Be able to explain the apologetic proof-text of 1 Peter 3:15 and its relation to 1 Corinthians 2:1-5.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

"And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power."

1 Peter 3:15

"But in your hearts revere 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."

Connection between 1 Peter 3:15 and I Corinthians 2:1-5

Connection: Paul wasn't saying the cross is all that matters. He meant that everything matters only if viewed through the lens of the cross. Rather than negating apologetics, these verses in 1 Corinthians reveal the proper foundation for apologetics and should guide its focus. They show that the goal of apologetics cannot simply be intellectual respectability or a defense of theism, as if belief in any deity will do. The goal of apologetics must be the cross. Apologetic appeals using historical evidence, logic, desire, story, experience, and imagination are important, but they must not become of first importance (cf. 1 Cor 15:3). They should serve to bring people to what is of first importance—namely, the cross. The cross, a symbol of humility and suffering, should shape the way we do apologetics.