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1 Peter 3:15
15 But [de] sanctify [hagiazo] the Lord [kurios] God [theos] in [en] your [humon] hearts [kardia]: and [de] be ready [hetoimos] always [aei] to [pros] give an answer [apologia] to every man [pas] that asketh [aiteo] you [humas] a reason [logos] of [peri] the hope [elpis] that is in [en] you [humin] with [meta] meekness [prautes] and [kai] fear [phobos]: KJV-Interlinear
15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; NASB
To sanctify, means to make holy, to bless, to consecrate, to purify, and therefore means to transform your soul from the sin nature state that it is in, to a holy state that it should be in, through doctrine.
Peter quotes from Isaiah 8.
Isa. 8:13
13 ‘It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. NASB
Here he replaces ‘the Lord of Hosts’ with ‘the Lord God’ as his reference to Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the living word. When we take into our souls, the word of God, through study and application to our daily lives, then we are in effect taking in Jesus Christ into our souls. A living source as opposed to a dead thing in the sin nature.
Bible doctrine is the truth, and truth is life. Anything else is not life and therefore a dead thing. If you have ever seen something or someone who is dead, then you understand that the dead have no life, and are empty, totally empty of everything. Anything from this world is dead, and therefore amounts to grand total of nothing.
Of the many reasons for you to grow up in your spiritual life, one certain reason is so that you will be able to answer any questions that may be asked of you. People may challenge you in doctrine, or they may simply ask a question out of curiosity.
The word here for answer, ‘apologia,’ means to answer formally before a judge. But Peter is making this response a general response, and therefore making it a casual answer in casual circumstances, but an answer from preparation, not from guesses.
You are not expected to quote scripture, or to list the ten points of a subject and identify each and why. That is too formal. Most folks, when they ask questions, are not interested in the nitty-gritty details or proofs of your aanswer, all they really want is something that makes sense.
Think of a child, when he or she asks a grown-up type of question. The simple answer is the best answer. The child cannot understand a PhD type of dissertation on a subject, and so too, a spiritually young individual just needs the basics, not some complicated answer.
If you have been studying doctrine for a while, then you are prepared, even if you do not know it.
In your lifetime, you will no doubt be challenged or inquired of, by many different folks, and the simple answer is usually the best answer.
And as Peter here suggests, answer in humility and respect (gentleness and reverence/meekness and fear). This is accomplished without arrogance and not challenging the beliefs of the other person. If more information is sought, then you can invite them to your study group, online study, or church, or wherever you assemble for your own personal study. There, they can begin their own study, and hopefully find the answers they are seeking.
Never close the door on a potentially positive person. Remember that Paul was a murderer before he became the primary writer of the New Testament. Jacob was a chiseler before his name was changed to Israel, the father of a nation. Moses committed murder before he ran off into exile, and later returned for the deliverance of a nation. Solomon was a womanizer. David had many wives, and made many mistakes.
None of us are perfect. Look in the mirror and you’ll see your own flaws. Perhaps they are not as dramatic, but you have flaws and you are not perfect.
God made room for you, therefore you have no right to prevent someone from doctrine, even if they challenge or ridicule you. Their eternal life is at stake even if they do not understand it.
But you understand, and God may well use you some day, for the purpose of bringing someone to doctrine and their spiritual life, and that is something that has eternal repercussions. What you say will impact them forever.
Therefore, promote doctrine, as God would want you to, not by defensiveness, not by arrogance, not with reservations, but with humble confidence and certainty.
Famous people of history have an impact on history, but that impact is transient and temporary. You could and probably will, have an impact through doctrine, on someone's life, and that impact will have eternal consequences.
Do your best to do it right. And if you study daily, then your preparation will help you to succeed.
