I remember the first time I shared the gospel with someone. I was at a summer project in Florida with my campus ministry where we participated in beach evangelism every Monday. As a nineteen-year-old who wasn’t very far along in her own journey with Jesus, the thought of sharing the gospel with someone else felt overwhelming and terrifying.
I stumbled my way through Romans 6:23 with a group of college girls on the beach that day. To my surprise, they listened intently and responded graciously. Though none of the girls accepted Christ as their Savior that day, I learned something significant for myself. When sharing the gospel with someone, it’s less about how I’m perceived or how the recipient responds. It’s more about the power of God working through me and in the hearts and lives of those listening.
1 Peter 3:15 (ESV) says, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”
As believers, we should always be prepared to make a defense for our faith in Jesus.
If I’m being honest, I don’t usually feel confident making a defense. I have a relaxed, introverted personality that doesn’t lead me to a lot of challenging conversations. But my quieter personality doesn’t excuse me from sharing the gospel either. God has created each person with a distinctive personality, and He has called and fully equipped them to share the gospel.
Another key part of this verse that stands out to me is “for the hope that is in you.” The eternal hope we have in Christ sets us apart from the rest of the world. We are all born questioning if this is all there is and what happens to us after death. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV) says, “he has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” God has put eternity in man’s heart.
Part of our defense for our faith is that knowing Christ means knowing where your eternity lies.
It is knowing that we have an unshakable hope that is greater than anything this world can offer.
Later in this passage, Peter writes, “for Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” When we share our faith, it has absolutely nothing to do with us and our so-called righteousness. It is all about Jesus and His righteousness. This is the message of the gospel!
No amount of works will ever obtain our righteousness. The message of the gospel isn’t what we did to get to God, but instead what God did, through Jesus, to come to us. When we place our faith in Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection, His righteousness becomes our righteousness. When God looks at His children, He sees Christ. This truth is comforting to me. I am naturally bent to see sharing the gospel as a good work. While it is pleasing to God, it plays no part in my identity.
God’s power works through us as we share our faith, and our righteousness rests in Christ alone, not our works. Plus, there is great joy in getting to participate in God’s plan of salvation when sharing our faith. It is not up to us what happens as an outcome. God is always at work, using His children to bring others to HImself. We can be fully prepared to share our faith with the unique testimony God has given us, His Word that is alive and active, and His Spirit that lives within us.
I am challenged to consider who in my life needs to hear the gospel today. Who needs to hear your defense for the hope that lies within you? Join me in prayer today that the Lord would provide opportunities to engage with the lost and courage to share the gospel.
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Join us as we study God’s Word using the Triumph Over Trials: 1 & 2 Peter study!
Grab your journal today and dive in!
