“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

                           -I Peter 3:15

Yesterday I talked a little bit about the importance of becoming grounded in what we believe. Today, however, I want to take things a step further and show you the importance of being able to defend your beliefs through Scripture to both sinners and Christians alike. In other words, though it is important to be grounded in our beliefs, we must make sure we are being grounded on the right foundation (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

As we read in today’s Scripture, being able to defend what one believes is a vital part of each Christian’s faith. If we respond with “Ask my pastor.” whenever we are questioned about our faith or our convictions (I’ve been given that answer before), we are going to come across as nothing less than a narrow-minded, judgmental legalist who thinks that whatever he/she says goes. After all, would you give up driving your car just because an environmentalist said you should? In the same way, no sinner is going to forsake his sinful lifestyle without first being shown a good reason to.

Martin Luther once said, “Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason, my conscience is captive to the Word of God.” The fact is, you won’t have any luck convincing somebody of your convictions if they have no real Scriptural basis. In fact, if you are only holding onto those standards because your pastor said they were right, chances are you’ll leave them behind yourself as soon as the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence. I’ve seen this happen myself to many people who, though their convictions were not without Biblical foundation, eventually forsook them because they had never been shown the verses they were supposed to be living by. If you are absolutely sure that what you believe is true, then it’s more than worth the time necessary to look up a verse or two on the subject.