…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 (respect)…

                                                                                                                       1 Peter 3:15 

Perhaps this is the most concise passage regarding our responsibility in sharing our faith and it contains three basic steps.

1. Christ has to be our Savior before we can share that good news with others

If we desire to assist others in coming to saving faith in Christ, we must first have traveled that road ourselves. In other words, we cannot give away something that we ourselves do not possess. I believe that this is an epidemic in the family structure of the modern world. Fathers, called to raise their children to love God and make Christ the number one priority in their lives, failing to do so for no other reason than they have not come to saving faith in Christ themselves. We tend to model what we are taught by our parents therefore ungodly parents tend to yield ungodly children. Likewise, Christian parents raise children to follow Christ. There are exceptions to this rule but the bottom line is that we cannot lead anyone to a Savior that we ourselves have never met or in whom we are apathetic.

2. We need to be ready and willing to tell our own story of how we came to salvation

So as we find ourselves being spiritually transformed by the power of the Spirit of God in our lives, we need to be ready to make a reasoned argument as to why we have placed our faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Everyone’s story is different but there are a couple of commonalities in every Christian’s story. These two spiritual realities can be summed up in the following passage:

So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men (mankind), even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men (mankind).

                                                                                                                     Romans 5:18 

Every born again Christian recognizes two things. First, that they have spiritual dilemma created by the sin of Adam transferred to them, namely the sin nature. Secondly, that Jesus’ obedience on the cross is the only solution for this spiritual dilemma. The other particulars in a person’s story can vary greatly but it is these two things that unify all believers in Christ.

3. We must approach the hurting and the skeptical with a spirit of gentleness

So as we find ourselves saved through faith in Christ and as we prepare to share this amazing story with others, we must remember that how we present the gospel is as important as the gospel itself. Peter reminds us that as we share good news with others that we do so in a spirit of gentleness and respect for the people in which we are speaking. Certainly, we do not water down the gospel or fail to speak the truth but as we do, we remember that gentleness and respect are essential in gaining the trust and ear of others. This only makes sense given the fact that evidence of God’s presence in the life of someone is seen in the fruit of gentleness.

Have you discovered salvation by faith in Christ? Are you sharing that faith with others? When you deal with skeptics and the hurting, are you handling them in a spirit of gentleness? To fall short of having this demeanor can prove counter productive and greatly disrespects the gospel and the work of the church.