384 Sermon Illustrations on Faith

This most remarkable incident happened many years ago, and was told in a railroad magazine. One summer morning a twelve-car train containing the members of a Sunday school in eastern Missouri was bound for a picnic at a point about fifty miles distant. Although the sky was cloudless when the excursion started, the train had not proceeded more than half way when a thunderstorm broke. The rain fell in torrents. The engineer was worried for fear the terrific downpour might cause a washout or spreading of the rails, and he slowed down to about thirty-five miles an hour. As the train swung around a curve and approached a small station which it was to pass without stopping, the engineer, peering through the broken curtain of rain, saw that the switch ahead was open. It meant a terrible disaster. Instantly he closed the throttle and put on the brakes.

“Better stick to it,” he shouted to the fireman, “hundreds of children are on board.”

“I mean to,” was the answer. “God help us all!”

His last words were drowned by a terrific crash of thunder which came with a flash of lightning that seemed to strike the ground just ahead of the engine. The next thing they knew they were past the station, still riding safely on the main-line rails.

The train came to a stop and the engineer and conductor hurried back to discover what had happened and how the train had passed the open switch. They found the lightning had struck squarely between the switch and the rail and had closed the switch. “It was the act of God,” said the engineer. -- J. M. Farrar

A professor was doing his best to discount the miracles of the Bible. He said, "Take for instance the crossing of the Red Sea. We know it wasn't the Red Sea, but a different body of water that was only 6 inches deep." From the back of the room came a cry, "Praise God for the miracle!" The annoyed teacher asked, "What miracle?" "Well," explained the student, "God must have drowned the entire Egyptian army in only 6 inches of water!"

Bill Denton writes,

This reminded me of a semi-humorous story I heard once. The old grandmother had been ill for quite some time. She had been to every doctor and specialist, but to no avail. There was nothing further that medical science could do. The last doctor she went to see said to her, “Ma’am, there just isn’t any treatment I can give you. I suggest that prayer is what you should rely upon.” At that, she responded, “Oh, my. Has is come to that?”

Then there’s the one about the little boy playing on a steep roof top. Suddenly he is out of control, sliding directly toward the edge. He cries out, “Lord, Lord, save me.” The words are hardly out of his mouth when his pants snag on a nail and he comes to an immediate halt. At which point he lifted his eyes heavenward and said, “Never mind, Lord. I caught my pants on a nail.”

Duane Warden

DWARDEN@Harding.edu

"Do you believe this chair exist?" (Point to an empty chair.) "Do

you believe it will hold you up? It is not holding you up now. How

could you prove you believe it exist and that it can hold you up? - By

sitting in it!"

"Let that chair represent Jesus Christ. For a long time I believe

he existed and could help me, but I did not have eternal life because

I was trusting my own good works to get me into heaven. To receive

eternal life you must transfer you trust from yourself to Christ."

- D. J. Kennedy

The story is told of an aged silver miner who spent all his life searching for silver in the mountains of the Old West. He had become so obsessed with his search that his wife and children had left him. When he died the handful of people who came to bury him found in his possessions a note instructing them to bury him under his cabin. As the earth was overturned a lustrous gray material began to appear. It became known as the largest silver vein in California history. The miner had been a millionaire all his life, but he had never been able to claim his wealth.

The Bible says that we are spiritual billionaires because of Christ' death. Claim the gift of God today!

- J. Dillow

Everyone knows how to have faith. We do it all the time in

countless ways. When I get in a car and turn the ignition key I have

faith that my car will start. When I pick up a ball point pen and

press it down on a sheet of paper, I'm exercising faith in the ability

of that pen to write. When I sit down to eat and put my wife's

cooking into my mouth I am exercising faith that my wife hasn't

poisoned the food. Day by day, in countless ways we exercise faith in

the people or things around us. Likewise, when Jesus asks us to have

faith in him he is only asking us to do what is natural for us to do.

