‘Always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame.’
• 1 Peter 3:15-16
Today’s culture is a challenging one to be a disciple of Christ in, we in a post-trust, social media saturated and cynical culture. There are more questions than there are answers and more answers given than there are hours in the day to examine whether or not those answers are true. How is a Christian to be a faithful witness in a whole in which it seems like everyone is an evangelist for their ‘truth’ and the noise of the world seems to be drowning out the message of the gospel?
In Peter’s first epistle he is writing to a church that had been moved into a world which had become hostile to the gospel. Families of Christians had been scattered across the Roman Empire and lived as diaspora, apart from their family and their covenant communities. These communities often were hostile to Christian beliefs and saw disciples as a threat to their way of life; it was a challenging time to be the Church. In this epistle Peter teaches them not just to live in the shadows but to continue a believer’s priestly duties to be the church and to bring God’s truth into the world around them. In today’s passage let us reflect on three things which may encourage us as we engage with the world around us.
1. Being prepared to make a defence for the hope in you.
In his letter, Peter is instructing the church on how to live as a priesthood of believers in an unbelieving world. He encourages all believers to prepare, not to simply survive trouble or to isolate themselves from future persecution but to prepare to give a defence for the hope of Christ in them. The word defence here is ‘apologia’ which is where we get the word ‘apologetics’ from which means to ‘give a defence/reply’. It’s not necessarily a need to learn apologetics, but it is a worthy exercise for a Christian to reflect on their hope in Christ regularly and to be prepared to share when the situation arises.
2. Yet do it with gentleness and respect.
Have you been told the phrase, ‘Do as I say but not as I do’? One of the pitfalls of witnessing to others is that our actions don’t match up to the message of our Lord Jesus. To give a defence of the gospel also requires a life in defence of the gospel. Are we speaking to others in gentleness and respect? Or are the passions of our dysfunctional nature still driving us, despite our good intentions? Let’s endeavour to match our preaching with our living.
3. Having a good conscience in spite of persecution.
Peter is also sober about the reality of living in contrast to the world around us. He does not present a false hope that witnessing in Christ would mean a carefree life. In fact, he assumes that slander and being reviled is an inevitability of a faithful Christian life. Our encouragement is not to be found in the praises of humans but in our conscience where we know we have been faithful to God.
All of us engage with the world whether through works, study or simply over the course of our daily living. Let’s be reminded to be a community that is ready to engage with others regarding our gospel hope, to witness well in our living and to know that our reward for faithful living is found not in merely the praises of others but in the conscience of knowing that we are known by our Heavenly Father and find enjoyment in glorying in Him.
「只要心裡尊主基督為聖。有人問你們心中盼望的緣由，就要常做準備，以溫柔、敬畏的心回答各人；存著無虧的良心，使你們在何事上被毀謗，就在何事上可以叫那污衊你們在基督裡有好品行的人自覺羞愧。」
——彼得前書 3:15-16
在現今世界的文化中，做主門徒是個大的挑戰。我們生活在一個「後信任」的時代：人們被社群媒體充斥包圍、憤世嫉俗甚至懷疑一切。問題似乎永遠多過答案，而答案又多到即使我們一天用24小時去思考，也難以分辨真假。在一個幾乎人人都在捍衛自己所信仰的「真理」的時代，真正的福音幾乎已被世界的喧囂淹沒，基督徒該如何去見證我們的信仰呢？
由於福音被抵擋，被仇視，彼得寫了第一封信給那些受逼迫的教會。許多基督徒因受到逼迫，流離失所，分散到羅馬帝國各地。他們生活在一個敵視基督信仰的社會裡，人們認為基督徒為他們的生活方式帶來了威脅。教會當時處境極為艱難。彼得教導他們不要活的像一個無聲無息的影子，鼓勵他們持守真理，見證信仰，並且要把神的福音真理帶進這個世界。
讓我們從三個方面來思考今天的經文，祂鼓勵我們基督徒應該如何在當今的世界中活出我們的信仰。
一、常做準備，持守「心中的盼望」
彼得在書信中告訴信徒如何在這個不信的世界中，活出一個敬虔的生命。他鼓勵我們做好準備：不是為了脫離困境，也不是為了逃離逼迫，而是做好準備可以持守住在主裡的盼望。
這裡所說的持守，原文是 apologia，意思是“答辯”或“申訴”，也是“護教學”一詞的來源。雖然不是每一個基督徒都需要去學習護教學，但是基督徒需要時常省察自己對「主的盼望」的認識，這對我們是有益的。一但機會來臨，我們要準備好為這個盼望作見證。
二、“以溫柔和敬畏的心回答各人”
你是否聽過一句話：「照我說的去做，不要考慮我所做的事」？這正是我們基督徒所做的最糟糕的生命見證：我們的生活方式和我們的基督信仰不一致。
若我們要持守我們的信仰，就必須用我們的生命去見證福音。我們能以溫柔和敬畏的心對待他人嗎？還是我們仍然被我們罪的本性所控制，儘管我們的意願是好的？我們需要一起努力，讓我們的生命活出我們所信的主 耶穌的樣式。
三、逼迫中「存無虧的良心」
彼得非常清楚地認識到：與我們所處的世界相比，生活是更現實的。他勸告信徒：我們所持守的不是一個虛假的盼望：為主作見證的生活並不是安逸的。彼得告誡我們：一個敬虔的基督徒在這個世界裡生活，一定會遭受謾罵和毀謗。但是我們所盼望的不是來自他人的稱讚，而是來自我們內心的良善：我們知道自己對神應該忠心。
我們都要「進入」這個世界，無論是工作、學習，或是日常生活。讓我們準備好：成為一個可以為福音盼望作見證的群體，在生活中活出基督耶穌的美好生命。並且深知我們的獎賞，不在於別人的讚美，而是來自那無虧的良心：因為我們知道我們的天父認識我們，我們是為榮耀祂而活，祂就是我們的喜樂。
