Faith, Part 2 of 3预览

Faith often seems foolish

“My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

Faith is not reserved for stupid people, as is sometimes claimed, as if the Gospel could not withstand critical questions and reasonable thinking. Fortunately, this is not true! At the same time, it is true that human wisdom and faith sometimes clash.

The apostle Paul explains that God has chosen to bring people to faith “through the folly of what we preach,” rather than by the wisdom of the world, with all kinds of sophisticated philosophical reasoning. This leads some people to haughtily reject the Gospel. This attitude is contrary to the humble faith God asks of us. He wants us to “receive His message of salvation like a child,” trusting unconditionally in our heavenly Father.

There is nothing wrong with thinking about your faith and sharing thoughts about it with others. But the likelihood of bringing someone to faith through philosophical argument is slim.

If people are not convinced by human reasoning, by what are they persuaded? By the power of God's Spirit. And He wants to use the Word of God, when we read it in the Bible or hear it told by others.

Do you ever engage in discussions about the Gospel with unbelievers? What are your experiences so far?