It is not enough to preach what we should believe. We must
also preach the rationale for believing in Jesus. This is what the Apostles did
throughout the Book of Acts. Apollos was no exception:
·
When he [Apollos] arrived, he greatly helped
those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in
public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ [the Messiah] was Jesus. (Acts
18:27-28; ESV; Also 17:2-4; 28:23-24)
How had Apollos “greatly helped those who through grace had
believed?” He “refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the
Christ [the Messiah] was Jesus.” He provided proof from the Hebrew Scriptures,
demonstrating that Christians didn’t have to close their minds off to the
evidences in order to believe. Instead, Apollos showed that the evidences
favored faith.
We too need to know why we believe, not just what we should
believe. Moses had this very concern when he was talking with God in the midst
of the burning bush:
·
Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not
believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The LORD did not appear
to you.’” (Exodus 4:1)
Moses correctly understood that the Israelites would have to
be convinced about the “why” question. They needed evidence, and God was prepared
to provide that evidence:
·
The LORD said to him, “What is that in your
hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw
it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the LORD
said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his
hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— “that they may believe
that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” Again, the LORD said to him, “Put
your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he
took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then God said, “Put your
hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and
when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. “If they
will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe
the latter sign. If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to
your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry
ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on
the dry ground.” (Exodus 4:2-9)
God had provided Moses with a set of three miraculous proofs
instead of telling him to tell the Israelites, “Just believe.” In fact, blind
belief in not to be found in the Bible. Neither is it ever required. Instead,
Jesus directed His disciples to not believe without confirmatory evidence:
·
If I am not doing the works of my Father, then DO
NOT BELIEVE me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe
the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am
in the Father.” (John 10:37-38)
We need to be assured that the Christian faith not only feels
right, but that it is right!
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