I recently had an opportunity to share the Gospel with a co-worker. When I asked if he was a Christian, his response was, “No.” As we continued talking he shared that he did not believe in God, Heaven or Hell. The cliff-notes version of what he said was evolution explained our presence here, though no one knows how evolution started (meaning no one can answer how the first organism came into existence.) When we die, he simply believes nothing happens…we die and that is it. I did not attack his beliefs, but rather sat and listened trying to understand his point of view. That only seemed fair since I was hoping he would do the same when I voiced my beliefs.
Although I was praying fervently throughout our trip, few answers came to me. In sharing the Gospel and using Scripture as support, he commented that he believed many Bible stories to be historically true, but by no means believed all of it. He viewed it as he would any other piece of literature.
I felt completely inadequate because, without the Bible,
I had nothing to stand on.
Later that evening, as I pondered our discussion, I realized the true difference between a believer and non-believer; Faith and hope. Perhaps the truest statement I made to him was that I did not have enough faith to believe in evolution. To believe this world just came to be from an explosion or some other event with no order whatsoever takes a big leap of faith. Then to believe a single-celled organism somehow appeared and evolved into everything around us is…well, as I said, I don’t have that much faith. My faith is rooted in the Word of God. The only thing I accepted from the start is the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is true, it is real, and it is without error…that’s it. From that one belief, everything else is explained. I can show you when the earth was created and in who’s image we are created. I can explain the relationship between a man and woman. I can even tell you why there is great evil in the world today and who we have to thank for our constructive nature, tools and music. Those are just in the first four chapters of the first Book in the Bible.
What He Was Missing…
It sounds funny doesn’t it; a Christian not having much faith? But there is something at the core of what I believe that I think my co-worker is missing – HOPE. I find hope in the fact that there is a God and He is the creator of everything. I find peace in the fact that God gave His creation free will to sin or rebel against Him only to provide a way to overcome that sin through His son Jesus Christ. And most importantly, I have hope in the fact that this if not the end. I do not have to endure the horrors in this world just to have it end when I die. I can look forward to spending eternity with my Creator and Savior. It makes the time I spend on this rock a little more bearable. (All of that is in the Bible too.) But then there is the question of how can I believe the Bible is true? It may have started with a small amount of faith, but believing God’s word gives us true, eternal, awe inspiring hope. God showed me so.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
1 Peter 3:15
Leave a Reply