Faith without Courage
Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD! Psalm 31:24
He didn’t have faith but he had plenty of courage.
Our new Sunday School class is teaching how to contend for our faith. I observed as an “atheist” took on a Christian in a simulated debate. What this atheist did with the Bible was heart wrenching.
He had enough of God’s Word in his statements that you thought he knew what he was talking about. Yet, he used it so that he made it sound like such a burden, one too heavy to bear. He was accusing God of all kinds of things and used scripture to back it up.
It was challenging because as I sat there listening I could come up with ways to refute his arguments in my mind but if I had been on my feet against him I am afraid I would have been fumbling for words in fear of an aggressive argument.
I remember thinking like this man before God gave me faith. He was focusing on how God had punished nations without any recognition that He was protecting His own people from harm. He pointed out the hypocrisy in the church but refused to acknowledge that God has sent some faithful people to start great institutions like education and medicine.
This man posing as the atheist has been studying how they argue and the lengths to which a hostile unbeliever will go to discredit God, His Son, and His Word.
Several people from our church stood up to him. They made logical arguments, asked pointed questions, or stated what seems obvious to us as facts. He was not having any of it. He had hardened his heart to any truth.
Sadly, this is the world we live in. Many are hardened to the truth and arguing with them may have little influence on their thinking or the their ability to understand scripture. In fact, what we know is that unless God softens that hard heart it is not moving.
So, why argue our case to someone who may not be able to hear? First, the Bible tells us to:
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Jude 1:3 (Also Corinthians 5:12 and Colossians 4:6)
Second, in the Bible we see that both Jesus and Paul worked this way. They both got into heated debates with naysayers who were working to end their preaching and teaching ministries. The book of Acts several times recounts events from Paul’s life where he got into some terrible arguments with the Jewish leaders and somewhere in the text we find, “many believed.” (Acts 4:4, 9:42, 13:48, 17:12, 18:8)
Jesus had the same experience. The religious zealots would be trying to evict Him from a town and he would stop and teach or heal some people. In spite of those who were fighting against Him, some would believe. (John 2:23, 4:39, 41; 10:42, 11:45, 12:42)
So, we never know who is listening. Just as I sat mute, how many people stand around and listen to a discussion because they have their own questions but no courage to ask? We never know who the Lord will bring to hear.
I have faith. I pray this class will bolster my courage.