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The following comment comes from a website which debunks urban legends. It was made in
reference to the legend making internet rounds in which a young student, named Albert Einstein,
allegedly refuted an atheist professor's denial of God's existence. "Here's the problem with
faith: that which are articles of it can't be proved. (According to our dictionary, faith is
firm belief in something for which no proof exists...) Those who are convinced of the existence
of God, therefore, have no incontrovertible, irrefutable answer to anyone who challenges them
to provide evidence of the veracity of their belief systems' tenets."
(www.snopes.com/religion/einstein.asp).
Like most of the world, the writer of the above views faith as wishful thinking. But the faith of which the Bible speaks is not some kind of wishful thinking. It's conviction based upon evidence. Without evidence, there is no faith at all. All faith, whether it is true or false rests upon evidence. A study of Hebrews 11 indicates that faith is simply hearing God's word and acting upon it. "By faith, Abel offered..." "By faith, Noah... moved with fear, prepared an ark..." "By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out... obeyed." In all of these cases, the faith of these worthies was based upon evidence. The thesis of John's gospel is to produce faith in Christ as God's Son (John 20:30-31). One who accepts that does so based upon the evidence of Christ's life presented by John. It is foolish to say that "faith is firm belief in something for which no proof exists," as the commentator on the above website avers. Jesus proved His claims by the miracles He did (John 5:36) and those claims were faithfully recorded by inspired men for all time. Testimony in a criminal or civil court trial is given by credible witnesses and that testimony is corroborated by evidence. The trial is committed to permanent record by a court reporter and once the judgment is rendered, all of the testimony and evidence is available for anyone to read. We wonder if the above commentator believes that the "Scopes Monkey Trial" took place in Tennessee in the 1920s. If so, upon what would the commentator base his belief? And if he believes the trial took place, can he prove it? If I were to take off hitch hiking on an Interstate Highway intending to go to the moon, do you suppose I could wind up on the moon? According to the commentator cited above I would be traveling to the moon on faith. The world defines faith as a "leap in the dark." But faith is based upon evidence — not a stab in the dark. The commentator who said believers in God, "have no incontrovertible, irrefutable answer to anyone who challenges them..." doesn't understand that his own existence bespeaks the existence of God. David said, "the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth his handiwork" (Psalms 19:1 ASV), and Paul declared that the universe and all that is therein testifies to the existence of a Creator (Romans 1:19-20). The website commentator would probably accept the existence of his house as proof that it had a builder (Hebrews 3:3). Then, why not accept the heavens and the earth as sufficient proof of the Eternal Builder? Faith, whether true or false, is always based upon evidence. A false faith is based on false evidence. That is seen in the case of Jacob when his older sons sold their brother Joseph into slavery. To cover their wickedness, they took Joseph's coat of many colors, which his father had given him, and dipped it into the blood of a goat (Genesis 37:31). They brought the coat to Jacob and asked him if he recognized it as Joseph's (Genesis 37:32). When Jacob observed the blood stained coat, he exclaimed, "It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces" (Genesis 37:33). What was Jacob's belief? He believed Joseph was dead, having been torn asunder by a wild beast. That was Jacob's faith. Why did he believe what he did? Was it just a "leap of faith" or a "shot in the dark?" Of course not. His belief was based upon the evidence presented to him — his son's bloody coat. Was he sincere? Yes. Was his faith true? No. Why? Because the evidence upon which his faith was based was false evidence. Further proof that he sincerely believed Joseph was dead is found in these words: "And Jacob rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him" (Genesis 37:34-35). What was the source of Jacob's deep grief? It was his belief. What did he believe? He believed Joseph was dead and his faith was based upon the evidence presented by his other sons. The same is true with true Biblical faith. It is based upon true evidence. When one reads and understands the will of God expressed in the Bible, and believes that word, he has faith that is based upon written evidence from eyewitnesses, just as the "Scopes Monkey Trial" can be believed today from the written record of it. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Bible faith is not a leap in the dark which cannot be proven. It is conviction, based upon evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). |