"I only believe what I see and understand," some say... By Ellet Waggoner (1855-1916)

The Christian believes in the invisible. This makes the unbeliever wonder and laugh at him, even despise him. The atheist regards the Christian's simple faith as a sign of mental weakness. With a smug smile, he thinks his own intellect is superior, for he never believes anything without proof; he never jumps to conclusions and believes nothing that he cannot see and understand.

The adage that the man who only believes what he can understand has a very brief creed is as true as it is banal. There is not a living philosopher (or scientist) who fully understands even one-hundredth of the simple phenomena he sees every day... In fact, among all the phenomena that philosophers ponder so eruditely, there is not one whose ultimate cause is them can explain.

Faith is something very normal. Every atheist believes; and in many cases he is even gullible. Faith is part of all business dealings and all affairs of life. Two people agree to do a specific business at a specific time and place; each trusts the word of the other. The businessman trusts his employees and his customers. What is more, he trusts, perhaps unconsciously, also in God; for he sends his ships across the ocean, trusting that they will return laden with goods. He knows that their safe return depends on the wind and waves, which are beyond human control. Though he never thinks of the power that controls the elements, he puts his trust in the captains and sailors. He even embarks himself aboard a ship whose captain and crew he has never seen, and confidently awaits to be taken safely to the desired port.

Thinking it foolish to trust in a God "whom no man has seen nor can see" (1 Timothy 6,16:XNUMX), an atheist goes to a small window, puts twenty dollars in it and receives in return from a person who he has never seen and whose name he does not know, a small piece of paper that says he can drive to a distant city. Perhaps he has never seen this city, knows of its existence only from the reports of others; nonetheless, he gets in the car, hands his note to another complete stranger, and settles into a comfortable seat. He has never seen the engine driver and does not know whether he is incompetent or has bad intentions; in any case, he is completely unconcerned and expects confidently to arrive safely at his destination, of the existence of which he only knows by hearsay. What's more, he's holding a piece of paper issued by people he's never met, stating that these strangers in whose care he has entrusted himself will drop him off at a certain hour at his destination. So much does the atheist believe this statement that he notifies a person whom he has never seen to prepare to meet him at a certain time.

His faith also comes into play in delivering the message heralding his coming. He goes into a small room, writes a few words on a piece of paper, gives it to a stranger on a small phone, and pays him half a dollar. Then he leaves, believing that in less than half an hour his unknown friend, a thousand miles away, will be reading the message he just left at the station.

As he reaches the city, his faith becomes even clearer. During the journey he wrote a letter to his family, who stayed at home. Once he gets into town, he sees a small box hanging from a street post. He goes there immediately, throws in his letter and doesn't bother with it any further. He believes that the letter he put in the box, without speaking to anyone, will reach his wife within two days. Despite this, this man thinks it is utterly foolish to talk to God and believe that prayer will be answered.

The atheist will reply that he does not trust others blindly, but has reasons for believing that he, his tele-message and his letter will be safely conveyed. His belief in these things is based on the following reasons:

1. Others had also been safely conveyed, and thousands of letters and telegrams had already been sent correctly and delivered on time. If a letter is misplaced, it is almost always the sender's fault.
2. The people to whom he entrusted himself and his messages did their job; if they didn't do their jobs, no one would trust them and their business would soon be ruined.
3. He also has the assurances of the United States government. The railway and telegraph companies get their jobs from the government, which vouches for their reliability. If they do not comply with the contracts, the government can withdraw their concession. His trust in the mailbox is based on the letters USM on it. He knows what they mean: the government's guarantee that every letter thrown into the box will be delivered safely if it is properly addressed and stamped. He believes the government keeps its promises; otherwise she would soon be voted out. So it is in the interests of the government to fulfill its promises, just as it is in the interests of the railway and telegraph companies. All of this together forms a solid foundation for his faith.

Well, the Christian has a thousand reasons for believing in God's promises. Faith is not blind gullibility. The apostle says, "Faith is the foundation of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11,1:XNUMX EG) This is an inspired definition. From this it can be concluded that the Lord does not expect us to believe without proof. Now it is easy to show that the Christian has much more reason to believe in God than the atheist of the railroad and telegraph companies or government.

1. Others have trusted God's promises and trusted them. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews contains a long list of those who have confirmed God's promises: "These have conquered kingdoms by faith, done righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out strengthened in weakness, grew strong in battle, and put foreign armies to flight. Women got their dead back by resurrection” (Hebrews 11,33:35-46,2), and not just in ancient times. Anyone who will can find plenty of witnesses that God is "an approved helper in time of need" (Psalm XNUMX:XNUMX NIV). Thousands can report answers to prayer so clear there is no longer any doubt that God answers prayer at least as reliably as the United States government sends the mail entrusted to it.
2. The God we trust makes it his mission to answer prayer and to protect and provide for his subjects. »The mercy of the LORD has no end! His mercy never fails.« (Lamentations 3,22:29,11) »For I know well what thoughts I have for you, declares the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of suffering, that I will give you a future and a hope.« (Jeremiah 79,9.10:XNUMX). If he broke his promises, people would stop believing him. That's why David trusted him. He said: 'Help us, O God our helper, for the glory of thy name! Save us and forgive us our sins for your name's sake! Why do you make the Gentiles say, Where is their God now?” (Psalm XNUMX:XNUMX-XNUMX)
3. God's government depends on the fulfillment of his promises. The Christian has the assurance of the cosmic government that every legitimate request he makes will be granted. This government is primarily there to protect the weak. Suppose God were to break one of His promises to the weakest and most insignificant person on earth; so that single omission would overthrow God's entire government. The whole universe would immediately slide into chaos. If God were to break any of his promises, no one in the universe could ever trust him, his reign would be at an end; for trust in the ruling power is the only sure basis for faithfulness and devotion. The nihilists in Russia did not follow the edicts of the tsar because they did not trust him. Any government that, by failing to fulfill its mandate, loses the respect of its citizens becomes unstable. That is why the humble Christian relies on God's Word. He knows that there is more at stake for God than for him. Were it possible for God to break his word, the Christian would only lose his life, but God would lose his character, the stability of his government, and the control of the universe.

Furthermore, those who put their trust in human governments or institutions are bound to be disappointed.

sequel follows

From: "The Full Assurance of Salvation" in The Bible Student's Library, 64, June 16, 1890