Daily Discipleship - Day 298: Always Be Prepared to Give an Answer

May 3, 2026

Daily Discipleship • Day 298 • Monday, February 22, 2027

Always Be Prepared to Give an Answer

1 Peter 3:15

Pleasant Springs Church • ps-church.com

Scripture
1 Peter 3:15 (Greek NT / ESV) κύριον δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν ἁγιάσατε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, ἕτοιμοι δὲ ἀεὶ πρὸς ἀπολογίαν παντὶ τῷ αἰτοῦντι ὑμᾶς λόγον περὶ τῆς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐλπίδος 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.
Author & Audience

William Lane Craig — philosopher and theologian at Talbot School of Theology, whose work in Christian apologetics has equipped believers worldwide to give reasoned defenses of the faith.

Word Study

ἀπολογίαν

apologian · Greek NT

“a defense / an answer”

apologia is a legal term for a formal defense before a court. Peter applies it to every believer: we are all to be ready to give a reasoned, articulate account of our hope. Apologetics is not the province of scholars alone but the responsibility of every Christian.

Reflection

From the writers we read together

William Lane Craig

Philosopher; Talbot School of Theology

“The Gospel is not irrational; it is the most reasonable thing in the world.” — Reasonable Faith, Introduction

Peter’s command assumes that believers will be asked about their hope. The precondition, however, is not a memorized argument—it is a sanctified heart: ‘honor Christ the Lord as holy.’ Defense flows from devotion. When Christ is holy in your heart, the hope He gives naturally shows, and people ask.

Craig has spent decades demonstrating that Christian belief is intellectually robust. But notice Peter’s qualifier: ‘with gentleness and respect.’ The most airtight argument delivered without love loses the person. Know what you believe and why—then hold it with an open, kind hand.

Continue your study: Discipleship School — Build your foundation for answering the hard questions in our Discipleship School courses.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, King of the Universe, Lord Jesus, be holy in my heart. Give me readiness to speak and the gentleness to speak well when someone asks about the hope You have placed in me. Amen.

Did our work bless you today?

💚  Give to Support PS Church

100% of gifts go to the General Fund — thank you.