- Bill Gordon

The word "believe" means more than just intellectual faith, because

the Bible says, "The devils also believe. . . "

Why, the devil is a fundamentalist, and he is orthodox. He believes

in Christ. He believes in the Bible. He believes the whole business

of religion. He is even in the religion business.

Intellectually, he believes in the dogma (doctrine). He believes in

the creeds. But the devil has never been saved and he is not going to

heaven. You may be able to recite theology, but I tell you that is

not enough. There must be a real commit- ment to Christ.

Have you done that? Have you come with everything? Have you

allowed Him to change your life in full surrender? Can you say,

"Jesus is my Savior? I'm am trusting in Him and Him alone for

salvation. By faith I surrender to Him? I am willing to obey Him and

follow Him form this moment on!

- Billy Graham

"As a little child" asks for anything and expects to receive it, so

we are to "ask and receive." Jno. 16:24; Ph. 4:6. A dear child of

three years had slept all night with grandma and in the early morning

was chattering away, when her talk was stopped by the words, "Don't

talk to grandma for a little while, her head aches." Baby Beulah

smoothed the aching brow and said, "I'll put my hand on your head,

grandma, and ask Jesus to make you well." After a word of prayer she

opened her blue eyes and said confidently, "Jesus did." And grandma

answered, "Yes, he did, darling, the pain is all gone."

"Let us have the faith that right makes might; and in that faith let

us to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."

-- Abraham Lincoln

March 4, 1861

(Goes well with \reference{Jude 3}{Jude 1:3}. --JB)

”The Scriptures tell us, Abraham believed God…”

I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. He never wrote a book, never sang a song, never preached a sermon, never was head of state nor led an army into battle [sic: v. Gen 14:14].

His natural character was a washout! He was a playboy with a local woman … when a child was born from that relationship, he treated the gal like dirt; he lied (at least a half-truth) that his gorgeous wife was his sister; when depression hit his country he took off for the neighboring fertile land of seeming opportunity.

Despite all this deceit and spunkless action, his obedience in the arena of FAITH earned him the honor of having millions of mothers name their son after him. Highest compliment of all when Almighty God said: “Abraham is My friend. Henceforth I shall be known as ‘The God of Abraham.’”

Meet my friend, Abraham. The historic founder of the Jewish nation grew up near the Persian gulf city of Ur of the Chaldees. At the age of 75, “the God of glory” called this rough sheep master to move 1,000 miles west to the unknown land of Palestine. God said: “Git” and he got! Abraham took jehovah at His word without hesitation or questioning.

Griffith Thomas, Godly English pastor and Bible student, pens four qualities of Abraham’s life that make him a Hall of Famer:

1. “Life’s choicest privilege … what is it? To be associated with God over the long haul … intimately! To have the Almighty say: ‘You are My friend.’

2. “Life’s greatest testimony … what is it? Faithfulness to one’s Creator … not success, but sincerity; not glory but goodness; not honor but holiness.

3. “Life’s strongest foundation … what is it? God’s covenant relationship as an underlying girder. The need to crucity the question: WHY?

4. “Life’s greatest secret … what is it? It is believing God’s Word and trusting Him. A faith that rests in God, receives from God, responds to God, relies on God and rejoices with God. Every great person has first learned how to obey, whom to boey and when to obey.”

El Khalil … God’s friend. God corrected Abraham’s faith, lifted it to a supernatural level, changed his mental attitude from “impossible” to a God-promised certainty. “While it is faith alone that justifies, the faith that justifies is never alone.” “You can never please God without faith, without depending on Him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that He rewards those who sincerely look for Him.”

