“And We Beheld His Glory” by Dr. W . Robert Smith Professor, Bethel College
■ was having lunch with the college president. * He said to me, “ Professor, did you notice in chapel today, in the balcony to your left, a young man leaning over the balustrade, listening intently to what you were saying?” I said, “Yes, I did. About the third man in from the end, as I remember.” The president said, “Yes, that’s the man. He is our chief atheist on campus. He professes not to believe in God, and takes delight in troubling the minds of some of our younger students who have never met with this kind of obstacle.” I watched that place in chapel. He was there every day through the week and every night. Fri day afternoon he came for a chat into the office that I had been given. He said at once, “ Sir, I am an atheist. At least I have professed atheism and I have had a bit of fun trying to shake the faith of some of these young men who have come to school. But this week I have been troubled, and I’m not so proud o f it. “ I remember the only time I ever was in church, 20 years ago as a little fellow. I’ve been out in the world for a while and now I’m back in school. I was reared in a family where we had a disdain for the things you are talking about this week, but after hearing you I have a deep hunger in my soul.” We talked for a while and I said, “Let’s as
sume that there is a God. What would you say if you could believe that this God created all things that you see, the heavens and the earth, the sea and the land, and even life itself; that this God was so concerned about your personal life that looking from afar into our lives and into this world, He decided He would come among us as a man? He would be bom as a human being, not giving up His deity, but just the exercise of the glory o f deity. He would live among us to set before us an exam ple, to demonstrate His marvelous power and then because of our sin and the judgment o f His own righteousness against us, He would die for us, and in three days be risen from the dead, and then come to your life and say, ‘My son, I love you and I came for you. I would like to make you my friend, adopt you into my household and teach you and guide you and empower you.’ What would you say to that?” He said, “ Sir, if I could believe that, I would say that that’s the greatest idea I have ever had in my life.” I said, “ Son, that’s what it’s all about. God loves you in Jesus Christ. He wants to do for you what you cannot do for yourself. He wants to forgive you, to give you grace, to love you into His family and to take you at last home that you might fulfill the purpose for which you were created.” We hear the good news o f Christ so often. We
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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