[Faith-talk] More Than Words

Wed Mar 30 21:46:54 UTC 2011

Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 4:45 PM
To: faith-talk at nfbnet.org

More Than Words 
Danielle DuRant 
________________________________________

Have you ever had the experience of knowing a line of a movie or a verse of
Scripture so well but when you heard it in its fuller context, suddenly it
took on new meaning?  Perhaps you remember the famous line "Rosebud" spoken
by Orson Welles in Citizen Kane.  "Rosebud" is alluded to earlier in the
film, but it is not until the final moments that we discover the word's
haunting significance.  I have seen Citizen Kane a few times and know its
ending by heart, and yet each time I'm struck by the magnitude of that one
simple word and all that it represents. 
I was reading through the book of 1 Peter recently when I ran across the
famous verse on apologetics: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
 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"
(1 Peter 3:15).  Frankly, I found these words a bit jarring because what I
understood about this verse—that we should be prepared to give an apologia,
an answer, to the cognitive arguments we encounter—didn't seem to fit the
flow of Peter's line of reasoning in this letter.  But perhaps I had viewed
the verse only through the single lens of apologetics, for I have rarely
heard any more than this one particular verse expounded.  Its
interpretation?  Christians need to hone their intellectual skills and be
respectful and gentle as we engage those of other worldviews.  Of course,
this is what the verse suggests—but is that all?  Like hearing the word
"Rosebud" for the first time, if I didn't pay attention to the storyline of
Citizen Kane, or the flow of Peter's argument, I might miss all that the
author intended.  Indeed, the meaning of "Rosebud" is hidden from some of
the characters in the film precisely because it goes unnoticed, falling on
deaf ears.
The apostle Peter writes his letter to Jewish and Gentile believers in need
of encouragement, for they are scattered throughout Turkey and Asia Minor
and are undergoing persecution.  From the outset, he wants to offer them
hope: hold fast to the faith because you have been called into a living
hope, have been loved by God since before you were born, and Christ himself
suffered, even on your behalf.  Peter implores them to "love one another
deeply, from the heart.  For you have been born again, not of perishable
seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God"
(1:22-23). 
Then he writes, "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you,
leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps... When they
hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made
no threats.  Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly"
(2:21,23).  These verses are essentially the sum of Peter's entire argument.
 And that is this: Christians are called to love and live like Christ, who
didn't retaliate in the face of injustice and suffering but rather entrusted
himself to God who judges justly.  And one day, you will know justice and a
great reward if you persevere. 
Peter says essentially the same thing in 4:19, and one commentator sees this
verse as summarizing the letter: "So then, those who suffer according to
God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue
to do good."  What does it mean to entrust or commit oneself to God?  The
verb literally means, "to turn over to someone to care for, to give to
someone for safe keeping." Strikingly, the Greek word for commit in this
verse is the very word Jesus used when he cried out on the cross from Psalm
31: Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.  Peter notes in very
practical ways that the Christian is to commit to God his mind, his action,
his heart, and his appetite—ultimately giving God one's very life.  And in
doing so, just as in an intimate and loving relationship, we receive his
love, courage, joy, and hope.
Returning to the well-known apologetics verse in 1 Peter 3:15—sandwiched
between the exhortation to love and to entrust ourselves to God—we find that
this same theme is repeated here in chapter three as well.  I imagine Peter
with the parchment of the Psalms and the scroll of Isaiah before him, for he
draws upon Psalm 34 and Isaiah 8 to underscore his message: "Finally, all of
you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and
humble.  Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary,
repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may
inherit a blessing" (3:8-9).  This exhortation mirrors Jesus's own words in
his Sermon on the Mount, which Peter would have heard firsthand.  Peter
continues, "Do not fear their threats (or "fear what they fear"—see Isaiah
8:12-13); do not be frightened.  But in your hearts set apart Christ as
Lord" (verses 14-15).  To set apart Christ as Lord is to regard him as holy
and as one's master.  You may have difficulty relating to the concept of
"lord" in your culture, but to regard Christ as Lord is essentially to give
yourself to him for safe keeping, believing that he is all-wise and
sovereign and will be faithful to his word.  (The backdrops of Psalm 34 and
Isaiah 8 provide richer meaning to this idea.)
And in so doing, you will be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks
you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  How?  Because when you
entrust yourself to God and bless those who curse and insult you, people
will notice.  When you respond in gentleness to a harsh word or, like Jesus,
say nothing at all, your words will not fall on deaf ears.  When you are
committed to your faithful Creator and seek to do good in the midst of
suffering, you attest to a hope outside yourself—a living hope.  

Yes, Christ's invitation is a calling to far more than words.  It is an
invitation into a living hope, to commit all that we are and all that we
have to God, to love one another deeply, and to offer more than words to
those seeking an answer and a lasting hope.

Danielle DuRant is director of research and writing at Ravi Zacharias
International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.  