When Christ is slurred everywhere in the media–and his followers with him–I can become discouraged. After the fight dies out in me (that charge-into-battle mentality that has me spitting out verses and defenses to my patient husband), I come to rest on one reality:
Christ doesn’t need my defense. He doesn’t need me to prove him to the world. He’s capable of proving himself.
Christ requires my faithfulness.
It’s that simple. I don’t need to contribute a brilliant apologetic of the faith, though some are gifted with that and I admire them. But when words fail and we are left looking like foolish people (Paul warned that the Gospel would be foolishness to the world), we can rest ourselves on his faithfulness and offer ours in return.
“Be faithful even to the point of death,
and I will give you the crown of life.”
Revelation 2:10
We are not instructed to deliver a stellar apologetic to the point of death, but to be faithful. To not shy away from our alliance with Jesus Christ and his holy word. To hold unswervingly to the truth of scripture as our guide for life when many others toss aside the authority of scripture.
Sometimes being faithful means looking like a fool, and if that is the case, God’s faithfulness will carry us.