Believe it…or not
As an agnostic, I was challenged by a believer to read the New Testament before making pronouncements about and arguments against Christianity.
I did. I was surprised by what I found. In particular, the unexpected honesty about its flawed heroes – Moses a murderer, David an adulterer and murderer, Peter the denier, Thomas the doubter, to name a few. No hint of self-protection, of a cover-up, of an attempt by its various authors to conceal a conspiracy. Since then, I have not stopped reading the OT and the NT. I could no longer sustain my agnosticism.
Being ‘a believer’ is certainly related to the historicity and reliability of scripture: for example, I do believe there was a man called Jesus who was crucified and resurrected, but it is far more than merely having faith in a set of historical facts; it is state of being, of having received a new heart which is tuned to the voice and the words of God.
We could pick any number of verses in the New Testament to illustrate this, but 2Cor2v14,15 is on my mind.
‘Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of Christ in every place for we are to Him the fragrance of Christ among those who are perishing and those being saved’
For someone who believes that the Bible is the inspired and infallible word of God, the issue is not whether these verses are true but whether he/she believes them in the circumstances in which they find themselves. Its truth is not independent of the person believing. I might, for example, agree intellectually that human beings can float in water and swim, based on the evidence…but it is not until we’re in water that we truly discover how to swim…or not.
Faith is not uncommon; it takes us beyond the limitations of our five senses
All of us, whether we class ourselves as atheists, agnostics, or whatever world-view, learn faith. We believe, for example, that the Sun, when it is hidden from view either behind a cloud or after sunset, is still there. Or it may take a while for a young child to stop looking behind a mirror to find the person looking back at them. Faith is not uncommon; it takes us beyond the limitations of our five senses.
The above verse has challenged me for the past 18 months. I read it most days and recite it to myself…whatever my mood or circumstances.
I remind myself of the two critical words ‘in Christ’. I remind myself of what this being ‘led in triumph’ looked like in the life of Jesus: harassed by the Pharisees, rejected by his home synagogue, nowhere to lay his head, considered mad by his brothers and sisters, arrested on false charges, and crucified.
One particular incident, when Jesus met the woman at the well (John ch 4) illustrates the truth of these verses.
‘He came to Samaria…and being weary from the journey, sat by the well…the disciples went to buy food…it was noon’ 4v5-8
Whilst they were gone, a woman came to the well; she and Jesus started talking. It was a remarkable conversation; Jesus had a word of knowledge about the woman’s turbulent past – five husbands and living with another man - to which the woman said ‘Sir, I perceive you are a prophet’ v19. It led to ‘many of the Samaritans in that city believing in Him’ v39
But the point is this: Jesus was weary. Physically tired. Weak. So weak that when the disciples returned they ‘urged him to eat’ v31. He was not Superman. Being ‘led in triumph’ is true whether we are weary or strong. Jesus put it this way to the disciples: ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know’ v32.
When I feel dull, or bored, or fearful, or elated, full of energy or knackered, when I’m winning or losing, experiencing prosperity or reverse…in Christ I discover that I have a source of energy that is hidden from the world. The sun may be hidden behind a cloud, and any evidence of ‘triumph’ may be hidden from view, but we learn that this concealment is only temporary…and wait, just as a child waits for the sun to reappear.