Be Always Ready to Apologize!

From the time I was just a little boy, my parents taught me the need to apologize whenever I wronged someone else. And simply saying, "I'm sorry" was not enough. We had to state exactly what we were sorry for. I must admit there were times I was telling my little brother that I was sorry for punching him (while on the inside I was glad I had done so!).

The Bible calls all of us who follow Jesus to be ready to apologize. In 1 Peter 3:15 we read, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." The words translated "to give an answer" come from the Greek word "apolgia," the verb form meaning "to make a defense." Our English word "apologetics" comes from this Greek word. What Peter is driving at here is that we must ALWAYS be ready (look at the verse again) to give a rational reason for our faith in Christ. God does not call us to "check our brains at the door" when we come to Him. Our faith is a reason-based faith. I get a bit irked when I hear people talk about faith as if it involves disengaging the mind. Nothing could be further from reality. How about YOU? Can you give good, solid reasons as to why you believe Christianity is true? If you need help, one of the best (and most readable) books to read on this topic is Paul Little's book, Know Why You Believe: Connecting Faith and Truth.

Happy Apologizing!

pj