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, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.  (1 Peter 3:15-17)

If evangelism has become tainted with the association with ranting and bigotry then perhaps it is because not enough Christians took to heart what Peter says in his first letter.  What should characterise the messenger who brings the good news of Jesus, who gave of himself to redeem humankind, is contained in the two words translated as gentleness and respect; the evangelist should speak gently and respectfully.

The words in Greek are surprising therefore as they are ‘gentleness’ which translates πρᾳΰτης prautes, which is describes a gentle-strength, power that is exercised with reserve and moderation.  In English, the nearest word is the anachronistic, ‘meekness’.  Meekness is a word often thought to be synonymous with weakness, probably because it is a near homonym.  But meekness is actually quiet strength ‘to endure injury with patience and without resentment’ (Merriam-Webster).

More surprising still is the word translated as ‘respect’, for this is φόβος phobos, ‘fear’ or ‘terror’.  Often phobos is extending in meaning to include ‘revere’ or ‘respect’ but it means ‘to be in terror of’.  In Koiné Greek as in most languages, context is everything.  Thus, in the context of the passage, what is that the Christian should fear?  Possibly the one who receives the witness, Peter intimates suffering to be that of resultant persecution ‘it is better…to suffer for doing good than for doing evil’.  But given that this outcome is by God’s will, he says, it is God who is most to be feared.  Peter says to do the right thing by God, knowing that the malice of men is nothing set against divine judgement.  Jesus might be slandered but none are to give any excuse for that slander though not being gentle and forbearing, patient and kind.

In any case, Jesus’ grace has any slander covered.

‘And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven…’  (Matthew 12:31-32)

So the important point here is that the word ‘respect’ is in regard of God, not the recipients of the gospel.  With respect to God, what right has the believer to present a gospel based on forgiveness in an unforgiving and over-bearing manner?

Therefore, the application of the head-quote is two-fold, illustrated by two incidents from the Gospels. (Noting that both involve women, one a Samaritan, demonstrating how Jesus was treated all with respect, irrespective of sex or race.)

Firstly, the message of good news should not be argued, merely presented.  The message is complete and does not require the demolition of anyone’s mistaken belief system; that is a work of the Spirit.  Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well by Sychar, a village situated under Mount Gerizim where once stood a Temple the Samaritans erected to rival that in Jerusalem.  Some hundred and fifty years before, Jews had completely destroyed it and erased the affront to God.

‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘I can see that you are a prophet.  Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.’

 ‘Woman,’ Jesus replied, ‘believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews…’  (John 4:19-21)

Here the unnamed woman, while the lowliest in her community, nevertheless has the temerity to both acknowledge Jesus as a prophet, one anointed by God, and argue with him that the shrine on Mount Gerizim was an alternative acceptable to God.  Jesus corrects her gently, if firmly, but does ridicule her beliefs nor dispute her claim, only restates that salvation only comes from the Jews, in fact, one Jew – as he tells her:

The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah’ (called Christ) ‘is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’

 Then Jesus declared, ‘I, the one speaking to you – I am he.’ (ibid 4:25-26)

The woman was filled with his Spirit and went to testify to the village and ‘many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony’ (v39).  Revelation of God’s truth had broken in and she quickly revised the notions of the folk religion that the Samaritans had created for themselves that was so detestable to the Jews.  Her world view was overthrown just like another woman when Paul proclaimed the Gospel in Philippi:

 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.  One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.  (Acts 16:13-14)

Like the unnamed Samaritan, Lydia had an incomplete understanding of God, but Paul brought the message and the Holy Spirit did the rest.  Revelation of the truth of Jesus as the Christ is the work of the Spirit; no human eloquence, argument, reasoning or cajoling is required or can be efficacious. Paul does as he advocates, he delivers the message of hope, knowing that…

….faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.  (Romans 10:17)

Whether the message is heard, let alone heeded, is not in the control of the messenger, but no message can be heard unless the Gospel is spoken.

The second point of application is one of avoiding condemnation.

All who would bear faithful witness must remember that it is only by revelation and that through the gift of faith, they can know the truth and distinguish it from the lies of this world; similarly, it only through that same Spirit of truth that any have any moral certitude.  Moreover, the Spirit of truth brings the deep conviction of one’s own sin for the avoidance of hypocrisy.

The incident of the adulterous woman brought before Jesus is arguably interjected into John’s Gospel, but it stands as a beautiful demonstration of Jesus’ wisdom, one all can learn from.  A woman is brought before Jesus and is accused of adultery, being discovered in flagrante.  All know the Law of Moses, which requires that she be stoned to death.  The text explains that this was done to test Jesus, for if he was to condone the stoning, the arraigning men could go to the Roman authorities, who reserved as their prerogative capital punishment; but if Jesus objected, then they could appeal to the Jewish authorities for calumny in respect of the Law.  In fact, Jesus does not engage in any discussion over the sentence but speaks only to personal morality, specifically the men’s.

When they kept on questioning him, he…said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ (John 8:7)

The men disperse (presumably convicted of their own guilt, the text does not say) and when all the men had left, Jesus speaks to the accused woman for the first time:

‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’

‘No one, sir,’ she said.

 ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’  (ibid 8:10-11)

Jesus both cautions and commands her; whether she committed adultery or not, her life is sinful and she a sinner, for she is human and ‘all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory’ (Romans 3:23), but Jesus does not condemn her or anyone, not even the men would have her stoned, or who would entrap Jesus.  Thus it is not morality that condemns but faith or the lack thereof:

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  (John 3:17-18)

The Christian witness to the unbelieving world then can never be to speak in judgment over behaviour, whether it concerns sexuality and marriage, or other vexed issues such as abortion.  The conversation from those that belief in Jesus Christ to those who do not is one solely concerning the cross of redemption and resurrection to new life – remembering all the while that only difference between anyone, believer or non-believer, is God’s grace; that all began as enemies of God, lost in their sin from which the gift of faith redeems (Romans 5:10).

So if any asks what is the basis of one’s hope, the answer, out of respect for God, as one who fears God, is to gently point to Jesus and tell of his work on the cross; saying that he died for the sin of humankind in order to restore all creation to righteousness.  If the testifier fears God, they will necessarily respect the unbeliever – more so, they will do so in love as Jesus commands.