I Peter 3

I Peter 3:15:
“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,”

We must know what we are praying and talking about. hope=desire. I dare say this is actually something that most “christianese” languages and cliches dont handle very well. The question is not focusing on our hope, but only the reason for it. Simple pat answers like “cuz the Bible says so” or ” my pastor said” might give some indication of the direction you are coming from, but does not actually explain the reason. I, myself, came from atheism & agnosticism & even religion (the worst obstacle), and through some trying & emotional trials I realized that if the answer to everything was “nothing,” then my time was all hopeless vanity….so in seeking the truth there came a point when God entered the scene. And trading nothing for something is a great trade. And with that: I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:14)

In apologetics, the metaphors tend to favor combat and competition – warfare and sports. But, there are other ways to exercise our minds with sharp apologetics without having to resort to these macho metaphors. Our minds also work like a garden insofar as we can plant, water, feed, and care for the various operations of our minds: cognition, perception, discernment, imagination, belief, reasoning, will-power, knowledge, understanding, wisdom, etc. When we can cultivate good and godly minds, we are that much better prepared for the mature demands of Christian living, including the universal commissioning of the church to make disciples (Matthew 27:18-20) and defend the faith (1 Peter 3:15). A well-ordered and well-trained mind is a thing of beauty requiring skillful and deliberate caretaking combined with steady growth and maturity. -Intelligent Christian Faith

I Peter 3:18:
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit

Jesus Christ brings us, who were unrighteous to God by His righteousness ("the just for the unjust"). Having been declared righteous, we are also regenerated and commanded to grow in righteousness, i.e, in our obedience to God and to our calling in Him to bring every area of life and thought into captivity to Christ.

I was raised in a small community in Northeastern Oklahoma. Although we lived in town, we had a ranch a few miles west of the city. As I was driving hurriedly to our ranch one day, I suddenly was startled by the flashing lights of an Oklahoma highway patrol car. He stopped me and gave me a summons for speeding. I was to appear before a judge at the Pawnee County courthouse. As the judge came in, I noticed that he was a friend of the family. I thought to myself, "I know I'm going to get this traffic ticket dismissed." The judge greeted me, asked about my family and then said, "I'd like to show you mercy; I would like to show you grace, but I cannot in order to be a just judge." He heard the evidence from the highway patrolman and found me guilty as charged. His sentence was one day in jail or $50. Not having $50, I was prepared to go to jail. At this point the judge did an amazing thing. He took off his robe that distinguished him as a judge, stepped down from his stand, reached into his pocket and handed me $50.
Because he was a just judge he sentenced me and found me guilty, but in his mercy paid my debt.
That's what God did for us in Jesus Christ. Because He is a just and holy God he sentenced us (The wages of our sin is death; Romans 6:23), but in His mercy and love He paid our debt. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." (1 Peter 3:18). -Don Crow ; Discipleship Evangelism