Doubt and Disbelief

 

Deep down, most of us have, at one time or another, questioned the existence of God. That should not be surprising as even the greatest minds in history have also struggled with that question. Consider Albert Einstein, for example. While Einstein didn’t believe in the God of the Bible, he did believe in some creative force behind the cosmos that he called “God.” In 2008, a letter he wrote about a year before he died, was auctioned off for over $400,000.00 in which the greatest scientist questioned the existence of God. In the letter, Einstein wrote, “…the word of God for me is nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.” This statement simple contradicts what Einstein had earlier believed about God and may reflect the confusion that all of us feel at times about His existence. But is it not amazing how such a genius could be so wrong about so important a book as the Bible? Are the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount “pretty childish?” In light of its fulfilled prophecies, scientific foreknowledge, historical accuracy, and total lack of contradictions, is it fair to dismiss the Bible as “a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends?” In 1 Corinthians 1:20, Paul asked, “Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” There is a mountain of evidence that God exists, the Bible is His inspired Word, and Jesus Christ is his Son who rose from the dead to offer mankind eternal life. Let us never seriously doubt it!

[James 1:5-6] To the average college football fan, last year was filled with much drama and surprise. It seems almost every Saturday afternoon nationally ranked and favored powerhouses were being defeated by unranked and often unheard-of teams. At the finish of several games during the regular season there was looks of defeat on the faces of some players as they walked off the field that can only be described as – Disbelief! So, how many picked TCU to play in the championship game?

So it will be for many on the day of judgment! Countless souls, who assume they are safe, secure, and invincible, will be utterly surprised to hear they’re eternally lost. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers!’” (Matthew 7:21-23). One can surely perform in the name of Jesus, but if one does it to their own glory, Jesus has never heard of your good works and does not know you. Imagine the looks of disbelief by the masses on that great and final Day when they are separated by His mighty angels and cast into eternal separation from God! What misery and defeat! Fortunately, we can approach the Lord in Judgment having assurance of victory! “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:57-58). One day the game will be over for each and every one of us upon this earth, no doubt. So, what about you? As you leave the field of battle, will your head be bowed low in defeat and disbelief, or will you hold it high in victory?

It's not what we read, but what we remember, that makes us learned. It’s not what we profess, but what we practice, that makes us Christians. Do it for Christ and live forever.