Awake Sydneyنموونە

How to answer well 

The other week, nine whole years after finishing school, I had a dream where I suddenly remembered my HSC maths exam was that day. In the dream (read: nightmare), I knew nothing about math’s and was staring blankly at the exam questions, trying (and failing) to answer well. It was awful. 

I’m sure many of us can relate to that scary, sinking feeling of entering an exam and having to answer questions that we know next-to-nothing about. And perhaps many of us can also relate to feeling like this when someone asks us about our Christian faith, especially when the question comes from someone whose goal is to attack or ridicule. 

How do we answer these questions well? The apostle Peter, who wrote to persecuted Christians, offers some helpful advice.

Firstly, Peter tells us to revere Christ as Lord in our hearts. Knowing that Jesus is Lord and is in control will help us not to fear opposition but to speak boldly for our faith. 

Secondly, Peter urges us to always be prepared to give an answer for the reason for our hope. This doesn’t mean knowing the answer to every possible question, but it does mean being willing to share about God’s work in our lives. To do this well, we have to live in a way that our friends notice the hope we have and want to ask us about it. 

Which brings us to Peter’s third piece of advice: the way we answer is extremely important. We are to answer “with gentleness and respect”. This looks like valuing the other person, listening to their viewpoint, and not being arrogant or pushy. Our goal is not to “win” an argument, but to present the truth, beauty and relevance of Christianity. Often the way we speak says more about this than what we say. 

So, let’s go into our days, with Christ as our Lord, ready to answer well in both what we say and how we say it. 

Prayer: Thank you God for the hope I have in Jesus. Please help me to remember He is the Lord of my life. Help me to explain my faith to others, and to do this with gentleness and respect even when I experience opposition. 

Anna Grummitt, 

Youth Editor - Centre for Public Christianity, Bible Society Australia Group. 

www.publicchristianity.org