In 1 Peter 3:15, the term for defense is apologia in the original language. While it may sound very similar to the English word apology, this is not the meaning of the Greek word. Apologia simply means defense. From apologia, we get the term Apologetics – the branch of Christian theology that deals with the defense and establishment of the Christian faith. This discipline requires considerable study and research in order to gain an expertise in defending the faith against skeptics and atheists who would try to dismantle the Bible and Christian thought. In this text however, Peter is not calling everyone to defend their faith in that manner, but in the sense of a defense for the hope that every believer has in Christ. So in this sense, Apologetics is something every true believer is to be involved in, and Peter commands you to do from this text.
