Victory through faith

I John 5:4 (NLT)

For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.

It seems that the faith in God is being challenged by so many unbelievers these days.  There are the recent best-selling books by British atheists Richard Dawkins “The God Delusion” (2006) and Christopher Hitchens “God Is Not Great” (2007) among several others of the same ilk.  A 2010 survey by the American Religious Identification Survey (John Merritt, Huffington Post, May 24, 2010) indicated that as many as 40 million Americans (18% of our population) do not profess a belief in God.  I watched a segment on ABC News on Nov 9, 2010 that profiled two evangelical pastors who have lost their faith yet still are lead pastors in their churches (because they do not believe that they can find other jobs!).  Pastors who have become atheists, can you imagine that?  And, everyday, Christians are being challenged for their faith and the church taking hits left and right for all kinds of accusations (subject of a later devotional).       

It seems to be true that the more modern the society the less religious faith you see.  Religion seems more popular in poor countries and agrarian locations.  Anyone who goes on a mission trip returns in awe over how enthusiastic people are about their faith compared to the average American.  Modern societies replace religion with secular psychologists and therapists to deal with emotional needs while social needs are met by sporting and other secular events rather than by churches.  I am a PhD scientist with many of my professional colleagues being intellectuals who do not believe in God and question why I do.  In the past year I’ve had discussions with friends who are confessed atheists who do their best to convince me that my Christian faith is self-delusional.  In one of these discussions the atheist claimed that atheists know more about the Bible than Christians.  My answer was that this did not surprise me because Satan himself quoted Scripture in his attempts to tempt Jesus (Matt 4).  However, it is true that the average Christian does not know his/her Bible very well whereas those who attack Christianity know the Bible much better and quote Scriptures to make their points against biblically ignorant and, thus, defenseless Christians. 

So, what’s the answer in facing atheistic attacks against your faith?  Indeed, what keeps you from becoming discouraged and questioning your faith because unbelievers often seem to defend their position better than you can defend yours?  Even if you are not being challenged by an unbeliever, what keeps you from backsliding or even giving up on your faith?  Conversely what can deepen and strengthen your faith?

There are volumes of books written to defend the Christian faith all within the defined field of theological study called “apologetics”.  The scholarship behind apologetics is incredible yet far too advanced for the average Christian man or woman.  To me, the simple answer is found is this near-obscure verse in I John.  Read again what it says-----to overcome or defeat the evil found everywhere in this world, you need to have faith and faith by definition is “the assurance of things d for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1).  Faith is assurance and conviction that is instilled supernaturally in your inner being—your heart, your soul—that you really cannot explain to another person.  An unknown person once said, “Faith isn’t faith until it’s all you’re holding on to”.  Romans 10:17 states that faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God.  Faith is learning what the Bible teaches and believing that it’s true (John 17:17) even though you cannot prove it..  Faith is like electricity, you cannot see it, but you can see the light it produces.  It is this kind of faith that allows those who have it to be victorious over an evil world that aims to crush it.  Faith needs to be deepened through allowing the Spirit of God to envelope you and enabling you to believe, even if you cannot explain, what His Word teaches.  

In facing atheists and those who question your faith, I love this quote from St. Thomas Aquinas: "To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary.  To one without faith, no explanation is possible."  There’s not much more one can say, it’s all a matter of faith and to explain faith to one who does not wish to believe often is a futile effort.

What or who is challenging your faith right now?  What can a sincere Christian pastor 

or strong believing friend do to help you?  What do you know you need to do to deepen 

your faith through a greater commitment to learning the Word of God?