Andy Gill
I’ve noticed a weird tension over time within my faith. Its this paradoxicality (i made that word up) of being extremely troubled by secular thought, while attempting to find and embrace my own intellectual reasoning to prove truth to my faith.
You see, as Christians, we can’t do this – we can’t find any single authority to guide us through these dilemmas brought to us through secular reasoning.
For instance
The Bible – We have around 5,360 manuscripts that we’ve used to make up our current New Testament. Zero of the surviving manuscripts are original, most of which are hundreds of years after the original. Consisting of more differences than there are words. It’s hard to look at someone well educated, and convince them the bible is 100% credible.
Science – To base your faith or beliefs off of theoretical/abstract observation of the metaphysical is seemingly ironic, especially with the knowledge that these theories and observations are ever changing.
Reason – Trying to use rational reason to defend your theory of the stuff said within the Christian bible is irrational in and of itself. There’s nothing rational about following Jesus – which is why most people don’t.
You see our faith, it’s nothing in which we can prove. I know it might hurt to hear that, but it’s true. Otherwise i’m not sure if we could call it “faith”.
It’s something that just one day happened to us…
It’s something that we can’t explain.
It’s beyond words.
It’s beyond understanding.
It’s unfathomable that we would give and risk our lives for something that we cannot see, touch, or prove.
Seemingly what convinced people in the first century to give up their family, their money, and their life was not reason or rational thought…
In the third century there was a man named Saturus who was martyred for his faith. Given chance to recant, he chose not to. He was then thrown to a leopard. It’s written that, “with one bite of his he was bathed with such a quantity of blood…” So assured of his salvation he stammered back to the soldier watching and said, “Farewell, and be mindful of my faith; and let not these things disturb, but confirm… ”
What convinced people in the first century to give up their family, their money, and their life were women and men living out their faith, giving up everything, and dying sake for the sake of the Gospel.
The greatest means of conversion then, was the embrace of the early churches faith lived out through action. The greatest deterrent and proof that there is no Christian God, is said to be the modern day Churches in which have a lack of faith shown through our lack of action…
So may we take up our crosses together as one community, rich or poor, hispanic, asian or white, and live out a costly faith, that cannot be otherwise proven.
Actions speak louder than words.
What do you guys think? Can we prove our faith? Love to hear what came to mind when reading this…
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