Job 12

From time to time, I visit a Christian forum online where people are discussing topics about God. Occasionally, I contribute. Most of the time, however, I simply read the ideas of others with interest. Recently, a self-proclaimed atheist has joined the group and has been asking a number of good questions about the Bible. She says this is her "last attempt" to try to understand the Bible and that she has come to the forum to find out why Christians believe what they do.

She has created an almost-impossible task for herself. Why do Christians believe what they do? Ask twenty different Christians, and you’ll get twenty different answers—not to mention probably twenty different sets of beliefs!

This isn’t the sort of discussion I get involved in, because frankly, I have no desire to try to convince another person to hold the same beliefs I do. I firmly believe in Paul’s admonition to "let each one be fully convinced in his own mind" (Rom 14:5). If anything, I would like to set her mind at ease. For there is Truth, and God will make it plain to her in His own way and time. She won’t be left "wondering" forever.

This is what I understood Job to be saying in his reply to Zophar: "Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food?" (vs 7-11)

I once read a book by J.B. Phillips called Ring of Truth. It was an account of his experience of translating the New Testament from its original language into English. In it, he describes so well the idea that we know truth when we hear it, because it has a "ring" to it. Job was saying the same thing here in comparing how the ear tests words with how our tongues taste food.

When you taste something, how do you know if it is sweet, salty, or bitter? Can you describe how you know? No. You just know because you know. Our taste buds were designed to do that job. In the same way, as we hear ideas, concepts, and beliefs, there is a mechanism in us that helps us determine whether something is true or not. I can’t explain it; I can only tell you that I’ve experienced it.

I believe that’s the only way the Apostle Paul could write these words: "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them." (Rom 1:18-19)

God reveals truth—to every person. He makes His truth plain to the Christian, the atheist, the humanist, the Buddhist, the Muslim, etc. Nobody is outside the reach of His revelation. Where we go wrong with this is in the assumption that God can, will, or must convict you of the same thing or in the same way as He has convicted me. If you are not convicted of the same thing I am, then I assume that you are rejecting God.

That’s wrong.

The only thing we can assume is that God—in His own time and in His own way—reveals to each person what they need to understand in order to respond to Him. At that point, they may choose to accept what He has revealed or (like those Paul wrote about in Romans 1) reject what He has revealed. But what God wants them to know about Himself will be made plain to them, because God will make it plain to them.

So, I’d like to tell that atheist girl and anybody else who is searching for answers about God to relax. If there’s something you need to know, God will make it plain to you. He reveals truth.