Believing Gained by Reading

Erwin introduced me to Rojan* an 80-year-old doctor born in Peru.  We listened to him as he explained that there is no such thing as hell and that when he dies, he will simply decompose and return to the earth—body, spirit, and soul.  There is no afterlife he said.  Implied in his words were his belief that there is no God and no accountability for us in how we live. He was firm in his convictions and seemingly unconcerned of a finite life.

 I shared with Rojan about my relationship with the Lord and how He had healed my son Bryan from an inoperable brain-tumor. He nodded thoughtfully, understanding as a doctor the gravity of a brain-stem glioma. I shared the clear evidence of a Designer as measured by the unique human combination of signature strengths.[1]  If there is a Designer why would He create creatures He loves to a short terminal assignment?  Finally, I asked him if he had ever read the Bible.  

Rojan cited a passage in the Bible about the sun standing still for a 24-hour period (Joshua 10) and said that this was scientifically impossible. Based on that story and other discrepancies with science he felt scripture was not trustworthy.  I asked him if he had ever read and studied the Bible.  He said no.  I then encouraged him that for something as critically important as life, the possibility of standing before God for judgment and all that was at stake, he at least, as a man who valued science, ought to carefully study the Bible.
 
Meditation
John 20:30,31--Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name.
 
The last two verses of John 20 make a critically important point. Scripture is written so that people can believe in Jesus.  To fail to read it is a grievous error.  To critique God’s Word as untrustworthy without studying it in its entirety is intellectually lazy—no other book in the world makes the same claims or has the impact the Bible has.  
            
I gave Rojan a hug and we parted on friendly terms.  I pray that he will humble himself and study the Bible and be led by the Holy Spirit to truth. Believing is gained by reading words that are divinely inspired to give us truth, hope and a sure future with our awesome Creator.   
 
Inspiration
To believe in Jesus means much more than the experience of salvation in any form, it entails a mental and moral commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ’s view of God and humankind, of sin and the devil, and of the Scriptures.—Oswald Chambers in Approved Unto God 104
 
 
*Not his real name

©2022 Daniel York  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)


[1] Dr. Donald Clifton established that each person has a unique combination of a possible ordering of 34 strengths.