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From “The Challenge” by Robert D. Foster dated July 1, 1991

Reid Hanson is vice

chairman of one of the largest independent Coca Cola

bottling companies in the world. In 1939 he was told he had a very

rare type

of leukemia . . . that it is terminal, that he had a relatively short

time to

live. In 1987 he started writing letters to other terminal cancer

victims,

sharing with them his own experiences. . . the stages through which he

has

passed in becoming a Christian. . . in living a totally different kind

of

life. . . and in gaining a confidence he never had before. I want to

quote

from one of his letters: "It is important to understand I did not

consciously

wish to die. I thought I was going to live a long time. I was in top

physical condition. . . or so I thought. I exercised vigorously. I

didn't

smoke. There were some bright spots, too; but the preponderance of my

life

had evolved into work, work, work. I now know my career became an

escape

mechanism for me. "My response to cancer was of such a nature as to

produce

massive change in my life. Consequently, my will to live was stronger

after I

got cancer than it was before. I know it sounds strange; but I found

myself

enjoying life more with cancer than I had before without cancer. "I

decided I

had made great progress because I would derive greater enjoyment from

whatever

amount of time I had left. Whether I lived longer or not, I certainly

would

live more enjoyably. My will to live has never been stronger, and my

fear of

death never lower. This is a powerful combination. "I figure that the

God who

has provided for my needs prior to birth, at birth, and during life so

far. .

. will continue to do so at death and thereafter. He knows what to

do, how,

and why. I don't. He will let me know when it's time to go on to the

next

experience. I have never been more ready to go, but still have lots

of things

I want to do here in this life."

/

Many of us need to be

more like the little girl whom the farmer found lost in his meadow. The farmer said to her, "Do not cry; I'll take you

home." The little child snuggled up to him, and with a smile, said, "I knew you

would; I was waiting for you." "Waiting for me?" said the man. "What made

you think I was coming?" "I was praying you would." she said. "Praying? When

I first

heard you, you were saying A B C D E F G. What was that for?" She

looked up again and said, "I'm just a little girl. I was praying all the

letters of the alphabet and letting God put them together the way He wanted to. He

knows I was lost, and He knows how to put them together better than I do."

What a difference if we would only let God put the letters of our lives

together. p. 186

I heard a good

illustration of trust some time ago. One of my friends has a pilot's license and someone asked Bill if he ever took his children

flying with him. Bill said, "Yes". The next question was, "What is their

response?" I was particularly interested in Nathan's response. He said Nathan

curled up and went to sleep. Nathan could go to sleep because the pilot, his Daddy,

loved him, and wasn't going to allow anything to happen to him that wasn't

for his own good. That is not saying the two of them didn't run into any

turbulence, but Nathan could trust Bill, because he knew that his Daddy had his

best interests at heart. How like our Heavenly Father that is. We know that

He loves us, and won't allow anything to happen to us but what is for our

own good and in the process strengthen someone else's faith. William

Barrows, Olathe, Ks.

There is no situation I can get into that God cannot get me out. Some

years ago a man was learning to fly. His instructor told me to put

the plane into a steep and extended dive. I was totally unprepared for

what was about to happen. After a brief time the engine stalled, and

the plane began to plunge out-of-control. It soon became evident that

the instructor was not going to help me at all. After a few seconds,

which seemed like eternity, my mind began to function again. I quickly

corrected the situation. Immediately I turned to the instructor and

began to vent my fearful frustrations on him. He very calmly said to

me, "There is no position you can get this airplane into that I cannot

get you out of. If you want to learn to fly, go up there and do it

again." At that moment God seemed to be saying to me, "Remember this.

As you serve Me, there is no situation you can get yourself into that

I cannot get you out of. If you trust me, you will be all right." That

lesson has been proven true in my ministry many times over the years.

James Brown, Evangeline Baptist Church, Wildsville, LA, in

Discoveries, FAll, 1991, Vol 2, No. 4 "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" (\reference{Ephesians

4:5}{Ephesians 4:5}).

Olympic gold medalist Darrel Pace was to give an archery exhibition in

New York City's Central Park, and the event received coverage by all

the news stations. Shooting steel- tipped hunting arrows, Pace

punctured bull's-eyes without a miss. Then he called for a volunteer.

