Much of what we do in life has its foundation in trust. We trust our dentist when he drills, our taxi driver when he drives, our pilots when they fly us. We trust our history books, our teachers, and some still even trust politicians. Marriage is a trust relationship. So are business partnerships and friendships. We trust elevators, planes, cars, brakes, chairs, doctors, surgeons, brokers, and television anchors. We place our faith in these items and people based on evidence that they are trustworthy. This is why it’s hard to understand why skeptics mock the thought of trust in God.
The questioner’s statement implies that Christians are living by a naïve, “blind” faith based on something for which we have no evidence, when the opposite is the case. Our faith is rational and reasonable, and is based on credible, verifiable, historical evidence. The God who created us has given us all the evidence we need to come to know Him, and He invites us, “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18).
The fact that some do not recognize the evidence doesn’t mean it is not there. God has given light to every man (see John 1:9)—through this wonderful creation, through the undeniable voice of the con- science, and through plain old common sense. We have the Bible’s thousands of fulfilled prophecies, “many infallible proofs” of the resurrection (see Acts 1:3), and He even promises to reveal Himself to those who obey Him (see John 14:21).
It is also important to explain the difference between believing something (the Bible), and trusting Someone (Jesus Christ). Skeptics think that a Christian is someone who simply “believes” in God’s existence. When the Bible speaks of “faith” in God, it is not a reference to an intellectual acknowledgment that He exists (we all intuitively know that). It is speaking of an implicit trust in His person and His promises. There’s nothing difficult about having trust or “faith” when the One you are trusting is utterly trustworthy.
