The unthinking Christian may believe we need no Christian evidences, since faith in God is enough. The egotistical humanist won’t believe, however compelling the Christian evidences.
The former is educated to “simply trust God”, needing no proof to bolster his faith. The latter, typified by Bertram Russell, never stops demanding MORE evidences. That continued the consistent sin of every Jewish generation, Christ’s own the worst of all. The skeptic has a faith of egotism that won’t believe until the evidence satisfies him. Meaning he’ll never believe, since questions and mysteries in the spiritual life abound, beginning with GOD! The believer has a faith of ignorance that no matter how true or false faith in God may be, he still believes! Both have confidence in ignorance: the one who trusts God despite not knowing; the one who trusts his doubts, not God’s word. However, God distinguishes between the believer and skeptic. He has mercy on the Christian who over-trusts HIM but condemnation on the skeptic who over-trusts himself. For who are we to posit our few years on earth as sufficient time to investigate all the evidences God has sown like plants in the field: each bearing fruit and together piling high a harvest of confidence in God’s trustworthiness. Believers stake their hope on FAITH in evidences we KNOW God provides. Skeptics put their DOUBT on questions that never materially affect the spiritual issue that we’re all sinners needing the forgiveness that reveals knowledge that resistance to God never provides. Make no mistake: “without faith it is impossible to please God” Hebrews 11:6a; “because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists....” 11:6b. “...My righteous one will live by faith” 10:38a.
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Fanny Burney, born into a family of scholars, explorers, historians and musicians, wrote novels in 18th-19th century England. A national celebrity, she lived, visited and entertained with the upper classes.
A friend outlined some of the responsibilities attendant on her when she served as Assistant Keeper of the Robes to Queen Charlotte—consort of George III. Such as: the ability to carry conversation beyond monosyllabic to detailed discussions; never coughing in her Majesty’s presence, even to the extent of choking instead of coughing; never sneezing in her Majesty’s presence, even if repulsing it meant you ground your teeth, even if stifling it caused you to burst a blood-vessel; never stir hand or foot in her Majesty’s presence, even if in pain, even if stifling it you bit your lips or cheek so hard you bit off a piece of flesh. And, of course, never spit in her Majesty’s presence, etc., etc., etc. So much for waiting on her Majesty. I wonder what she did when she had to sneeze or cough or scratch an itch! But nothing unusual in any government before or sense, especially among royals. Great Diaries, 377 Jesus faced such idiotic traditions in Israel. Rules that governed conduct, set limits on accepted activity, how far people could travel on the Sabbath, how they must ceremonially purify themselves and their utensils after being in public—and what constituted acceptable Sabbath day activities. With no reluctance Jesus deliberately broke every tradition that interfered with his ministry of grace, though he kept every command of Moses that related to duty! May we study to learn, until we know, the difference between form that exists to limit freedom and substance that frees us to live by God’s Spirit in grace. By the early 1800’s Western Europe hadn’t experienced plague for 100 plus years, smallpox retreated before Jenner’s inoculation and Yellow Fever paid only periodic visits. Though other less-developed societies still knew the harshness of pestilence, they lacked the living standards of Western Europe.
Then, out of a clear blue sky thunder claps of cholera deafened the West. Convinced of their conquest of pestilence, the outbreak stunned the ruling classes, the medical field, the economists and the politicians. The “new prosperity” they envisioned on the horizon shrank below it, under the haze of an epidemic that carried off at least 50 million people. Armies of Pestilence, 162 How like humanity’s fate in every age, including ours. Just when it seems we have gained control, catastrophe wrenches it from us. Just when we begin to emerge from an economic collapse occasioned by human greed, world events shatter the recovery into economic depression. Just when our Space Ships carry payloads into space without difficulty and space travel seems safe as our freeways, a Space Ship shatters on impact with the earth’s gravity. Calamity visits; cataclysms hound; unseen forces wreak damage we didn’t see coming. It’s all enough to get our attention; it’s never enough to elicit our repentance. It’s enough to scare us; but never enough to terrify us before God. It gives us pause; but never long enough to let Bible truth educate us. |
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