"All you have to do," said Pace, "Is hold this apple in your hand,

waist-high." ABC correspondent Josh Howell took a bold step forward.

He stood there, a small apple in his hand, a larger one in his throat.

Pace took aim from 30 yards away as we all held our breath. Then

THWACK-a clean hit that exploded the apple before striking the target

behind. Everybody applauded Howell, who was all smiles--until his

cameraman approached with a hangdog look. "I'm sorry, Josh," he said.

"I didn't get it. Had a problem with my viewfinder. Could you do it

again?" Bob Teague, Live and Off-Color: News Biz

Until I learned to trust,

I did not learn to pray,

And I did not learn to fully trust Till sorrows came my way. Until I

felt my weakness, His strength I never knew, Nor dreamed till I was

stricken That He would see me through. Who deepest drinks of sorrow

Drinks deepest too of grace, He sends the storm so He himself, Can be

our hiding place. His heart that seeks our highest good Knows well

when things annoy, We would not long for heaven If earth held only

joy. One by one he took them from me, All the things I valued most,

Until I was empty-handed; Every glittering toy was lost. And I walked

earth's highway grieving, In my rags and poverty, Till I heard His

voice inviting, "Lift your empty hands to me." So I turned my hands

toward heaven, And He filled them with a store Of His own transcendent

riches, Till they could contain no more, Then at last I comprehended,

With my stupored mind and dull, That God could not pour His riches

Into hands already full.

I met a Captain Newland, who, evidently had been regenerated, born again, forty years before I knew him. Yet he was entirely unconscious of it. He said he prayed for forty years for conviction for sin. He had never half seen his sins, as he believed. And how could he be converted until he was convicted more than he had ever been? When the church had communion, he would sit to one side, and look on, and often say, “How I wish I was worthy to be one of them!” How he wanted to observe the ordinances, if he could only experience religion!

No society he enjoyed as he did the society of God’s people; yet he had no idea that he was a Christian. In this state he had lived on all these years.

I finally asked him if there had never been a time in earlier life that he had thought at that time it was possible he had been born again. He thought not. He would give worlds, if he had them, if he could become a Christian.

I then related to him my weak Christian experience. That I could not tell when the Holy Spirit took possession of my heart; that I had gone alone a great many times, and prayed for a deeper sense of my sins; that I would often find myself trying to sing almost as soon as I got off of my knees. I would go back and pray again for conviction, but could never have it as I desired.

I finally discovered one little ray of evidence of a change. It was this. I knew I felt different towards those that acted like Christians. I wanted to be with them, and hear them speak of their experience. I read in the Scriptures: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren “ (that is, experienced Christians). I knew I loved a Christian as well as I knew I loved my mother. No matter when or how it came into my heart, it was there. With this little ray I joined the church, and started in the service of Christ. Now my hope is clear and bright.

He looked at me with surprise.

“Do you think you are a Christian? “ he said. “ I have had all you speak of.”

Finding that his church home would be among the Baptists, if anywhere, I recommended him to go with me to the church at their next church meeting, and tell the church just how he had felt, and what he had done during all these years, and I would be present, and charge the church to vote in his case just as they were willing to meet at the Judgment.

“If you will do that, I will go,” he said.

The church voted unanimously to receive him. They then told him they were as ready to receive him twenty years ago as they had been that day.

As the church had no pastor, I baptized him. He went to work actively in Christ’s cause. Soon he became a deacon in that church, and I had much rather have his hope to meet God with than many a self-confident professor.

Going over the country as I have, I have found a great many men and women in the same state -- “unconscious Christians,” I could feel, as it were, a spiritual pulse beating in their bosoms, yet they feel no evidence of regeneration. Like Lazarus, after Christ restored him to life, his heart beating, his blood coursing, yet he had no light. The napkin was about his eyes. “Loose him,” said the Saviour, “and let him go.”

