Articles
Always Ready
The apostle Peter wrote, by Divine inspiration, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Pet. 3:15). The admonition is for all disciples; thus, we must be always ready to answer those who question our faith — why and what we believe. If we cannot give a “reason” for what we believe, we should stop and consider seriously whether we are truly convicted by the evidence within God’s word. Since “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1), and faith comes by the word of God (Rom. 10:17), that means our faith must come from conviction, and it also means we must be able to show, from the Scriptures, what and why we believe.
The apostle Paul was most certainly one convicted by the evidence, and his faith was one he was, as Peter said, “always…ready” to defend. How about us? We who are Christians today have no less responsibility to answer for our faith; are we, too “always…ready”? If not, we need to get ready. Consider Paul’s defense before Agrippa (Acts 26) as an example for how we should answer when questioned about our faith.
See It As a Positive Opportunity. When Paul was brought before King Agrippa, he did not do so reluctantly and he did not complain, but when Agrippa told him he could speak for himself, Paul said to him [and those within hearing], “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews” (Acts 26:1, 2). The Greek word translated here as “happy” is often translated in the New Testament as “blessed” [44 out of 50 times]— and that is how we should view such opportunities, too. Let us consider it a blessing to give a reason for our faith; this might just be an opportunity to lead a lost soul to eternal salvation!
And let us note that when given an opportunity, Paul spoke about the most important thing, rather than getting sidetracked into current events, sports news, or the latest entertainment or social media trends. Friends and brethren, we too often waste valuable opportunities to speak God’s word to lost souls simply because we use up whatever time we have with trivial matters. Let us do better!
Explain Your Conversion. (Acts 26:4-18) When given the opportunity, Paul began by talking about where he had come from; this may sound unimportant, but it would go a long way in explaining his conversion. Some mistakenly believe they can be saved outside of Christ, but Paul knew better; he knew that the man he was before was not saved and was not pleasing to God. Many in the audience — especially his accusers — were then living the life Paul once lived; they needed to know they needed to change, too, if they really desired to please God. In his defense before the Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 22:12-16), he mentions the particular requirement he had to meet to be truly converted and forgiven; the lost today need to hear that, too, for much false teaching is out there that can give the lost a false hope of salvation.
Speak of the Life You Now Live. After Paul spoke of his conversion, he then told of the live he was then living — proof of his genuine conversion. Before, he “thought [he] must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 26:9) but, now, he declared to all “that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance” (Acts 26:20), and he was “witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come— that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:22, 23). Yes, others should see a change in our lives when we are converted; that is why it is called ‘conversion.’ If our lives are no different than before we became a Christian, then how can we argue we have been ‘converted’? What changed? Repentance is absolutely necessary!
The point of telling others of the life we now live is to show the power of God’s word and the authenticity and the measure of our conviction; we are showing the world that the gospel message — the story of how God loved us and how Christ died for our sins — has had a profound impact on us, and has changed the whole meaning and purpose of our lives. I would caution here, though, that our lives must reflect this change; it cannot only be merely our words!
Speak of the One Who We Believe, and Why. The conversion of Saul/Paul was no different than any other Christian in that he also had to believe in Jesus as the Christ, he also had to repent of his sins, he also had to be willing to confess Christ, and he also had to be baptized into Christ that his sin might be forgiven. [See Acts 2:38; Col. 2:11-13; Rom. 6:3, 4; 1 Pet. 3:21.] But his response to the gospel would all have meant nothing if it were not for the one who made our salvation possible, and that is why Paul said he taught “that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23). The gospel is not about you or me; it is not about the one who teaches it; and it is not about what your family has believed. The gospel — what Paul also said was “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16) — is about the fact Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and then was raised to live again (1 Cor. 15:3, 4). Paul made it clear he was a changed man because of Jesus Christ. That is what we are all about, as Christians; this is what and why we believe.
Point to the Credibility of the Message. There are many Bible critics today, and that will likely never change; what is disappointing, though, is that so many criticize it having never read it. Most of the critics and opponents I have met and had discussions with have merely parroted someone else’s words [who may not have read it, either]. Many are resting their eternal fate on what someone else said about the Bible, rather than a conviction that came about by an honest and thorough examination of the Scriptures and the evidence within that God has given to and preserved for us. When Paul concluded his defense, Festus exclaimed, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!” (Acts 26:24). Essentially, Festus told Paul, “You’re crazy!”
Many today will likewise insult the believer for expressing belief in Jesus as the Christ, calling them crazy, stupid, backward, superstitious, bigoted — and a number of other unflattering terms — all to try to discredit the messenger and the message.
Let us defend not just our beliefs, but the message itself. Let us show that, as Paul answered Festus, we “speak the words of truth and reason” (Acts 26:25) — not fairy tales and not human wisdom or opinion. We speak and defend the word of God, because that is what we believe. Every word of God is truth (John 17:17; Psa. 119:160), so anything that contradicts it or opposes it must be a lie. We should not be shy to tell others who is behind that (John 8:44).
Are you “always…ready” to defend what you believe? If not, then start preparing to do so now. We may never know the influence we may have on others if we would only answer when asked about what we believe and why. — Steven Harper
