The Apostle Peter exhorted us to be ready to share our faith when anyone asked us to do so. He wrote in his first epistle: “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; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are
slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.” (I Peter 3:15-16).
Unbelievers who are aware of our Christian faith may be curious, and they may ask us to share our experience with them. They may notice some things that are different about us, maybe some ways of reacting to certain situations that may cause them to be curious as to why we are different. Could it be our Christian faith?
Peter exhorted us to share our faith with “gentleness and reverence” toward those with whom we share. Those who do not know Christ are spiritually adrift in the world. Many are completely unconcerned with spiritual matters on any level. These would consider themselves to be atheists or agnostics. Others may be aware of a void in their lives, which they may be trying to fill with some form of religion or spirituality. Still others may adhere to certain pagan belief systems that are prevalent in the cultures in which they were raised.
The atheist or agnostic will likely show little interest in Christianity most times, but on occasion they may see something in us that sparks some questions as to why we do things and approach certain situations and circumstances the way we do. They may notice that we are not out to get all we can get for ourselves, and we are not concerned only for own benefit all of the time like the rest of the world, and they may want to know why. They may wonder why we were looking out for someone else’s interests or well-being in a certain situation, instead of just looking to our own self-interest. They may also see us experience trouble and difficulties in our lives and notice in us a measure of peace or contentment in the midst of our troubles, which in their understanding should not be there considering our circumstances, and they may wonder if this contentment has something to do with our Christian faith.
