The Fifth Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: 1 Peter 3:8-15

In Christ Jesus our Lord, who delivers us from all trouble and fear and leads us safely to His heavenly kingdom, dear fellow redeemed:

On June 25, 1530, the Lutheran princes stood before Emperor Charles V and read The Augsburg Confession containing twenty-eight articles, or points of teaching. Within about a month, their opponents prepared a response to each article called, The Confutation of the Augsburg Confession. After hearing this response, one of the Lutheran theologians prepared another document entitled, The Apology of the Augsburg Confession. That strikes us as strange. Why would the Lutherans be so quick to apologize for what they had confessed so boldly a year before?

Well this was not a document expressing the Lutherans’ remorse or regret for their teaching. It was a defense of their teaching. That is the historic meaning of the word “apology,” which has in more recent times taken on a different—and in some ways opposite—meaning. We find this word in today’s reading. The last verse says, “always being prepared to make a defense.” The Greek word for “make a defense” is apologia.

It is clear that St. Peter is not urging us to say we are sorry for the hope that is in us. He is urging us to be prepared to speak in defense of what we believe. If you have heard of “Christian Apologetics,” this is where the term comes from. We are to be ready to defend our faith against challenges and attacks with well-reasoned and respectful speech.

But it can be intimidating or overwhelming to think of having a conversation about spiritual things with others. We might not feel qualified to explain the faith. We don’t want to say the wrong thing. Or maybe we don’t want others to think less of us or look differently at us because we confess Jesus as Savior and Lord. What can we do to make sure we are prepared when opportunities come up?

We get prepared and we stay prepared by immersing ourselves in God’s holy Word. The better we know it, the better we will be able to explain it. It’s like if you were invited to a game show about music from the 1990s. Leading up to the show, all you would be listening to is 90s music, so you were ready for any questions you might be asked. Or if you wanted to fit in with fans of a particular sport, you would study up on it, so you could confidently “talk shop” about players and strategies.

The salvation that Jesus won for us is the most important topic there is. What He did was not just for a select group of people. He died on the cross, He defeated the devil, He conquered death for everyone, for all people of all time. What God did to save sinners is the difference between eternal life in heaven or eternal death in hell. This is not something to keep to ourselves. This is not something to just dip our toe in or only know a little bit about. The more we hear and learn God’s Word, the more natural it will be for us to both live by the Word and talk about it.

So we listen carefully to it, and we study it diligently—not just for our own sake but also for the benefit of others. Then we are always “prepared to make a defense” for the hope we have. That language, “make a defense,” could make us think in combat terms, like putting up defenses or digging trenches as a way to sort of separate ourselves or pull back from others. This is on our minds more and more as our society seems to be growing more opposed to Christian teaching. We either want to hide away, or we want to fight back with the same anger and harshness as those who oppose us.

But this is not how we are called to give a clear “apology,” a clear defense of our faith as Christians. St. Peter, who recorded today’s reading by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was writing at a time when Christians were experiencing significant persecution. In the first part of the letter he wrote, “you have been grieved by various trials” (1:6) and referred to unbelievers speaking against them as evildoers (2:12).

How should Christians respond to these attacks? Not by running away or by going on the offensive by being offensive. Peter writes, “all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless.” This fits with Jesus’ teaching about “turning the other cheek” (Mat. 5:39). We are not trying to win any battles in the world, as if conquering the world is our main focus and goal. No, we want souls to be won for Jesus and His eternal kingdom by the power of His Word.

So we want to clearly and confidently speak the Word of God. It is tempting to speak the Law only, calling out all the wrong things in our society. It’s certainly not difficult to see the evil all around us. But we also need to speak the Gospel message of Christ’s forgiveness to wounded and lost souls. The Law can affect outward behavior to some extent, but it is the Gospel that changes hearts by working faith and the Gospel that produces fruits of love toward God and neighbor.

Just before he writes about making a defense, Peter says, “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy.” That is what compels us to speak, to faithfully confess the truth. It is the fact that Christ is the Lord. The true Son of God and Son of Man is the Lord over sin, devil, and death. He rules over the entire universe, upholding all things “by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3). Whether or not the world acknowledges and honors Him as Lord, He is the Lord.

But His reign is not seen outwardly. His kingdom is not an institution on earth. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Luk. 17:20-21). The kingdom of God comes through His Word and Sacraments, and He takes up residence and reigns in our hearts when we are brought to faith.

That’s why Peter says, “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy.” Because we are redeemed members of the body of Christ, we give evidence of our faith through our words and actions. Christ is the Lord, and we want Him to be the Lord over every part of our life. Christ is holy, and we want His holiness to be reflected in all our conversations and interactions in this world. Our prayer is that through our words and actions of love toward our neighbor, through our gentle and respectful “apology”—our defense of the faith—others will also be brought to faith in Jesus. We want them to have the hope we have.

When unbelievers hear about our hope, they might laugh at or ridicule us. “What hope can you have?” they ask. “You struggle with troubles in life like everyone else. You die just like everyone else. Your churches keep getting smaller and smaller. What do you have that we don’t have?” That’s a fair question. I think we would be asking it, too, if we had not been adopted by God as His children. The answer is that our hope is not in worldly prosperity, in the avoidance of suffering, or in outward displays of God’s glory on earth.

Our hope is in the eternal Son of God humbling Himself and going the way of the cross to pay for our sins and save us. Our hope is in His promises that were made sure by His rising from the dead on the third day. Our hope is in His visible return in glory on the last day to raise up the dead. This hope is not based on anything we have seen or experienced. It is based on the unchanging Word of God. That makes it a sure hope—not an uncertain one, as though it’s anybody’s guess whether these things have happened or will happen.

Our hope is anchored in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. As He goes, we go. His life is our life. That sets us apart from the world which has only selfish aims in mind. I don’t live for me, and you don’t live for you. We live through Jesus and for Jesus. We live to let others know what He has done, that He has redeemed us, lost and condemned creatures, purchased and won us from all sins, from death and from the power of the devil (Explanation to Second Article of Creed).

He has done this for everyone, for all sinners of all time. This is the saving truth that we know, but the world does not know. “And so we also speak” (2Co. 4:13). We are “prepared to make a defense.” We stand ready to give “a reason for the hope that is in [us].” Not everyone who hears our “apology,” our defense of the faith, will accept it as true. But some might—and some do—by the grace of God.

We know that we cannot expect perfect comfort and contentment in our life on earth. We know that trouble and persecution will come upon all who follow Jesus. But we also know that He is leading and guiding us each step of the way. He comforts and encourages us through His Word. He prepares us to be ready to speak to our neighbors along the way about the hope we have. And He leads us finally to our promised land, to His heavenly kingdom.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.

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(picture of the miraculous catch of fish by Raphael, 1515)