Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.
What is it going to take to get you to believe?
Skeptics are a hard lot to convince of anything. Skeptics with a vested interest in being skeptical are even harder to convince. A believer in a false construct is the hardest to convince of all.
Where do such beliefs come from? How do people get drawn into them? Why do they stay?
Sometimes it is all they know. Sometimes people are raised to believe certain things. Not everyone is given to questioning their beliefs because that is scary. Possibly one of the scariest things you can do.
And yet, if we are to embrace the truth we have to let go of what is not true before we can accept the truth.
Jesus challenged people to think differently about God. Jesus showed people a different side of God. The human side of God.
Let’s Discuss: How has your thinking about God changed over your lifetime?
My thinking about God has changed and grown throughout my life. One change that stands out to me is that I’m confident in the reasonableness and rationality of my faith while accepting my limitations in knowledge and the mystery of seeking to know an infinite God. I am comfortable and confident in both the rationality and mystery of my faith – this was a growth journey for me.
Nathan,
Thank you for your thoughts! I appreciate the concept that our knowledge is limited. It is amazing to me how our “knowledge” shifts with the times. When I was in high school many years ago atoms were much simpler than they are now. Have atoms changed? No, just our knowledge. Yet we often purport to “know” more than we actually do.
It has changed significantly, mostly by adding in the somewhat absent (in my previous view) mercy and grace evidenced by Jesus.
Also, as mentioned above by Nathan is the complete rationality of Christianity. I didn’t realize how completely it answers many of the difficult questions humanity has, like the problem of evil / the problem of pain.
Great point, Brent! When we quit resisting the Truth that we have a Creator, there is a real comfort and joy in knowing that the unknowable is known, and the things beyond our control are in the control of someone who cares deeply for us.
Wow. Tough question to answer! I was an agnostic, then a searching questioning lost person, confused but with atheistic leanings, then I was a truth seeker and saw the truth of Christ, then a believer with many doubts, then a follower of Jesus with great confidence because of where my search for truth brought me, but always a sinner. Now just a sinner saved by grace who is still seeking truth and a faith relationship with Christ and knowing Him more and more. Through it all Jesus has been a beacon of consistency, mercy, grace and love.
Hi Rich!
Thanks!! Isn’t it interesting that Jesus can be a beacon of mercy, grace, and love to someone who is agnostic or atheistic? Even when we turned our backs to God, He still loves us and cares for us, calling us to Him.