Just as Peter moved from fearful failure to faithful witness, we too are called to let Christ’s holiness embolden us, freeing us from the fear of man and empowering us to testify with both courage and humility. When we anchor our apologetics in the transformative vision of Christ’s power, his majesty, his unique glory, we don’t defend mere arguments—we bear witness to the living Lord who alone is worthy of our ultimate trust.

Pastoring on a secular university campus, I use apologetics daily in my ministry. Occasionally, I’m asked what “school” or “method” I prefer to follow (classical, presuppositional, etc.), and I have to be honest—I’ve benefited from folks in various disciplines.

I’m convinced that the mode of your apologetics is going to be downstream from your basic theology, and if holiness isn’t at the center of your theology, you’ll go astray.

This is what we find in the classic proof text on apologetics from the apostle Peter’s letter where he encourages his readers,

Even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. (1 Pet. 3:14–17)

Apologetics is fundamentally a matter of testifying wisely, “giving a reason” for the Christian hope within you in a particular way. According to Peter, central to this practice is your ability to “honor Christ the Lord as holy” in your hearts, which is why he commands it.

Why is a focus on Christ’s holiness so crucial to our practice of apologetics? In this article, I’ll first offer exegetical judgments on what it means to honor Christ as holy. Second, I’ll reflect on how that heart posture cashes out in our concrete practice of apologetics in our secular age.

What Does It Mean to ‘Honor Christ the Lord as Holy’?

We need to grasp what Peter is doing behind the scenes in the text. As scholars as far back as John Calvin have noted, Peter is alluding to Isaiah 8. In that passage, the southern kingdom of Judah is facing an imminent invasion from hostile nations to the north—Aram, the northern kingdom of Israel, and even Assyria.

Right before this, the Lord assures Judah’s King Ahaz through Isaiah that the counsel of the nations will not stand because God is with his people (vv. 9–10). For that reason, Isaiah and those who hear him shouldn’t look at their enemies and “fear what they fear, nor be in dread.” God says, “The LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread” (vv. 12–13).

The people of Judah are told that instead of fearing earthly powers, other nations, or their kings, they should “fear”—respect, honor, give ultimate weight to—the Lord. This is what it means to honor him as “holy”: it’s to set God apart by recognizing him as the Lord, the King of the hosts of heaven, the One seated on the cherubim, hymned by the seraphim (6:3); the consuming fire of Israel, the divine flame whose glory consumes his enemies (10:17); the powerful One whose holy arm had redeemed his people time and again (52:10).

To honor the Lord as holy is to recognize he alone is God Almighty and he alone is their ultimate hope over and against these paltry earthly powers.

Peter has this context in view and urges his suffering readers to take heart in the same way. Despite the earthly powers arrayed against them, they should “have no fear” (1 Pet. 3:14), for their opponents can only kill the body. Instead, they should fear the One who is Lord over body and soul—Jesus Christ (Matt. 10:28). In 1 Peter 3:14, the apostle amends the Septuagint (Greek) translation of Isaiah 8:13 by adding “in Christ” (ton Christon). Karen Jobes notes that in doing so, Peter “freely identifies Jesus Christ with the Lord, Yahweh of the [Old Testament].”

What’s the payoff of all this exegesis? At the core of our ability to witness to the hope we have within us is a basic grasp and posture of the heart, mind, and soul to honor Jesus as God, the Holy One, the power above and beyond all earthly powers.

What Does It Look like to ‘Honor Christ the Lord as Holy’ in Apologetics?

How does keeping the Lord Jesus as our fear help us in the apologetic task? While we could draw out several principles, three come to mind on the basis of Peter’s admonition.

1. Willingness to Suffer

Honoring Christ as holy gives us the willingness to suffer because it cuts the taproot of that which undermines so much of our apologetic practice—simple fear of man. Peter encourages the believers not to fear what they might suffer at the hands of their opponents if they make their hope known. In the case of the Christians in Asia Minor, the temptation to keep their faith private came in the face of the threat of violence, property loss, public slander, and even death.

Most Christians in the contemporary, post-Christian West don’t face losing their lives. But slander and, in some quarters, the loss of a job or the occasional imprisonment may loom. All the same, the loss of face, the loss of relationships, or the loss of respect in the workplace, classroom, or home may be enough of a threat for many of us to keep quiet about the hope within us.

Working with students at a secular university, I can’t tell you how often I hear that fear of being perceived as awkward, pushy, or uneducated is what’s holding people back from sharing their faith or even inviting someone to church. This may be a particular danger for Gen Z’s anxiety around social conflict and interpersonal awkwardness.

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