Ron Writes
You don’t have to park your brains at the door to be a Christian! It’s reasonable! It makes sense. Paul “reasoned…from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2). He discussed Scripture with them. It wasn’t an argument. It wasn’t a debate. It was a discussion. He explained it, which really means he opened it up. He laid Scripture open. With logic and skill, he showed that according to the Bible, it was reasonable for Jesus to suffer and rise from the dead. He gave evidence that Jesus was the long-expected Messiah (Christ). For those who believed, this good news would turn their lives upside down.
He didn’t talk about politics, or constitutional rights. He didn’t talk about what was wrong with the Roman Empire. He didn’t talk about the divisive and toxic culture. He didn’t try to persuade them to his way of thinking about the world. He opened Scripture. This is important. People think they know what the Bible says, but they don’t. They’ve heard what others have said about the Bible, and what others have said about God – but they haven’t examined it for themselves. Faith doesn’t come from being part of the right political party. Faith isn’t the result of arguments about our culture. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).
We must be reasonable. Christianity never calls for a “blind faith.” Faith is based on evidence (Heb. 11:1). Luke tells us an amazing story that happened after the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus met two men on the road to Emmaus. They didn’t recognize Him, but instead of saying “tah-dah, well here I am,” He opened Scripture. “Beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained the things concerning Himself in all the Scripture” (Lk. 24:27). Paul followed our Lord’s example when he did the same thing in Acts 17. Place the life of Jesus next to the thousands of years old Scriptures and it’s a perfect match. It makes sense. God’s eternal purpose is revealed.
The result is always the same. Some will attack us. Some will mock. However, others will come to faith by the Word they hear and enter into a relationship with God their Savior (Acts 17; 1 Cor. 1:23-25).
