提要
前幾天我在公車上聽到鄰座兩個大學生的對話。他們認為基督教不可靠，因為「挪亞的方舟不過是神話故事，並且聖經是一群我們不認識的人寫的，我們怎麼知道他們的作品不是藥物引發幻覺下的產品﹖」他們的口氣不像開玩笑，而是很認真的在討論，但他們的話題很快的就轉到最近熱門的連續劇上。當我到站下車後，看著他們消失在路的盡頭，依舊是無所謂的態度，並且還計畫著下個週末的狂歡派對。
聖經作者和方舟的問題就足以叫他們大驚小怪了嗎﹖那麼以下這句話：「只有上帝看得見上帝，因為祂坐在祂自己的旁邊」豈不更叫他們瞠目結舌！這是我寫在我聖經裡約翰福音一章十八節旁空白處的一句話。老實說，聖經有太多地方（特別是談到有關基督的神性）超越我們理性的範疇，使人不禁同情那些將聖經貶為幻想產物的人──除非聖經是真的。
如果聖經是真的，那麼我們就擁有關於上帝自己、耶穌、天國、創造、和末日的最具權威的話。如果耶穌是上帝，那麼我們就能相信舊約聖經一些難以理解的經文，因為耶穌經常引用舊約，並對那些猶太經卷表達了最高的推崇。事實上，祂視自己為「摩西和先知書」上所寫之事的應驗。如果耶穌值得信賴，那麼聖經就值得信賴──即使我們可能對聖經一些「不合理」的部分缺少真實的經歷或感到難以處理，我們仍對之深信不疑，因為耶穌知道並瞭解所有的聖經。
有一天，在天上，我們都將進入最高學府，得知一切問題的答案。但我必須再次強調，我們對聖經的信心是根據我們對耶穌的信心。聖經的話是根據那「道」。而因為道成了肉身賜給我們真理，我們便相信祂且有真確的盼望。基本上，我們的信仰是根據我們與耶穌的關係。 |
Overview
I was riding the commuter train the other day and overheard a conversation between two college students sitting behind me. They were dismissing Christianity as untrustworthy because, “Noah’s ark was a fable. And the Bible was written by a bunch of guys we don’t know. How do we know if their writing weren’t the result of some drug-induced hallucination?” They were quite cordial about all this. Bill Cosby. As I left the train at my stop, I watched them disappear into the horizon, painlessly unbelieving, arranging for a “burger and movie” the next Saturday night.
They think doubt about authors and authors and an ark is a problem? They should try this on for size: “only God sees God as He sits beside Himself”. That’s what I’ve written in the margin of my Bible beside John 1:18. Somebody on drugs here? Something you’d think so. So much of the Bible (especially what it says about Christ’s divinity) is so far beyond reason that one can at least empathize with those who reduce it all to hallucinatory imaginings: unless it’s true.
Unless it’s true. If it’s true, then we have the authoritative Word of God on the subjects of God Himself, Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven creation, and the end of days. If Jesus was God, then we have confidence sin some of the difficult passages in the Old Testament, because Jesus so often quoted and expressed the highest view of those Jewish Scriptures. In fact, He saw Himself as the fulfillment of “Moses and the Prophets”. If Jesus was trustworthy then the Scriptures become trustworthy – and even if we may have no “experience” or facility with some of the “unreasonable” aspects of Scripture, we nevertheless rest confident that Jesus knew and understood all of “Holy Writ”.
One day, in heave, we’ll all go to school and get the full scoop on the knotty problems of the Bible, but I must stress again that our trust of the Bible is predicated on our trust in Jesus. The word is predicated on the Word. And because that Word became flesh and gave us the “word”, we believe and hope. In fact, I might go so far as to say my religion is predicated on relationship. Relationship with Jesus.
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