Proof is in the Pudding

Does Christianity require blind faith?

Today many churchgoers are uncertain about their Christian faith. I would go as far as to say many have a “hope-so” faith when we should have a “know-so” faith.

People have turned away because of intellectual doubts that plague them.

“If God is all loving and all powerful, why does He let so much suffering go on in the world?”

“How could a loving God send people to an eternal Hell?”

“How do I know Yahweh is the one true God instead of these thousands of other gods in these other religions that contradict Christianity?

How do I know The Bible is true and not The Koran or the Hindu Scriptures?”

And when we respond to these and many others with “Just have faith,” that translates in the seekers mind as “in order to be a Christian, you need to commit intellectual suicide.” This blind faith approach is so, so, so unbiblical. Many places in The Bible command us to tell others WHY Christianity is true and why you can be certain about your faith.

· “Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have, but do so with gentleness and respect.” – 1 Peter 3:15

· In Jude 1:3, Jude urges his readers to DEFEND the faith (that’s what we call “Christian Apologetics”).

· In Philippians 1:16, Paul says that he was appointed to DEFEND the good news (i.e do Christian Apologetics).

· “Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” – Colossians 4:5-6

Today I want you all to understand that Christianity has nothing to hide. We can go to the Bible, to the church, and to God with our questions and doubts. Paul reminds the Corinthian church that the foundational gospel message of Christ's atoning death, burial, and bodily resurrection has been verified and passed down by the apostles.

Returning to the basics is essential, especially in times of uncertainty and conflict. As Paul dealt with the conflict in Corinth, he found it necessary to remind them of where and how it all began. We live in a time when the old ways of being and doing church no longer communicate the faith effectively, especially to this generation. The old answers do not work anymore.

In fact, the old questions are not even being asked. Yet the basic message that has been entrusted to the church from the beginning (vv. 3b–4) is never old. Therefore, in this time it is essential for me as your pastor to remind you as the community of faith where we came from, what we believe, and how it all began.

I know that we have a faith that is informed and evidential. We have proof that who we believe in, is real.

If we are to have blind faith, why would Jesus give us evidence that proves He is the Messiah? After all, blind faith asserts that evidence is not necessary. In other words, Jesus did not want his followers to have blind faith, so He provided proof (miracles) to show them who He is.

In his essay “The Light Who Has Lighted the World,” writer Chuck Klosterman compares belief in God to a murder investigation. Klosterman asks us to imagine we’re investigating a homicide on a small, isolated island. Exactly one thousand citizens live on the island, but you have yet to locate a single clue. Even worse, there are no witnesses to the crime. No one can provide a motive. But as you begin to interview the people on the island, 784 are convinced that Timothy committed the murder. What would you, as the investigator on the case, do?

According to Klosterman, this allegory explains the nature of religious belief in America. Roughly eighty percent of the nation believes in the existence of God, but only about 55% believe in the God of the Bible. For many, it’s just a hunch—a piece of information to file in a casebook, but not anything that would warrant a reasonable conclusion.

1 Cor. 15 works as a sort of hinge in Paul's letter to the Corinthian church. After pleading, rebuking, instructing, and lamenting, Paul hits pause and essentially says, “Let me remind you why we're even doing this at all.” Because Jesus is who he said he was.

Paul reminds his readers that he passed on to them what he was given by the apostles and by Christ. He isn’t making any of this up. All the apostles agree on the message of Jesus’s resurrection. This message is how they were saved when they first heard and believed it, and it is the gospel by which their salvation continues (v. 2).

Every believer somewhere experienced an entry into the Kingdom of God when they believed in Jesus. Important as the historic event is to the believer, however, it is not in itself a guarantee that they are now in the Kingdom. There are three aspects to every believer’s salvation, namely, (1) the fact that Christ has saved them, (2) the fact that they are presently being saved, and (3) the hope that they will finally be saved.

A fundamental aspect of the Christian faith is to have a continuous spiritual connection with the living Christ, a past encounter with him, and a future expectation of such an encounter (Hebrews 12:22-24). The Corinthians, like all other believers, can only attain salvation if they remain faithful to this core principle of Christianity, which Paul had preached to them before and now reminds them of again: the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This creed in verses 3-7 also does something fascinating. It lists those who saw Jesus post-resurrection: Peter (Cephas), the disciples, five hundred brothers, James, the brother of Jesus, the apostles, and Paul. Why is it important that Paul lists these names? He is essentially saying, “Many of these individuals are still alive. You can go talk to them and investigate their claims.” In other words, Christianity has nothing to hide. We can bring our doubts and questions to church. We can ask questions about faith!

If Jesus wants us to have blind faith, then why did He have to fulfill so many ancient prophesies? If God required us to have blind faith, then why did Jesus have to fulfill so many prophesies to PROVE to the Jews that He was the true messiah? Why couldn’t Jesus just come onto the scene and say “Hey, I’m the Messiah, follow me!” Maybe because so many other people were claiming to be the Messiah at the time period and they were NOT the Messiah.

The Jews needed the ability to tell truth from falsehood. The Jews needed the ability to tell the difference between the TRUE messiah and a phony. Blind Faith can’t give you that. God gave the Jews a test for the real Messiah to take and if He was able to get a perfect score, then their conclusion would be that He was and is the Messiah. Lee Strobel calls this “The Fingerprint Evidence” in his book “The Case For Christ.” Jesus had to fulfill each and every one of the messianic prophecies. If He did, then that proved He was the genuine article.

Why is all this important? It is because our faith is under attack. “The New Atheist” movement has set a goal to eliminate religious belief from the face of the Earth. High School teachers and College professors endorse Darwinian evolution and try to convince students that a Creator was not needed for advanced life to come into being.

Christian philosopher William Lane Craig concurs. He said “In high school and college Christian teenagers are intellectually assaulted with every manner of non-Christian worldview coupled with an overwhelming relativism. If parents are not intellectually engaged with their faith and do not have sound arguments for Christian belief and good answers to their children’s questions, then we are in real danger of losing our youth. It’s no longer enough to simply teach our children Bible stories; they need doctrine and apologetics.

The final proof any man can have of the fact that he is a Christian is that he keeps, and delights in keeping, and goes on keeping, the commandments of the Lord.

Walking with God, 55

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones