III. BEGINNING IN THE WRONG PLACE
CHAPTER III BEGINNING IN THE WRONG PLACE
The full force of the evidences of Christianity is entirely missed by some investigators because they do not start in the right place. More than one error of this nature is evident in the approach of some unbelievers, and any one of them can, unless the person becomes aware of what he is doing, keep them from seeing the reasons for the faith. In this chapter we shall deal with the following errors: First, the considerations of the mysteries of Christianity without first weighing its evidence. Second, a consideration of the objections to faith without first considering the positive evidence for it. Third, the failure to deal properly with the things which present difficulties for the investigator. Fourth, the failure to emphasize and act on what one does believe. Fifth, the false impression that Christianity can be examined without serious study. Sixth, the failure to recognize when a thing is proved. Let us now consider the first error.
I. FIRST WEIGHT ITS ADVANTAGES, THEN ITS MYSTERIES
What would we think of the logic and the reasoning of the individual who, when confronted with the evidence of the destruction of Hiroshimo, replied: "I cannot accept the idea that one bomb did so much damage, for it is utterly incomprehensible to me how one bomb can do so much damage." Even the explanation of that which takes place in the explosion of an atomic bomb seems fantastic. Even though one may have explained to him how it is done, it is still a mystery as to why it is that way, why it can muster so much power. And yet, the inability of a layman, or even of a scientist, to understand all the things which are involved, in no wise mitigates against the fact that one bomb blasted Hiroshimo. The evidence all points to the fact that one bomb did it, and a failure to understand either how or why, does not in the least weaken the fact that it did. And the person is both illogical and unreasonable when he demands that all mysteries in connection with it be fully explained and grasped before he will accept the fact.
Is such lame logic and unreasonable reasoning transformed into commendable intellection when it is applied to the credentials of Christianity instead of to the destruction of Hiroshimo? All true reason answers, No! And yet, it is the very way in which some otherwise intelligent persons treat the evidence of Christianity. Christianity is often rejected because some of its teachings are mysterious, not in that we cannot understand that they are taught, but in that no one can explain why it should have been that way instead of some other way; for example, why the atonement should have been necessary.
Why should it be thought unreasonable because there are some mysteries in the Bible, some things which may not appear reasonable to some minds? After all, if Christianity is what it claims to be, the revelation of God in Christ, we should expect some things in that revelation which are not fathomable by human reason. What would be the value of a revelation from God which contained nothing except that which was discernible or produced by unaided human reasoning? If there are mysteries in the book of nature, if we cannot understand everything there, how should we expect to understand everything in connection with the revelation of God through His book the Bible? One famous British scientist, Sir J. Arthur Thomson said: "We understand the how of a few things, the why of nothing." As he once wrote: "Science as science never asks the question Why? That is to say, it never inquiries into the meaning, or significance, or purpose of this manifold Being, Becoming, and Having Been,"1 which we see in the workings of life and nature. No man can explain why grass, when eaten and digested, can grow feathers on a goose and hair on a cow; or how a black cow can eat green grass and give white milk and yellow butter. The man who refuses to accept these facts because his finite mind cannot fully explain them or because there is mystery involved, is a man who refuses to be guided by the facts and who has such an inflated view of the powers of his own mind that he concludes that whatever he cannot fully understand and explain simply does not exist. Why cannot any reasonable person see that since mysteries exist in nature that one need not be surprised because they existed in revelation.
Not only would one expect mysteries in the revelation which tells us of God; of man's origin; duties; and destiny; but the Bible itself tells us that there are things in it which were not discovered and not proclaimed by unaided human reason. Paul wrote that "my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. How be it we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to naught; but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: which none of the princes of this world know: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God, For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." (1 Corinthians 2:4-12). As Peter said: "First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." (2 Peter 1:20-21. The Revised Standard Version). In such a revelation we could not expect otherwise than that there would be things which are beyond unaided human reason. To ask why God has done some things as He has done is just as impertinent in the Bible as it is in nature. Things are as God has seen fit to reveal them in His word (although in the world sin has made things otherwise than God would have made them) and it is ours to study that which is revealed to us and live in its light.
Then, too, both the Bible and experience testify that there is sin in the lives of men and women. Thus it would be expected that the reasonings of sinful men would often be contrary to the revelation of God's will for sinful man. Since the Bible and experience both testify that sin has brought disharmony into life, how could we expect perfect harmony between the Bible and the reasoning of sinful man? Especially would this be true of those individuals who have rejected the true revelation of God because it refuses to allow them to give free reign to their carnal passions. These individuals claim that Christianity is utterly unreasonable and then they give way to a manner of life which is fantastically unreasonable; and the fallacies and dangers of which have been demonstrated in millions of wrecked lives and in the teaching of the Bible. Of such unreasonable individuals Paul wrote a searching indictment. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God bath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse; because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural. use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." (Romans 1:18-32). They are like the unreasonable men of whom Jude said, "these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves." (Jude 1:10). The fact that their way of life degrades man and reason, and the fact that the Bible elevates man and purifies reason, should strike reasonable men as one of the characteristics of the Bible which demonstrates that it ought to receive careful, and even hopeful, examination.
II. EVIDENCES BEFORE OBJECTIONS
The positive evidence of Christianity is obscure to the minds of some because they fail to approach it directly. Instead, they spend most of their time dealing with the objections to the faith and approach its postive evidence only incidentally as they happen to be brought into contact with it in their search for objections. Thus they fail to see it either in its fullness or in a clear light unobscured by the mist of objections.
"In no other instance perhaps besides that of Religion, do men commit the very illogical mistake, of first canvassing all the objections against any particular system whose pretensions to truth they would examine, before they consider the direct arguments in its favor." "But why, it may be asked, do they make such a mistake in this case? An answer, which I think would apply to a large proportion of such persons, is this: because a man having been brought up in a Christian country, has lived perhaps among such as have been accustomed from their infancy to take for granted the truth of their religion, and even to regard an uninquiring assent as a mark of commendable faith; and hence he has probably never even thought of proposing to himself the question,--Why should I receive Christianity as a divine revelation? Christianity being nothing new to him, and presumption being in favor of it, while the burden of proof lies in its opponents he is not stimulated to seek reasons for believing it, till he finds it controverted. And when it is controverted,--when an opponent urges--How do you reconcile this, and that, and the other, with the idea of a divine revelation? These objections strike by their novelty, by their being opposed to what is generally received. He is thus excited to inquiry: which he sets about,--naturally enough, but very unwisely,--by seeking for answers to all objections: and fancies that unless they can all be satisfactorily solved, he ought not to receive the religion." But, as we shall show in the section on the unbeliever's inability to recognize when the case for Christianity is established, it is not necessary to answer all objections before the truth of Christianity, or anything else that is true, is established and accepted.
What should men do, then, when Christianity, which they have long accepted, is controverted? Dr. Hawkins pointed out that "sensible men, really desirous of discovering the truth will perceive that reason directs them to examine first the argument in favor of that side of the question, where the first presumption of truth appears. And the presumption is manifestly in favor of that religious creed already adopted by the country--Their very earliest inquiry therefore must be into the direct arguments for the authority of that book on which their country rests its religion." Richard Whately commented as follows on this statement of Hawkins, "But reasonable as such a procedure is, there is, as I have said, a strong temptation, and one which should be carefully guarded against, to adopt the opposite course; to attend first to the objections which are brought against what is established, and which, for that very reason, rouse the mind from a state of apathy."
"When Christianity was first preached, the state of things was reversed. The presumption was against it as being a novelty. Seeing that all these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, (Acts 19:36) was a sentiment which favored an indolent acquiscence in the old pagan worship. The stimulus of novelty was all on the side of those who came to overthrow this, by a new religion. The first inquiry of any one who at all attended to the subject must have been not--What are the objections to Christianity?'--but, 'On what grounds do these men call on me to receive them as divine messengers?' And the same appears to be the case with the Polynesians among whom our Missionaries are laboring; they begin by inquiring, 'Why should we receive this religion?' and those of them accordingly who have embraced it, appear to be Christians on much more rational and deliberate conviction than many among us, even of those who, in general maturity of intellect and civilization, are advanced considerably beyond those Islanders."
This should be sufficient to convince the unbeliever that he has not dealt, and cannot deal, fairly with the claims of Christ, and thus fairly with himself, as long as he views it simply from the standpoint of seeking, or asking for, answers to objections. Objections may be dealt with in their proper place, but in order for them to be considered in their true light, so that they will not be so magnified that they hide the proof of Christianity, one must seek first the positive evidence for Christianity. Doing this the unbeliever will find that as he passes from unbelief to faith, that many of the objections will fade away or otherwise lose the force which they appeared to have when magnified; that others are solved by the postive proof for Christianity; and that others, although they may not be completely answered, no longer have serious weight against the truth of Christianity.
It will be very profitable also for the believer to keep in mind the truth which has been presented in this section. When he is faced with objections to the faith let him see them in their proper place instead of considering them apart from the sound reasons which establish Christianity. If he fails to keep conscious of this proper approach he is apt to be overwhelmed by the objections because he ignores the solid ground on which he is already standing.
Let us help cure this cause of unbelief by insisting that men take the proper approach and view the objections to Christianity in the light of the arguments and evidences in the favor of Christianity.
III. HOW TO DEAL WITH THE DIFFICULTIES
As we have already indicated, the attitude in which one deals with the difficulties will determine whether or not he will deal with them successfully. We take some suggestions from Torrey as to how these difficulties should be dealt with. First, deal with them honestly in that you do not try to dodge or deny that you have found a difficulty. Second, deal with them humbly, do not imagine that because you have not found a solution in a few moments there is no solution; that others have not found a solution; and that you cannot find it. Third, deal with them with determination. Do not give up for there is a solution somewhere if you look long and hard. If you do not find the answer you may at least discover that the difficulty does not discredit faith. Fourth, deal with them fearlessly; men saw them hundreds of years ago and the Bible still stands. It has stood test after test and we need no fear that it will now succumb to criticism. Fifth, deal with them in the light of the rest of the Bible. There is nothing which explains scripture like scripture, and the more one knows about the Scriptures the better equipped he is to deal with any particular part of the Scriptures.
IV. EMPHASIZE WHAT YOU BELIEVE
"The question which has to be settled by all who are passing through the mental conflict between faith and unbelief is, which shall I emphasize? It is a sore and weary battle. There is this which is believed, and there is that which is not believed. There is this which can be accepted, and that which is doubted. But which is to be emphasized? Jesus never asks any man to be untrue to his convictions or even to his doubts and scruples. He wants all men to be honest. He acts in this way with this earnest and honest man who came to Him hesitating because of doubt, yet coming to Him with his faith, in spite of his doubts, and He will act in the same way still (Mark 9:24). What He asks is that men should emphasize their faith; that they should not allow their doubts to rule them; that they should come to Him with the little faith they have, and obey Him as far as they believe in Him.
"That is the way of escape from unbelief. There comes a great enlightenment to the soul that obeys Jesus in anything. Experience is a great teacher. Faith conquers when it is trusted. Faith enlarges itself and strengthens itself when it is followed. Put the emphasis on what you believe. Form the habit--the mental habit--of following the light as you see it. That is the vital matter. This is the way of life and peace and rest, because it is the way of growing faith and vision." There are many who do not pay any attention to the rest of the Bible because the story of the flood or of Jonah and the whale loom so large in their minds that everything else is blotted out. But are these to be allowed to close their minds to the many other things in the Bible? "Because men will not believe that Balaam's ass spoke to him, are they not to believe that God is speaking to them through the lips of Jesus Christ His Son?" "Even if your faith in the revelation of God that is contained in this book is limited to one truth, lay the emphasis on that, act upon that. There is no other way to get help for your unbelief, no other way of gaining faith in more of its truth." Follow the truth which you do see and accept and emphasize it, and you will be in a better frame of mind to deal with the difficulties and to receive the explanations of these difficulties which you will finally find.
"Lastly, in your intercourse with others act upon the same principle. Emphasize in your conversation the thing which you believe. Give your faith the blessings of sunshine and air. You rarely help yourself by talking about the things you do not believe, unless you talk to someone who has more knowledge and wisdom and experience than you have yourself. I remember once in my far-off college days, talking to a student friend about our mutual doubts. He told me of his difficulties and I told him of mine. I can remember still the deepening darkness which crept over us as we talked. We did not help each other in the slightest degree, we only increased the burdens under which we both laboured. We should have talked to each other about the things in which we believed. We were not wise enough to help one another out of the difficulties that we felt. One of us should have quoted the wise words of Goethe when someone came to him and taked of his doubts. 'Tell me,' said he, 'of your beliefs; I have doubts enough of my own.'
"Let us also who are older have this mercy on the young, that we do not tell them of the difficulties which we feel and the problems which we cannot solve. Why should we lay the burden of our minds on them? Why should we anticipate the days when they may feel that burden for themselves? Why should we darken the outlook on life for young eyes, and chill young hearts with our cold unbeliefs? It is faith that saves, not unbelief, not doubt."
This does not mean, of course, that the older person will lie to the younger person; but it does mean that when we are believers, but are yet wrestling with some difficulties which somewhat disturb us, but do not shake our faith, that we should not constantly pour these into young hearts which have problems of their own, problems with which we can help them. Grapple with and solve your problems, and when the time comes that he is faced with these problems you will be able to help him reason his way through, or believe his way through, to the solution. If, however, while you are in the midst of the effort to solve the problem, you dump that problem into his lap, his faith may not be as strong as yours and he may thus break under it. He does not yet have as many reasons for his faith as you do, and thus the burden may be too great for his weak faith.
This fault may be fallen into by a teacher or a preacher who has already faced and solved the difficulty, but who fails to present the solution when he presents the problem. For example, he may preach on the subject of Christian Evidence. In the beginning of his sermon he may list a number of objections which have been brought against the Christian faith, and then he may turn his attention to and thoroughly deal with one of them. The objections which he has listed have been put in simple sentences, briefly referred to, and thus may easily remain in the mind of the hearer, who is facing the problem of belief and unbelief. These other objections may weigh heavily on his mind although one of them is thoroughly answered. It is easier to remember the brief statement of several objections, than the intense investigation of one of them. These objections could have been met by the preacher also, if he had the time, but they linger in the mind of the listener and in some cases he may think on them and gradually build up a bias, or at least doubt, which is unfavorable to Christianity. In such cases the sermon on Christian Evidence has done more harm than good, to this person, because it raised many doubts and settled only one. The thing for the preacher to do is to mention only that point with which he is going to deal. Although the one who raises a number of objections, and answers only one, may state that the others can be answered, he forgets that the listener may not have the, knowledge to do it and that it may therefore bother him.
"Talk faith. The world is better off without Your uttered ignorance, or morbid doubt.
If you have faith in God, or man, or self, Say so; if not, push back upon the shelf Of silence all your thoughts, till faith shall come: No one will grieve because your lips are dumb."
MISS WILLCOX, "Speech"
Doubts need to be faced, and talked over with those who can help us, but let us in ordinary conversation emphasize the reasons for our faith, and not our doubts.
V. BE WILLING TO STUDY
People often see and hear objections to the Christian faith. The evidences of Christianity, however, they do not know, and they may not have even heard the subject mentioned from the pulpit. Doubt is created in the back of their minds and they become somewhat uneasy. Someone may then introduce them to a treatise on Christian evidence, but it may seem too long and difficult to read. And, futhermore, they may even wonder whether or not there is something to the objections to Christianity since it takes much space to answer it. They thus remain in ignorance of the answer to the objections, but the objections keep preying on their minds. What shall we say to this?
Those who are willing to be honest will be willing to wait for the answer to the objection even if it takes some time to give a complete and satisfactory answer. To raise the question, or the doubt; and to demand an explanation; and then to run away, so to speak, because it takes a little time and effort to give and to get the answer is certainly unfair and indicates a certain carelessness to the claims of truth.
"But," a person may reply, "why should it take so long to give an answer?" There are many objections to the Christian faith which can be answered briefly; there are others, however, which involve either a long process of reasoning, or the massing of a great deal of evidence. It should be easy to understand that although a question may be asked in ten words it may take many more than that to answer it. For example, a person could ask: Please explain to me in a few simple words how the atomic bomb works? It would take a book, or thereabouts, and unless the individual was willing to study he still would not get it. We do not imply that most questions concerning the Christian faith would be that complicated, but we are illustrating the fact that a question may take only a few words, but that it cannot always be answered in as few words as it is asked. An objection to the Christan faith, or a misrepresentation of it, may be stated in a paragraph or a page but the answer to that objection may take a number of pages. He who takes the time to ask the question, or state the objection, should be fair and love the truth enough to examine closely the answer.
The fact that objections can be raised easier than they can be answered implies that it takes more time to answer objections than to state them. Thus, the believer should recognize that he ought not to be hasty and reject the whole or part of Christianity because he cannot find immediately an answer to some particular objection. Furthermore, when he does find the obection refuted he should not become impatient because it takes some time and thought in order to follow the argument, or arguments, which are set forth in answer to the objection. Here haste indeed makes waste as it may lead one to reject Christianity and waste his life and soul.
VI. THE FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE WHEN A THING IS PROVED
Unbelievers sometimes feel confident in their unbelief simply because they have failed to understand when a thing is proved. Laboring under a misconception on this score they continue to call for proof of Christianity long after the case for Christianity has been well established. When dealing with Christianity, but not as a general rule when they are dealing with other things, they act as if Christianity cannot be established unless and until no possible additional objections can be brought against it. So as long as they can raise objections they think that they have razed Christianity.
There is nothing which is objection-proof. Controversy has raged on every subject. There are some who will object to the simple fact that you are standing before them and addressing them. In a conversation with a Christian Scientist the author's remarks concerning Christian Science were met with the statement that: "You are not here." Dr. Johnson well said that "there are objections against a plenum ('a space that is filled, or conceived as being filled, with matter') , and objections against a vacuum; but one of them must be true." There are objections against any freedom of the will, and there are objections against determinism, and yet one of them must be true. A skilled lawyer can bring objections against testimony, truthful testimony, given by a witness in court. Dr. Richard Whately has brought a number of plausible objections against the existence of Napoleon, in his book on Historic Doubts Relating to Napoleon, and yet few if any doubt that Napoleon once existed. "
One does not reject the majority of principles and facts with which he is confronted, just because someone can raise objections, even plausible ones, to them. To do so would be to act as if there could not be truth, and truth supported by irrefragable arguments, and yet at the same time obnoxious to objections, numerous, plausible, and by no means easy of solution. "
Unbelievers often act on this recognition when dealing with things other than the claims of Christ, so why should they abandon such an obvious and well known principle when dealing with His credentials? Why do they allow their objections to hide from their view the mountain of truth which supports Christianity? If the reader is not a believer in Christ we kindly entreat him to weigh carefully the claims and credentials of Christianity and not cast it overboard because difficulties and objections can still be raised after the evidence of Christianity has been studied. Recognize and act on the fact that a principle or fact can be proved without dealing with all possible objections.