"The Reasonableness of Faith" The Signs of the Times 14, 5.
E. J. Waggoner
The
Christian's faith in something that cannot be seen is a source of
wonder
to the unbeliever, and is often the object of ridicule and contempt. The worldling
regards the simple faith of the Christian as an evidence of weakness of mind,
and with a complacent smile at the thought of the superiority of his own intellect,
he declares that he never believes a thing without evidence; he never jumps at
conclusions, and doesn't believe anything that he cannot see and understand.
The saying that the man who believes nothing that he cannot understand will
have a very short creed, is as true as it is trite. There is not a philosopher living
who can understand the one-hundredth part of the simple phenomena that he
sees every day. Scientists have found out by observation that certain kinds of soil
are specially adapted to certain kinds of produce; but nobody can tell why.
As a matter of fact, faith is one of the commonest things. There is no skeptic
who does not have faith to a greater or less degree; and in very many cases they
go even farther, and manifest simple credulity. But the element of faith underlies
all business transactions, and all the affairs of life. Two men make an
appointment to meet at a certain time and place, to transact certain business;
each has to trust the other's word. The merchant has to exercise faith in his
employes and his customers. Yea, more, he has to, unconsciously it may be,
exercise faith in God; for he will send his ships across the ocean, with confidence
that they will return again loaded with merchandise, and yet he must know that
their safe return depends on the winds and the waves, which are beyond human
control. And even though he never once thinks of the power that controls the
elements, he puts confidence in the officers and crew. He will even trust himself
on board of one of the ships, whose captain and crew he never saw, and
confidently expect that they will bring him to the desired heaven.
One of these men who thinks that it is foolish to trust in a God "whom no man
hath seen, neither can see," will go to a little window and lay down a twenty dollar
gold-piece, and in return will receive from a man whom he never saw before, and whose name he does not know, only a little strip of paper which says that he is entitled to a ride to a distant city. He perhaps has never seen that city, and knows of its existence only by the reports of others, yet he steps aboard the cars, gives his bit of paper to another total stranger, and settles down in comfort. He has never seen the engineer, and does not know but that he may be incapable or malicious; yet he is perfectly unconcerned, and confidently expects to be carried safely to the place, the existence of which he knows only by hearsay. More than this, he holds in his hand a piece of paper prepared by some men whom he never saw, which states that these strangers, to whose care he has intrusted himself, will land him at his destination at a certain hour; and so implicitly does this skeptic believe this statement, that he sends word ahead to some other person whom he has never seen, making arrangements to meet him at that specified time.
Still further, his faith is drawn upon in the sending of the message announcing
his coming. He steps into a little room, writes a few words on a slip of paper,
which he hands to a stranger sitting by a little machine, pays the man half a
dollar, and then goes his way believing that in less than half an hour his unknown
friend a thousand miles away will be reading the message which he left in the
station behind him.
When he reaches the city, his faith is still further manifested. While on the
cars he has written a letter to his family, whom he has left at home. As soon as
he reaches the city, he spies a little iron box fastened to a post in the street, and
straightway goes and drops his letter into it, and walks off without giving the
matter a second thought. He confidently expects that the letter which he has
dropped into that box without saying a word to anybody, will reach his wife within
two days. And yet this man thinks that it is extremely foolish to talk to God with
the expectation that any attention will be paid to the words.
But to all this the skeptic will reply that he does not blindly trust in others, but
that he has reason to believe that he will be carried safely, that his message will
be sent correctly, and that his letter will reach his wife in good season. His faith in
these things is based on the following grounds:
1. Others have been carried in safety, and thousands of letters and telegrams
have been correctly sent and promptly delivered. Whenever a letter has been
miscarried, it has almost invariably been the fault of the sender.
2. The men to whom he instrusts himself and his messages, make a business
of carrying people and messages; if they should fail to fulfill their agreements,
nobody would place any confidence in them, and their business would soon be
ruined.
3. He has had the assurance of the Government of the United States. The
railroad and telegraph companies receive their charter from the Government,
which thereby becomes in a measure responsible for their faithfulness. If they do
not do as they agree, the Government can revoke their charter. His confidence in
the letter-box was due to the fact that he saw upon it the letters "U.S.M.," and he
knew that they mean that the Government has promised safely to deliver any
letter placed in the box, if it is properly addressed and stamped. He believes that
the Government will fulfill its promises, because if it does not, its existence must
soon come to an end. Its existence depends on its power to fulfill its promises,
and its integrity in performing them. It is to the interest of the Government to fulfill
its promises, just as much as it is to the interest of the railroad and telegraph
companies to fulfill theirs. And all these things form a solid ground for his faith.
Well, the Christian has a thousand-fold more ground for his faith in the
promises of God. Faith is not blind credulity. Says the apostle: "Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence [ground, or confidence] of things not
seen." Heb. 11:1. This is an inspired definition, and therefore we may conclude
that the Lord does not expect us to exercise faith except on evidence. Now it can
readily be shown that the Christian has the same ground for exercising faith in
God, that the skeptic has for his confidence in the railroad and telegraph
companies, or in the Government; and a great deal more.
