The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1917-10-11

you will see that
this Is the case.
Paul, In the fifteenth OF First Corinthi-
ans, In speaking Of the resurrection Of
Christ, at once adduces evidence TO
support the fact of his resurrection,
and on the ground Of the evidence sub
mitted that Christ Is risen, he asks US
to believe In the resurrection.
II is a popular notion that faith is
leap In the dark, but real faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ is based upon
good. substantial evidence. In fact. I'm
order for one TO believe IN the Lord
Jesus Christ, there must be something
TO believe concerning him; otherwise
IL would not be possible to believe In
him. Faith in Christ reaches him
through our faith In the facts concern
Ing him. II Is for that reason. that the
Gospel Is spoken of as "the power OF
God unto salvation to everyone that
believeth." OF course. we know that
Christ Is the Savior, yet the Gospel Is
rightly spoken Of in this way. because
II Is by believing the Gospel which
tells us that Christ saves and how he
saves, that we In thus believing COM
init ourselves To him as our Savior.
Faith Based on Evidence.
Now Paul knew that real faith Is
based upon evidence. and that Il Is
not simply by urging people TO believe
I'm Christ that faith Is bepotten 80 we
read Of his persuadinr the folks who
came TO him concerning Jesus Christ
acts % .23, This sbould he N les
son TO us who, perhaps more frequent
ly than we ought, depend upon exhor-
tation to lead people to faith in Christ
rather than upon evidence which calls
forth faith. People should be exhort-
ed. but they should also be persuaded.
When Il speaks OF Paul persuading
them concerning Jesus, IL does not
mean that he pitted his Intellect and
will against theirs, and by sheer force
tried TO make them believe In Jesus.
What he did, as we know, was to pre-
sent evidence for their faith TO rest
upon. He did this by expoundlng to
them "out OF the law OF Moses and
out OF the prophets" That is. he went
to the Old Testament Scriptures and
therefrom produced evidence concern
ing Christ's person and work. As a
result we read, "some believed the
things which were spoken and some
believed not" (Acts 2s:24). Thus II
always is when the evidence concern
ing Christ is presented, for though the
evidence be sufficient, some will not
have Christ TO reign over them.
c,.. In Paint
O,,,. r.,on,,v 7 de.,t With ons wbo
,ro,oss.s q, no nm made, and wh.ther
or M, ho really 10 one be was most
h.,.n, ana hIasnhomons In h,s tall
ynon nrossod hin, that honostv 40
,n.nd.a ,hat he FAIRLY u,.,ch tho owl.
donoa ara mn, Christ IN tha test no
was unwilling IN do On and tried 10
laugh the matter os n were ont M
court. He called "the whole business"
as he said, "a myth" and vet venture
10 saw that he never with a real desire
10 know the truth had nut himself I'm
the way Of evidence by which real
faith comes. I do not mean that he
had not read the Bible. I suppose he
had. but I presume he read Il under
the blightIng criticism of a Thomas
Paine or n Robert IngersolI. Who
would believe even his own good and
-, -. -
'hr"ush eses VI SUI" pi''eI eneiieS US
they and their ilk are or the Scrip
lures? Or. who would ever trust him
SCI, " ". " -,. - ,. a' ' a,
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n., aus ""' - 80, ~ u, $50 -, ne,