"...' You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures" (Luke 24:25, NLT).
"...' O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!'" (Ibid., NKJV).
"Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge..." (Isaiah 5:13, ESV).
"...and a people without understanding shall come to ruin" (Hosea 4:14, ESV).
"...There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land" (Hos. 4:1, ESV).
"For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6, ESV).
"Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD..." (Hosea 6:3, ESV).
"I don't have enough faith to be an atheist."--Norman L. Geisler, noted biblical scholar
"...' O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!'" (Ibid., NKJV).
"Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge..." (Isaiah 5:13, ESV).
"...and a people without understanding shall come to ruin" (Hosea 4:14, ESV).
"...There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land" (Hos. 4:1, ESV).
"For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6, ESV).
"Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD..." (Hosea 6:3, ESV).
"I don't have enough faith to be an atheist."--Norman L. Geisler, noted biblical scholar
Note: Not knowing what you believe is a kind of unbelief or blind faith.
Christians have sound reasons to have faith in Christ: circumstantial evidence that is most compelling and unexplainable otherwise; the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, especially through the Word of God (its inspiration, transmission, and canonicity); the objective, cumulative, historical evidence of the resurrection; plus the subjective experience ("Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good..." cf. Psalm 34:8, NKJV) and value of knowing Christ personally ("[N]ow that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness" cf. 1 Peter 2:3, NLT).
Christianity is the only faith that is based on fact, not a fable, fiction, myth, old wives' tales, legend, or tall tale--if it's not a historical religion, it's nothing at all. The historical evidence is further validated by the veracity of the witnesses, who were willing to go to their deaths for their faith. One usually tells the truth on one's deathbed. It's not a matter of whether you believe the resurrection was possible, but are the historical records reliable, credible, dependable, and accurate?
The difference between them dying for their faith and other martyrs of different faiths is that they were in the position to know whether it was true. Any faith not based on evidence is blind faith--even an atheist who doesn't know why he's one or has no evidence has blind faith. It's not a battle or challenge between faith and reason, but which set of presuppositions one begins with and is willing to accept as true--secularists bet the farm on science being the only reliable source of truth. Secularists are people of faith too! If you say that you only believe what can be proved by the scientific method or empiricism, you must first begin by proving the validity of that premise.
Epistemological humility comes in to play where one admits he doesn't have a monopoly on the truth or know everything and is therefore teachable. In the final analysis, no preacher has cornered the market on truth and can speak ex-cathedra or pontificate. Socrates said that to begin learning you must admit your ignorance! Education is merely going from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of your ignorance. Everyone must admit that they could be wrong--no one is infallible.
Christians today are inclined to believe that their faith is indefensible, and don't know how to defend their faith or even know what they believe and should defend. We must not let secularists win by default or by concession--we must stand our ground and declare our colors! What is negotiable and what isn't? We have sound reasons to believe; God doesn't expect us to believe despite the evidence. God will reveal the truth to anyone who is willing to do His will (cf. John 7:17) and has an open mind, willing spirit, and needy heart. God doesn't expect us to believe contrary to reason, but will manifest Himself to us if we search for Him--He is no man's debtor.
Faith is a gift but we must exercise it. The problem is when we become lax in the faith or our faith is dead, we can do nothing (John 15:5 says, "For apart from Me you can do nothing"), that faith doesn't save; only a living and growing faith that produces fruit can save--no fruit, no faith, no salvation. Saving faith is not a leap in the dark, but a step into the light--God asks no one to commit intellectual suicide and believe for the sake of believing alone (faith doesn't save, nor faith in faith, but only faith in Christ as the object saves). Faith feeds on facts and experience, while Paul said in Romans 10:17, NKJV, concerning that precious faith: "So then faith comes by hearing, and by hearing [i.e., preaching] by the word of God." We must mature in the faith and have childlike, not childish faith; simple, but not simplistic!
Christians can have strong faith, but if they aren't able to defend it or have a reason for their faith, it's blind faith and may succumb to the devil's Anfectung or attack. It's not how much faith, but the object of the faith that's vital-you can be sincerely wrong, though sincerity is a requisite. We are always to be ready to have a reason for our hope (cf. 1 Peter 3:15). In the study of apologetics, one will realize that Christians haven't kissed their brains goodbye, and that faith is rational, though Christianity isn't rationalism. God had a rationale for sending His Son and the gospel is about realizing that work of grace is done on our behalf.
