Sunday 18 April
youtu.be/Nz2T1r6pBO0 |
1 Peter 3:13-18
Called to be a good witness for Christ I became a Christian over 40 years ago. Back then, where I lived there was more suspicion about atheism than there was about Christianity. It has certainly flipped today. A few years ago, in Scotland we saw the now failed attempts to enforce the so-called Named Person Scheme that would have categorised Christians as religious fundamentalists which the named people should be naturally suspicious of and if you were Christians who home schooled that was two black marks against you and so on. Of course, there are people who think science has all the answers and that it alone is credible; whereas faith is abstract or blind in their opinion. Richard Dawkins published a letter called “Devil’s Chaplain.” In it he says, ‘Next time somebody tells you something that sounds important, think to yourself: ‘Is this the kind of thing that people probably know because of evidence? Or is it the kind of thing that people only believe because of tradition, authority or revelation?’ And next time somebody tells you that something is true, why not say to them: ‘What kind of evidence is there for that?’ And if they can’t give you a good answer, I hope you’ll think very carefully before you believe a word they say. If you want evidence for the scriptures, or events in them, then there are far more copies and non-Christian historical writings that back them up than for example to prove that Julius Caesar ever existed – there are a number of eminent atheists who explored the resurrection records and became Christians when they saw how much evidence in fact that there was. (Anthony Flew, C.S. Lewis, Francis Collins, Peter Hitchins {brother of Christopher}, and indeed Alastair McGrath to name but a few). My own experience of Dawkins is that he projects his own blind faith by insisting that there cannot be a God far more than any clever science or rationale. He is willing to believe in anything other than God – even aliens… and where is his evidence for them? So why are we having this introduction today then? Well, the middle part of verse 15 says that we are to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have’. That’s right, we need to know why we believe what we believe AND be able to explain it to others who are interested OR hostile to Christian faith. Now I suspect that some of us will be conflict avoiders or less confident of arguing about their belief in God with others. However, in Luke 1 verses 11 and 12 we are told, “When you are brought before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” This is one of the primary reasons why we do Bible study or come under God’s word preached each Sunday – to learn the deep things of the Christian faith in order that we can defend ourselves, and our faith, and be good witnesses for the kingdom of God. So, in order for us to always be prepared, our commitment to these things is vital. You can be sure that most of the time those who oppose Christianity will have only one side of the argument. Therefore, it is our duty and privilege to provide the other. There is a danger though in having knowledge but relying on that alone. The Holy Spirit’s help is perfect for every situation. So, we also need to learn to listen to the Spirit too. The giving an answer in our verses comes from the Greek word Apologion which is the root of our English word apologetics. In Christian apologetics we reason truthfully and defend our faith. Paul tells us here to be prepared to reason in order that we can give good reasons for the hope of living faith in Jesus Christ that we enjoy. All this is great but there are three conditions that are also important. In verse 15 and16 it says, But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience. Now you might use this to avoid having to stand on the street and preach the gospel, but there is a place for that too. Bearing in mind our witness is affected by our behaviour, so when our faith is being attacked, we in turn might become defensive or over assertive – this here then is the call for a gentle tone and spirit. We need to be better, less aggressive, less defensive than those who want to mock us or slaughter us or our faith. As well as those people there will be people who are genuinely asking us about our belief in God. They may be a bit sceptical or curious, but gently leading them on in their understanding is a real privilege. At the stage when someone sees living faith in you and begins to realise their own need of forgiveness and grace, this is the most blessed of moments where we can gently nudge them nearer to the finish line. It is unspeakably amazing when they go there. There will be times though when the other person may show you little or no respect, but as Christians showing respect to them, even if they do not deserve it is a requirement. That might mean agreeing with them, acknowledging parts of their arguments or knowledge and so on. Yet truth is important to God – so honesty helps us also to keep a clear conscience. We must be able to argue and explain according to the word of truth and not to exaggerate in order to impress or support your cause – scripture has all the answers but if we are unsure about something or want to take time to check, then it is okay to do that rather than make unchecked assertions. Of course, Peter is teaching us here, but the chances are he would have made mistakes in his early Christian witness and wants to help others recover from their own mistakes. I’ve made a number of mistakes in this area too. In Matthew 7:6 it says, "Do not give to dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. "Do not give dogs what is sacred” means do not waste good things on people who will not appreciate them. It adds a second proverb in which Jesus is saying, “do not throw your pearls to pigs” to increase the point. Jesus is warning his disciples to preach and teach only to a receptive audience. I have begun debates with atheists on a number of occasions. Some of these have been reasonable from both parties. However, in several of them it was clear that the other parties had no intention of listening and only wanted to enforce their arguments by ignoring all possible corrections to their thinking. Their minds were closed. In those cases, it has been best to get out of the discussion and pray that God will somehow break into their closed minds in His time and in His way. We are not done with this section – especially verse 18, but it is important that we return to it next time. Lastly, I leave you with the verse from chapter 2 verse12 from a previous sermon from Peter a few weeks back. ‘Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see our good deeds and glorify God’. I’ve got to learn to live even better and that will be the subject of my prayers this week – how about you? Amen |