Ready for the Moment (1 Peter 3:15-22)

Have you ever had someone ask you about your faith and you froze?

Maybe it caught you off guard. Maybe you weren’t sure what to say. If that’s ever happened to you, you’re not alone.

Peter knows exactly what that feels like. He also knows what it’s like to be ready.

In his letter, Peter gives us a game plan for what to do when someone notices something different about us and asks:

“Why do you believe what you believe?”

Be Ready—with Hope, Not Heat

Peter writes:

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15)

That doesn’t mean you need a speech memorized. It means Jesus is at the center of your heart—so when you speak, hope naturally comes out.

And when you speak, do it “with gentleness and respect.”

• Not with sarcasm.
• Not with anger.

Because people aren’t just listening to what you say… They’re watching how you say it.

Let Your Life Back Up Your Words

Peter continues:

“Keep a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” (1 Peter 3:16)

Here’s the deal:

You can’t control what people say about you.
But you can control how you live.

When your life reflects Christ, it gives your words power. It adds weight to your testimony. It shows that your faith isn’t just something you say—it’s something you live.

Look to Jesus—The Suffering Savior and Victorious King

This section of Peter’s letter goes deep, but at the heart of it is one powerful line:

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)

That’s the gospel in a single sentence.

Jesus didn’t die randomly. He died redemptively.

He didn’t just suffer as a victim—He died as a substitute.

He took our place to bring us back to God.

Peter ties this to the story of Noah—how a few were saved through water—and then points to baptism, which symbolizes how we are saved through the resurrection of Jesus.

“It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand.” (1 Peter 3:21–22)

The one who suffered for us… now reigns over everything.

So, Would You Be Ready?

If someone asked you this week, “Why do you still believe?”— Would you be ready?

• You don’t have to be perfect.
• You don’t need a degree in theology.
• You just need a reason for your hope.

And that reason is a person: Jesus.

Not a loud argument. Not a clever comeback. Just a gentle, honest answer: “Here’s what Jesus has done for me.”