I believe Warren Wiersbe was correct when he wrote, “Too many Christians think they are prosecuting attorneys or judges, when God has called all of us to be witnesses.”[1]
We are witnesses to the faith and hope we have in Christ. That’s Peter’s message to us, “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; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame” (1 Peter 3:15–16, NASB).[2]
In these verses Peter teaches us that believers[3] dedicate Jesus in their hearts, defend Jesus with their words, and describe Jesus with their behavior. It’s in this way that every believer is called to be an unofficial apologist.
We have learned this essential truth as part of our journey exploring what the New Testament teaches are authentic portraits of a disciple of Jesus Christ. We’ve learned in these articles together that an authentic disciple of Jesus Christ embraces God’s word (2 Tim 3:16-17), embodies God’s kingdom (Phil 3:17-21), encourages other believers (Heb 10:23-25), and evangelizes non-believers. (1 Pet 3:15-16).
In 1 Peter 3:15–16 Peter has taught us that to evangelize others we must fully consecrate Jesus in our hearts, adequately articulate the hope of our faith, and regularly maintain a Spirit-led walk with God.
As we serve as unofficial apologists our goal is not to win an argument, but to witness about our faith. Our goal is not to cleverly convince someone to change his mind, but to consistently point him to the truth of God’s word. Our goal is not to show someone how his life doesn’t match God’s standards, but to show someone how only one man met God’s standard and how we follow Jesus together.
A man affectionately known as “The Doctor” was Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899—1981). He was called into the ministry shortly after he graduated medical school and beginning a promising career in medicine. His biblical preaching combined with his medical decrees led to his label of “physician of souls.”[4]
Dr. Lloyd-Jones’s most famous book is, Preaching and Preachers, in which he describes the witness every believer should have, “Every Christian should be able to give an account of why he is a Christian; but that does not mean that every Christian is meant to preach.”[5] According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, we are all called to be witnesses. We are not witnesses in a formal case in court, but informally always ready to explain the hope in us and among us. May we each learn to do that in our own unique way.
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Christopher L. Scott is a pastor and author of the book, Walking Straight When Life Goes Sideways: Essential Christian Truths for Enduring Life’s Trials (Wipf and Stock). He provides hundreds of free articles, videos, and Bible study resources at his website ChristopherLynnScott.com.
[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Who Am I? (Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House, 2007), 16.
[2] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
[3] These particular believers Peter was writing to were experiencing unjust and unofficial suffering. See “Suffering in 1 Peter” at https://christopherlynnscott.com/suffering-in-1-peter/.
[4] Descriptions of Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones are adapted from “Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The Doctor” in More Than Conquerors: Portraits of Believers from All Walks of Life, edited by John Woodbridge (Chicago, IL: Moody, 1992), 205–10.
[5] D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching & Preachers, 40th anniversary ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 115.