1. Others have trusted the promises of God, and have found them to be sure.
The eleventh chapter of Hebrews contains a long list of those who have verified
the promises of God; who "through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the
violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made
strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to fight the armies of the aliens. Women
received their dead raised to life again." And this is not confined to the days of
old. Anyone who wishes can find abundance of testimony to the fact that God is
"a very present help in trouble." Thousands can testify of prayers answered in so
marked a manner as to leave no more doubt that God answers prayer than there is that the United States Government carries the mails that are intrusted to it.
2. The God whom we trust makes a business of answering prayers, and of
protecting and caring for his subjects. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not
consumed, because his compassions fail not." Lam. 3:22. And "He delighteth in
mercy." Micah 7:18. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the
Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jer. 29:11.
If he should break one of his promises, men would cease to believe him. This
was the ground of David's confidence. Said he: "Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of Thy name; and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for Thy
name's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God?" Ps. 79:9,10.
3. The existence of God's Government depends on the fulfillment of his
promises. The Christian has the assurance of the Government of the universe,
that every lawful request that he makes will be granted. Government is especially
for the protection of the weak. Suppose now that God should fail to fulfill one of
his promises to the very weakest and most insignificant persons in the world; that
single failure would destroy the entire Government of God. The whole universe
would at once be thrown into confusion. If God should break one of his promises,
no one in the universe could ever have any confidence, and his rule would be at
an end. So the humble Christian depends on the word of God, knowing that God
has more at stake than he has. If such a thing were possible as that God should
break his word, the Christian would lose only his life, but God would lose His
character, the stability of his Government, and the control of the universe.
Moreover, those who put their trust in human government, or in any institution
of men, are liable to be disappointed. With the best of intentions, mistakes will be
made, because men are but fallible. But to the Christian the firm assurance is
given: "There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven
in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, and
underneath are the everlasting arms." Deut. 33:26, 27. His power is shown in
creation. The things that he has made attest His eternal power and Godhead.
The more powerful the Government, the greater the confidence in it. Then what
more reasonable than that we should have implicit confidence in the God whom
nature and revelation combined declare to be omnipotent, eternal, and
unchangeable?
If I should express to an infidel my doubts as to the integrity of one of his
friends, he would say: "That's because you don't know him; just try him, and you
will find him as true as steel." This would be a fair reply; and so we say to the
infidel who doubts the promises of God. "O taste and see that the Lord is
good; . . . there is no want to them that fear him." Ps. 34:8, 9. What right has
anybody to doubt the promises or the power of God before he has given them a
fair trial? And in that case, what right has anybody to doubt God, since everybody
is testing his power and goodness every moment of his life?
W.
to the unbeliever, and is often the object of ridicule and contempt. The worldling
regards the simple faith of the Christian as an evidence of weakness of mind,
and with a complacent smile at the thought of the superiority of his own intellect,
he declares that he never believes a thing without evidence; he never jumps at
conclusions, and doesn't believe anything that he cannot see and understand.
The saying that the man who believes nothing that he cannot understand will
have a very short creed, is as true as it is trite. There is not a philosopher living
who can understand the one-hundredth part of the simple phenomena that he
sees every day. Scientists have found out by observation that certain kinds of soil
are specially adapted to certain kinds of produce; but nobody can tell why.
As a matter of fact, faith is one of the commonest things. There is no skeptic
who does not have faith to a greater or less degree; and in very many cases they
go even farther, and manifest simple credulity. But the element of faith underlies
all business transactions, and all the affairs of life. Two men make an
appointment to meet at a certain time and place, to transact certain business;
each has to trust the other's word. The merchant has to exercise faith in his
employes and his customers. Yea, more, he has to, unconsciously it may be,
exercise faith in God; for he will send his ships across the ocean, with confidence
that they will return again loaded with merchandise, and yet he must know that
their safe return depends on the winds and the waves, which are beyond human
control. And even though he never once thinks of the power that controls the
elements, he puts confidence in the officers and crew. He will even trust himself
on board of one of the ships, whose captain and crew he never saw, and
confidently expect that they will bring him to the desired heaven.
One of these men who thinks that it is foolish to trust in a God "whom no man
hath seen, neither can see," will go to a little window and lay down a twenty dollar
gold-piece, and in return will receive from a man whom he never saw before, and whose name he does not know, only a little strip of paper which says that he is entitled to a ride to a distant city. He perhaps has never seen that city, and knows of its existence only by the reports of others, yet he steps aboard the cars, gives his bit of paper to another total stranger, and settles down in comfort. He has never seen the engineer, and does not know but that he may be incapable or malicious; yet he is perfectly unconcerned, and confidently expects to be carried safely to the place, the existence of which he knows only by hearsay. More than this, he holds in his hand a piece of paper prepared by some men whom he never saw, which states that these strangers, to whose care he has intrusted himself, will land him at his destination at a certain hour; and so implicitly does this skeptic believe this statement, that he sends word ahead to some other person whom he has never seen, making arrangements to meet him at that specified time.
