by Ken Thomas
The Christian is always to be ready to give the reason for the hope he has ( 1 Peter 3:15). We need to have our faith founded on evidence, and to share the reasons for our belief with unbelievers. Recently I spoke to some young people about their faith, and they protested that they did not need any reasons to believe, that they accepted the existence of God "by faith". Obviously for them, "faith" was blind acceptance of an idea without any evidence.
Why should I not believe just because I want to, or because my family always has believed? The unbeliever could use the same argument to support his unbelief!
Christian faith is not blind acceptance. It is based on testimony which cannot be refuted. When we observe the wonders of nature in the universe, we are seeing a testimony to the existence of God in a language understood by all. "The heavens declare the glory of God There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard" ( Psalm 19:1-3). Romans 1:18-20 says the ancient world had no excuse for rejecting God. The invisible characteristics of God --his eternal power and divinity--were clearly evident through the things God had made. This is called natural or general revelation. By observation we conclude that there must be a Creator.
In addition we have special revelation through which God lets us know more about Himself and what responsibility we humans have toward Him. In the past God revealed His will directly, or through prophets, but now He speaks through His Son ( Hebrews 1:1-2). The New Testament is Christ's word.