A man who had defected from his Christian roots told me his new worldview (atheism) didn’t require faith (like my Christian belief does) because it is based on science, on objective, verifiable, empirical data.
That is a false premise. Since this person does not have infinite knowledge of the universe, he is exercising faith that science can (or will) reveal the answers for every question, every life-mystery which confronts mankind. So, currently, anyway, he is exercising faith because he does not, in fact, have all the facts.
You see, no matter what you believe you are still exercising faith that what you are investing your life in is true and has lasting value. Obviously, the bigger risk-taker is the atheist since he/she is gambling that Jesus lied (some even deny He ever existed) and that the Bible bears false testimony as to the origin, purpose, and destiny of all men. Hmmm. Kind of hard to swallow, isn’t it?
Perhaps you are at a crossroads in your life where you are questioning what is true and what is false. You are in good company: even the “giants” have been in your shoes — people like Billy Graham (1918-2018) for instance!
Perhaps you are familiar with his story, how in his early ministry years his dear friend and evangelist-colleague Charles Templeton (1915-2001) de-converted from Christianity to atheism. Templeton kept after Billy, ridiculing his faith, challenging his thinking about the existence of God, the origin of the universe, life on earth, etc.
Shaken to the core, Billy got alone with God — and the Lord spoke to him in a simple, clear way: Billy was to go on as an evangelist, living a life of faith, of trust in the promises and instructions God has provided in His Word, the Bible. Billy Graham obeyed — and the results speak for themselves! So, what about you? Where will you place your faith in this new year? In what or in whom will you invest the rest of your fleeting life? While Christianity is indeed a life of faith, I’m elated to be able to say the facts, for those who insist on them as a solid basis for their life, overwhelmingly reside within the Christian faith! Trust God and let Him show you who He is and what He can do!
Trusting begins with the acknowledgment that you need God to take over, to reconcile you to Him, and to give you a new life. Jesus summed up where to start when He said, “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Once we have placed our trust in Christ alone for our need to be made right with God, we grow in our faith by walking with God, each day, by a life of obedience and trust in what He has said in the Bible about how we are to live.