A Matter of the Will By Richard C. Halverson
Belief, in the final analysis, is a matter of will. A man chooses what he’s going to believe or disbelieve. Take for example the case of an eminently successful business exec utive who in a recent conversation utterly ridiculed the idea of ever lasting life. His attitude was tha t belief in life after death could no t possibly be held by an intelligent person. To him immortality was an invention of preachers to scare people. As we discussed his belief, it was obvious tha t he had no evidence to support his position . . . he had no ground for believing tha t there is no life beyond the grave . . . bu t he believed it—vehemently! I t was pointed out tha t belief in immortality is as old as man — that it is a universal belief — tha t the man who disbelieves in it is the exception rather than the rule — tha t Jesus Christ taught it — tha t in fact the weight of the evidence was wholly on the side of a belief in life after death. But he simply ignored the evidence — clung to his belief more tenaciously than ever. This is typical of many who are indifferent to Jesus Christ! They say they cannot believe w ithout proof . . . yet their unbelief is unsupported with proof. A man rejects Christ — not through lack of evidence (his disbelief is not based on evidence) — bu t simply because he refuses to believe regardless of the evidence. Actually no way of life is more defensible than the Christian way! No view of life is as realistic — as consistent with things as they are — as is the Christian view! The man who rejects Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord does so in the face of incontrovertible proof. And incidentally, he demonstrates the irrational nature of unbelief. I t isn’t difficult to find an excuse for no t believing in Jesus C h ris t. . . bu t there are no intelligent reasons for rejection! Don’t deprive yourself of God’s gracious G ift to the peril of your eternal sou l. . . . "He tha t believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall no t see life; bu t the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). About the author. Dr. Richard C. Halverson is the Executive Director, International Christian Leadership, Inc., Washington, D.C. This is from "Perspective," his weekly devotional letter for businessmen.
The King's Business
13
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online