Foundations of Faith
SALVATION (V)
Doubting Thomas and John. Surely all of our readers have heard of “doubting Thomas.” For reasons we are not told, Thomas was not with the disciples on that resurrection morning when the risen Lord appeared unto them. When told that the disciples had seen the Lord, Thomas replied, “Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails … and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Yet Thomas had not always been a doubter. Just a few months earlier he had gone with Jesus and the other disciples to Bethabara beyond Jordan to escape the Jewish rulers (John 1:28; 10:39,40). When the Lord told His disciples He was going to Bethany on account of the death of Lazarus, Thomas recognized the danger, but still encouraged his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him” (John 11:16). When the Lord appeared to Thomas a week after he had expressed his doubts, He showed great patience with His disciple. Thomas’s doubts quickly evaporated and he burst out with a very strong acknowledgement of Christ’s deity:”My Lord and my God!”
John the Baptist was another one who was plagued with doubts. He was put in prison for exposing Herod’s adultery (Matt. 14:3,4). In prison John began to question whether he had been totally mistaken in his ministry of directing people to Jesus Christ. After all, if Christ was truly the Son of God, what was he, the proclaimer of Christ, doing in prison? So John sent disciples to ask Jesus, “Art Thou He who should come, or do we look for another?”
Jesus did not rebuke John for doubting. Rather, He provided the needed evidence to answer John’s questions:”Go and show John again those things which you hear and see:The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matt. 11:2-5). Then Jesus went on to praise John before the multitude:”Among those who are born of women there has not risen any greater than John the Baptist” (Matt. 11:11). The Lord accepted John as he was-doubts and all!
Let us not become discouraged by our doubts and questions. Rather let us take our doubts and questions to the Lord and to His Word. Perhaps we can share our concerns with a mature and compassionate Christian friend. Our doubts will eventually give way to greater faith and a closer walk with the Lord. (See Assignment 8)
Running the Race
PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL OF SALVATION (I)
Have you ever tried to present the gospel to a friend or acquaintance? Have you ever tried to find out about your friend’s relationship with the Lord? How do you go about it? What questions do you ask?
Many evangelists have learned from experience what questions not to ask. Do not ask, “Are you a Christian?” Most people who have attended services at a Christian church, or whose parents or grandparents have done so, assume that they are Christians. They know they are not atheists, agnostics, pagans, Satanists, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, or adherents of other religions, so by default they must be Christians. However, they may know little or nothing about the Christ of Christianity or about the way of salvation.
Do not ask, “Have you been born again?” Nicodemus was a teacher of the Jewish religion (John 3:10) and thus very familiar with the Old Testament scriptures. So when Jesus said, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” He assumed that Nicodemus could relate it to the passage, “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you … and I will put my Spirit within you” (Ezek. 36:25-27). Most people today have no idea what “born again” really means. Many think it is another term for being baptized. Others think it has to do with speaking in tongues. Still others identify the term with Christian fundamentalism, meaning that it stands for being pro-life, anti-gay, and the like. So if we are going to use the term “born again” in our evangelism, we must be prepared to define the term. (See Assignment 9)
In a similar way, questions like, “Are you saved?” or “Have you been converted?” may be misunderstood by your hearers.
Leading questions that are much more easily understood are these: “If you were to die tonight, would you have the assurance of going to heaven?” or “Have you ever come to the point in your life where you realized you were a sinner and deserved to spend eternity in the lake of fire?”
Answers to these questions may give you a good idea where the person stands spiritually. However, the best questions of all are those that require something other than a “Yes” or “No” answer and make the person think. For example, “Suppose you were to die and be taken to the gate of heaven, and suppose the Lord Jesus standing at the entrance were to ask you, `Why should I let you in here?’ How would you answer Him?” Another way of phrasing the question is this: “What do you think God requires of people before He will take them to heaven?” People’s answers to questions like these will give you a good idea where they stand with God and what points may need particular emphasis when you present the gospel to them.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Three of our readers completed all 27 (15 regular plus 12 review) assignments for 1996. Drew Johnson of Pottstown, Pennsylvania led the way for the second year in a row with a score of 95.9% for the year. Carrie and Lisa Keillor of Acton, California had scores of 94.8% and 94.4% correct answers, respectively. April Helsel of Bedford, Pennsylvania completed 18 of the assignments with a score of 97.2%. Several scholars from Africa have submitted assignments, but none so far has completed at least half of them for 1996. Please note that when you are asked to “write out a verse,” you are expected to write out the text of the verse, not just the reference; you will lose points for giving only the chapter and verse and not the text.
Assignment 8: Write out a verse in Mark 9 that shows how one man dealt with his doubts.
Assignment 9: Write out a sentence or two to describe what you think the expression “born again” means?