07/08/2026
Learning Christ, Ready to Give an Answer
“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.”- 1 Peter 3:15
Peter wrote to believers who were facing pressure because they belonged to Christ. In the surrounding verses, he speaks about suffering for righteousness and refusing to be controlled by fear (1 Peter 3:13-17). Their hope was meant to be seen in the way they lived when following Christ became costly. Before Peter tells them to give an answer, he tells them to sanctify Christ as Lord in their hearts. The lordship of Christ was to shape both their response to suffering and the answer they gave.
Our learning begins with what God has already made known in Christ. Hebrews 1:1-2 says that God has spoken to us in His Son. Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, rose from the dead, and appeared to those who became witnesses of His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). This is the apostolic gospel preserved for us in Scripture. We are learning the Christ whom the apostles preached, not one shaped by our own imagination. Paul describes Christian formation in this way: “you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him” (Ephesians 4:20-21).
This is why we continue studying Scripture, both personally and together as a church. In Christ, God has given us a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (1 Peter 1:3-5). Paul describes this Hope of future glory as “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). As His word dwells richly among us, our understanding of that hope grows (Colossians 3:16). We begin to see more clearly what His death accomplished, why His resurrection gives us hope beyond death, and what it means to say that our life is now found in Him. We do not graduate from Christ, we grow by returning to Him again and again.
People may ask why we still have hope when life becomes painful. They may want to understand why we trust Christ or why we believe that death will not have the final word. Our answer rests on what God has done in Christ. He was raised from the dead, and His resurrection is the promise that those who belong to Him will also be raised (1 Corinthians 15:20-22). Our testimony tells how the gospel has shaped our lives and Scripture gives us the ground for saying that our hope is secure.
It is true that no believer begins with an answer to every question and sometimes the honest response is, “I do not know yet, but I am willing to study that.” There is no shame in needing to learn. Peter calls us to readiness, and we grow in that readiness as Christ teaches us through Scripture. His second letter closes with the same encouragement: “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). This is ordinary Christian growth, shared by the whole church.
Peter also cares about the way we answer. We should listen carefully to the person asking and answer with patience. Paul similarly says that our speech should always be “with grace” (Colossians 4:6), and that the Lord’s servant must be kind and patient when correcting others (2 Timothy 2:24-25). Christian gentleness does not come from uncertainty about the gospel, it grows from a heart under the lordship of Christ. Reverence means we are conscious that we speak before God, even while speaking to another person.
May our church remain a place where Scripture is opened, honest questions can be asked, and believers help one another grow in the knowledge of Christ. Then, when someone asks about the hope within us, we can point clearly to Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose from the dead. He is the One in whom we believe, and our hope is secure in Him. Amen! 🙏
