2 Peter 1.16 For we
did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. –
St. Peter
You know, the story of salvation has been much maligned; it’s
man’s stubborn refusal to accept the truth. Peter said, Lookit, we saw it; we were right there when it happened! We couldn’t
make this stuff up! But to this day, the Bible and Its Gospel are rejected as
myths, legends, or cleverly devised
stories.
When I was much younger I read through the Hobbit and the,
Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Those were
cleverly devised stories – I enjoyed them. So, even if the Bible is a cleverly
devised bunch of stories written by 40 different authors, over a span of 1500
years, at least it ought to be entertaining – right? C’mon, can’t we give it that much credit? No?
Well then, that leads us to this: if the Bible is a bunch
of cleverly devised stories and it isn’t entertaining, they why do so many
people still read it? Oh, I see, so you’re saying they’re all dupes and
weaklings trying to find some sort of pathetic reason or crutch to make it
through this life because they cannot cope without it – right?
And if the Bible is a collection of clever stories, then
why did Peter say he was an eyewitness
to Jesus’ life? Was Peter simply lying? I mean, surely, if Peter said he was
there and he wasn’t, then wasn’t he lying? Because a witness at a trial who claims
to have seen what happened is either an inconvenient truth to the accused, or a
well-received relief to the accused. We take the word of witnesses to bear out
the prosecutions or defenses made at the trial – right?
And Peter went to
his death proclaiming what he knew to be true. Who does that!? If it wasn’t
true, then was he so deluded that he gave his life for a lie? That’s
kookie-talk! And people have been dying for their faith in the Book for
centuries – are they such miserably affected mentals who can’t make right from
wrong? They have to be tragically deceived – right?
Or is it the other way around? Is the Bible true and
mankind is the problem? Is it not man, who has by the Bible’s own account,
rejected God? Even before we had all this sexy science telling us about
everything in the world and the universe beyond? Was it not man who threw off
the ruler-ship of God and declared he was going to make his own way? Isn’t that
our reality today? Right?
The problem is with the heart. A bad heart is one that
rejects truth, and makes claims of cleverly devised stories. A bad heart makes
God out to be some dopey myth. A bad
heart is one that rejects the majesty of nature and the glories of creation. A
bad heart judges the Church for the charade he deems it to be; despite the good
she does in this miserable and fallen world.
Father, the mystery
of faith is an affront to man’s intellect. Father, may I be a doer of good and
a follower of the faith no matter the reception of men and their excuses of why
You cannot be true. I pray for Your people and I pray for Your Church, the
glorious witnesses of Your love and presence in the lives of the humble and
faithful on this earth. Amen.
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