Still further, his faith is drawn upon in the sending of the message announcing
his coming. He steps into a little room, writes a few words on a slip of paper,
which he hands to a stranger sitting by a little machine, pays the man half a
dollar, and then goes his way believing that in less than half an hour his unknown
friend a thousand miles away will be reading the message which he left in the
station behind him.
When he reaches the city, his faith is still further manifested. While on the
cars he has written a letter to his family, whom he has left at home. As soon as
he reaches the city, he spies a little iron box fastened to a post in the street, and
straightway goes and drops his letter into it, and walks off without giving the
matter a second thought. He confidently expects that the letter which he has
dropped into that box without saying a word to anybody, will reach his wife within
two days. And yet this man thinks that it is extremely foolish to talk to God with
the expectation that any attention will be paid to the words.
But to all this the skeptic will reply that he does not blindly trust in others, but
that he has reason to believe that he will be carried safely, that his message will
be sent correctly, and that his letter will reach his wife in good season. His faith in
these things is based on the following grounds:
1. Others have been carried in safety, and thousands of letters and telegrams
have been correctly sent and promptly delivered. Whenever a letter has been
miscarried, it has almost invariably been the fault of the sender.
2. The men to whom he instrusts himself and his messages, make a business
of carrying people and messages; if they should fail to fulfill their agreements,
nobody would place any confidence in them, and their business would soon be
ruined.
3. He has had the assurance of the Government of the United States. The
railroad and telegraph companies receive their charter from the Government,
which thereby becomes in a measure responsible for their faithfulness. If they do
not do as they agree, the Government can revoke their charter. His confidence in
the letter-box was due to the fact that he saw upon it the letters "U.S.M.," and he
knew that they mean that the Government has promised safely to deliver any
letter placed in the box, if it is properly addressed and stamped. He believes that
the Government will fulfill its promises, because if it does not, its existence must
soon come to an end. Its existence depends on its power to fulfill its promises,
and its integrity in performing them. It is to the interest of the Government to fulfill
its promises, just as much as it is to the interest of the railroad and telegraph
companies to fulfill theirs. And all these things form a solid ground for his faith.
Well, the Christian has a thousand-fold more ground for his faith in the
promises of God. Faith is not blind credulity. Says the apostle: "Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence [ground, or confidence] of things not
seen." Heb. 11:1. This is an inspired definition, and therefore we may conclude
that the Lord does not expect us to exercise faith except on evidence. Now it can
readily be shown that the Christian has the same ground for exercising faith in
God, that the skeptic has for his confidence in the railroad and telegraph
companies, or in the Government; and a great deal more.
1. Others have trusted the promises of God, and have found them to be sure.
The eleventh chapter of Hebrews contains a long list of those who have verified
the promises of God; who "through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the
violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made
strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to fight the armies of the aliens. Women
received their dead raised to life again." And this is not confined to the days of
old. Anyone who wishes can find abundance of testimony to the fact that God is
"a very present help in trouble." Thousands can testify of prayers answered in so
marked a manner as to leave no more doubt that God answers prayer than there is that the United States Government carries the mails that are intrusted to it.
2. The God whom we trust makes a business of answering prayers, and of
protecting and caring for his subjects. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not
consumed, because his compassions fail not." Lam. 3:22. And "He delighteth in
mercy." Micah 7:18. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the
Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jer. 29:11.
If he should break one of his promises, men would cease to believe him. This
was the ground of David's confidence. Said he: "Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of Thy name; and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for Thy
name's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God?" Ps. 79:9,10.
3. The existence of God's Government depends on the fulfillment of his
promises. The Christian has the assurance of the Government of the universe,
that every lawful request that he makes will be granted. Government is especially
for the protection of the weak. Suppose now that God should fail to fulfill one of
his promises to the very weakest and most insignificant persons in the world; that
single failure would destroy the entire Government of God. The whole universe
would at once be thrown into confusion. If God should break one of his promises,
no one in the universe could ever have any confidence, and his rule would be at
an end. So the humble Christian depends on the word of God, knowing that God
has more at stake than he has. If such a thing were possible as that God should
break his word, the Christian would lose only his life, but God would lose His
character, the stability of his Government, and the control of the universe.
Moreover, those who put their trust in human government, or in any institution
of men, are liable to be disappointed. With the best of intentions, mistakes will be
made, because men are but fallible. But to the Christian the firm assurance is
given: "There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven
in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, and
underneath are the everlasting arms." Deut. 33:26, 27. His power is shown in
creation. The things that he has made attest His eternal power and Godhead.
The more powerful the Government, the greater the confidence in it. Then what
more reasonable than that we should have implicit confidence in the God whom
nature and revelation combined declare to be omnipotent, eternal, and
unchangeable?
If I should express to an infidel my doubts as to the integrity of one of his
friends, he would say: "That's because you don't know him; just try him, and you
will find him as true as steel." This would be a fair reply; and so we say to the
infidel who doubts the promises of God. "O taste and see that the Lord is
good; . . . there is no want to them that fear him." Ps. 34:8, 9. What right has
anybody to doubt the promises or the power of God before he has given them a
fair trial? And in that case, what right has anybody to doubt God, since everybody
is testing his power and goodness every moment of his life?
W.
