There is a popular expression we hear often, “Seeing is believing”. When discussing matters of faith with unbelievers, you will also hear people say something that goes like this, “I don’t believe anything I can’t see.” I have heard people say that, or some variation of that phrase more times than I can count. The fact is, that neither one of those statements is true. Let’s look at the second one first.
“I don’t believe anything I can’t see.” There are obvious examples of how this is not true; wind and electricity are the two most obvious and most commonly used examples I often hear people use to disprove this statement. But I want to go much deeper than those two. For example, let’s talk about history.
Here is an example. Do you believe that the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a real person? Most people would respond, “Of course”. There has been much documented about the life of this man. There are also pictures of him, as well as video. (This could be said of many well-known people, I just use him as an example.) OK, let’s apply the “I don’t believe anything I can’t see,” line of reasoning here. Did you ever see Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in person before his assassination? (I mean actually see him, not a photo or video of him.) Did you ever have a conversation with him? I didn’t, and more than likely, neither did you. Having said that, I will readily admit that I do, in fact, believe that Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a real person, not a fictious character. And I would venture to guess that you also believe that.
Do you believe that World War II occurred, and that millions of people lost their lives? Were you there? Did you witness it? Do you believe it happened? I do. I could provide many more examples but suffice it to say that people that use the expression “I don’t believe anything I can’t see” do not consistently adhere to that line of reasoning, so, consequently, it is a false statement. We all believe many things that we have never seen or experienced.
You might argue that we can believe both things I have mentioned, as well as many other things, because they have been well documented, and I would not argue with that. We certainly can. But here is the problem: People will say they cannot believe the Bible. Yes, the believer takes things as stated in the Bible as true, while others do not. Why? It is because they choose not to. It has nothing to do with factual data, because the events of the Bible have been well documented, both in the Bible itself, and in many extra-Biblical sources for those who care to investigate the issues.
“Seeing is believing” is also something people say, but do not consistently apply. All one must do is engage in even a cursory reading of the Bible, especially the New Testament, to find out this is not true. Many people witnessed miraculous/supernatural events and chose not to believe what they had witnessed with their own eyes. It’s staggering. The climax to a long series of supernatural events is the crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you choose to believe that all that is recorded in the Bible regarding this is not true, you must ask yourself the question: “Why would anyone make this stuff up?” If it did not really happen, there is no logical explanation to answer that question. It makes no sense to say that a whole multitude of people literally risked, and in some cases sacrificed their lives to perpetrate a hoax that did not benefit them in any way. People invent lies to try to protect themselves from something, not in order to usher themselves into persecution and martyrdom.
It is possible that a person could read all the information that is available regarding Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and chose to believe that it is all made up, and that there never was any such person. Granted, that would be a foolish and illogical conclusion for anyone to come to, but we live in a world where some people deny that the Holocaust happened, so the absurdity of what some people choose to believe or not believe does not surprise me anymore. If you agree with me that a person not believing Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. existed is absurd, but choose to believe that Jesus Christ is a myth, or that He was a real person, but what the Bible records about Him is inaccurate or untrue, can you see the inconsistently in your own method of reasoning?
Acceptance or rejection of anything is ultimately a matter of choice. Let’s be honest enough to just call it what it is and quit playing meaningless word games to justify our own heart’s hostility to God.
People reject the authority of God, not because of well thought out, and reasonable alternatives, but because our hearts are corrupt and bent on sin and evil. We are under the influence of a malevolent spiritual entity that keeps us blinded to the light of the truth. The Bible explains this to us. It also provides the answer to the way out.
Everyone believes something whether they consciously acknowledge it or not. Belief is a choice. You chose to believe that you are either an evolved animal, whose life is the result of mindless, meaningless chance, or your life was given to you by a Creator, who made you in His image, and because of that, your life has meaning and purpose, as well as responsibility.
Seeing is not believing. Believing is seeing. We have it backwards.
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” (Hebrews 11:1-3)
“ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
What do you believe? Why?
Danny's Stump 