In sum, the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart; there's never enough evidence to convince the hardened skeptic, but there's ample evidence for the willing. Christians cannot argue someone into the kingdom! But they should be able to have an answer as to why they believe (cf. 2 Tim. 2:15). The problem is that some people catch their beliefs like one catches a cold: hanging around the right people and letting osmosis do its work. Also, you don't have to be able to defend your faith to have one! However, you cannot rationalize God or put Him in a test tube or under laboratory conditions, because the existence of God is not in the scientific domain-- it takes faith and faith is what pleases God; skeptics are rarely convinced by debate--a work of grace must woo their hearts toward God. Soli Deo Gloria!
Christians have sound reasons to have faith in Christ: circumstantial evidence that is most compelling and unexplainable otherwise; the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, especially through the Word of God (its inspiration, transmission, and canonicity); the objective, cumulative, historical evidence of the resurrection; plus the subjective experience ("Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good..." cf. Psalm 34:8, NKJV) and value of knowing Christ personally ("[N]ow that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness" cf. 1 Peter 2:3, NLT).
Christianity is the only faith that is based on fact, not a fable, fiction, myth, old wives' tales, legend, or tall tale--if it's not a historical religion, it's nothing at all. The historical evidence is further validated by the veracity of the witnesses, who were willing to go to their deaths for their faith. One usually tells the truth on one's deathbed. It's not a matter of whether you believe the resurrection was possible, but are the historical records reliable, credible, dependable, and accurate?
The difference between them dying for their faith and other martyrs of different faiths is that they were in the position to know whether it was true. Any faith not based on evidence is blind faith--even an atheist who doesn't know why he's one or has no evidence has blind faith. It's not a battle or challenge between faith and reason, but which set of presuppositions one begins with and is willing to accept as true--secularists bet the farm on science being the only reliable source of truth. Secularists are people of faith too! If you say that you only believe what can be proved by the scientific method or empiricism, you must first begin by proving the validity of that premise.
Epistemological humility comes in to play where one admits he doesn't have a monopoly on the truth or know everything and is therefore teachable. In the final analysis, no preacher has cornered the market on truth and can speak ex-cathedra or pontificate. Socrates said that to begin learning you must admit your ignorance! Education is merely going from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of your ignorance. Everyone must admit that they could be wrong--no one is infallible.
Christians today are inclined to believe that their faith is indefensible, and don't know how to defend their faith or even know what they believe and should defend. We must not let secularists win by default or by concession--we must stand our ground and declare our colors! What is negotiable and what isn't? We have sound reasons to believe; God doesn't expect us to believe despite the evidence. God will reveal the truth to anyone who is willing to do His will (cf. John 7:17) and has an open mind, willing spirit, and needy heart. God doesn't expect us to believe contrary to reason, but will manifest Himself to us if we search for Him--He is no man's debtor.
Faith is a gift but we must exercise it. The problem is when we become lax in the faith or our faith is dead, we can do nothing (John 15:5 says, "For apart from Me you can do nothing"), that faith doesn't save; only a living and growing faith that produces fruit can save--no fruit, no faith, no salvation. Saving faith is not a leap in the dark, but a step into the light--God asks no one to commit intellectual suicide and believe for the sake of believing alone (faith doesn't save, nor faith in faith, but only faith in Christ as the object saves). Faith feeds on facts and experience, while Paul said in Romans 10:17, NKJV, concerning that precious faith: "So then faith comes by hearing, and by hearing [i.e., preaching] by the word of God." We must mature in the faith and have childlike, not childish faith; simple, but not simplistic!
Christians can have strong faith, but if they aren't able to defend it or have a reason for their faith, it's blind faith and may succumb to the devil's Anfectung or attack. It's not how much faith, but the object of the faith that's vital-you can be sincerely wrong, though sincerity is a requisite. We are always to be ready to have a reason for our hope (cf. 1 Peter 3:15). In the study of apologetics, one will realize that Christians haven't kissed their brains goodbye, and that faith is rational, though Christianity isn't rationalism. God had a rationale for sending His Son and the gospel is about realizing that work of grace is done on our behalf.
In sum, the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart; there's never enough evidence to convince the hardened skeptic, but there's ample evidence for the willing. Christians cannot argue someone into the kingdom! But they should be able to have an answer as to why they believe (cf. 2 Tim. 2:15). The problem is that some people catch their beliefs like one catches a cold: hanging around the right people and letting osmosis do its work. Also, you don't have to be able to defend your faith to have one! However, you cannot rationalize God or put Him in a test tube or under laboratory conditions, because the existence of God is not in the scientific domain-- it takes faith and faith is what pleases God; skeptics are rarely convinced by debate--a work of grace must woo their hearts toward God. Soli Deo Gloria!
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