13:1-14