Do we have a reasonable hope?

“Always  be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the  reason for the hope that you have.”  (1 Peter 3:15)

The Christian truth is not bounded by scientific laws or empiricism. Even though sometimes we have physical prove of our faith, these proves are not static in themselves. Therefore thriving to have physical proves of faith will always leads to disbelief and unbelief.

Nevertheless we are cautioned to be more reasonable about the hope that we have. Being reasonable is leaving no doubts after the arguement. In another sense, we shall say that you have done justice to the matter; a B+ or A is good enough to win a case.

Let us consider attorneys. An attorney does not win a case by just sticking to what his client told him or her only. He or she must go beyond the matter, restraining him or herself to win the case at all cost. Attorneys need facts, proves, and a whole lot to make their case appear before the judgement court.

What about the Christian who is sent to preach to win unbelievers? What proves do Christians have today to make thier faith sound reasonable to secular minds? Do we really have a good reason for this hope that we preach? I don’t even think we have a good conscience of what we have come to believe. Isn’t that dangerous?

How many Christians today (including some pastors and theologians) could have been able to withstand Voltaire, Rene Descartes, and the other 17th and 18th centuries enlightened philiosophers? People who tried to trash truth away by reason. And even the same prevalence today, “self thinking religion” and beliefs, both within and without religion, trying to cast Biblical authority and doctrine away.

Let us be scholars of the Bible. If we don’t know the Word, believe me, we don’t know Hiim [Jesus] yet. Listen to what Jesus said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31).

A group of three persons went to a pastor’s house to have a Bible studies with him. The pastor first asked them whether they have read all the Bible from cover to cover. The answer was a big NO. The pastor then asked them to go and finish reading the Bible and his doors would be opened to them.

We can never be reasonable with our hope unless we have thoroughly exhausted his Word. The Bible was written for our learning. It is not to tag us as Christians or religious people. Neither is it meant to occupy our shelves. Let us study our Bibles for if we do so, we will be able to “rightly divide the Word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2: 15)