So I have found a multitude who only needed to have the napkin taken off, and all was light. They are unconscious Christians. Others have evidence of the conversion of these persons, but they are not satisfied themselves, and need help. Let me say to Christians who have light, ascertain, if you can, if there are those among you in this state of doubt and darkness. “Loose him, and let him go.” -- A. B. Earle, From: “Incidents Used ... In His Meetings,” published in 1888

Almost any one will sell you goods they have to part with, if you

can pay for them, but few will lend you, if you are poor. There is a

beautiful incident illustrating this in the fourth chapter of the

second book of Kings, and also full of rich instruction.

A good minister had died, evidently in middle life, leaving his

family not only poor, but in debt. Perhaps his salary was too small to

support them. Or, perhaps the parish had neglected to pay what they

had promised. Or, worse yet, the minister or his wife, or both of

them, did not know how to economize. There was evidently a fault

somewhere. For "they that preach the gospel shall live of the gospel."

It was sad enough for the wife and two children to be left alone and

very poor. But to have bills come in for goods she knew they had used,

which she was utterly unable to pay, was very crushing to her in her

deep affliction. These creditors also told her that, if there was no

other way to pay them, they should sell her half-grown-up sons' time

until their dues were paid.

In her deep trial she went to the prophet Elisha for counsel and

help. He inquired how much she could pay, or just what she had in her

house. She told him, "Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house

save a pot of oil" This she was carefully keeping, no doubt, against

the day of extreme need.

The Divine directions were that she should go out through all the

neighborhood, and borrow empty vessels such as were then used, and

would hold oil. Not partly filled vessels, but empty ones. Now, if she

borrows, the neighbors must have confidence in her. She was to bring

these vessels to her own house. God gave her favor in the eyes of

these acquaintances, and perhaps none refused her. She soon filled her

house with these vessels. Her success was far greater than she could

reasonably expect.

She was now to call her sons into the house, and shut the door upon

them all. Instead of Elisha's doing it for her, she must take up her

pot of oil, and pour out into all the vessels she had borrowed, at

least until the oil stayed. So she poured out, and the boys brought

the vessels to her, and carried them away. Her oil, like unused

religion, was stiff and candied, and did not run very freely at first.

But at last it got warm, and ran freely. Like our feeble love to

Christ, it was multiplied and greatly increased by being poured out.

"There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth." With the oil running

more freely than at first, she said to her sons, "Bring another

vessel." But every vessel in the house was full, and the oil stayed.

Enough of the oil was then sold, and all her debts paid, dollar for

dollar, and plenty left for her and her sons to live on. She could now

meet her creditors with pleasure, looking them all in the face, God

was honored by it, and her sons could remain under her influence and

care, and sing with their mother a sweet doxology of praise for what

God had done for them.

Let us learn from this incident to increase our ability and means

of doing good by using what little we have. "They that wait upon the

Lord shall renew their strength." -- A. B. Earle, From: "Incidents

Used ... In His Meetings," published in 1888

“A very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). A little boy and his widowed mother had been reading of how the ravens fed Elijah. The two were sitting in a fireless room beside a bare table on a bitter Christmas night. Both were very hungry and their case was desperate, but simple faith triumphed. When they had finished reading and had knelt down to pray, the little boy asked if he might open the door for God’s ravens to come in, for he was sure they must be on their way. The mother agreed. The Mayor of the town was passing the house and noticed the open door and came to find out what was the matter. The story was soon told and his response was, “I will be God’s raven.” Very soon their need was abundantly met.

________

The Christian Herald (London). Sent by E. M. James, Toronto, Canada. Prize illustration.

Two little girls were on their way to school one morning. Having

been detained in starting, they were very much afraid that they would

be late. One said, "Let us kneel down and ask the Lord to not let us

be late." The other said, "No, I think I will run as fast as I can,

and pray to God while I am running to help me to get there on time."

It is easy to see which of these two had the right idea about

prayer and faith in God. Did the one who ran while she prayed, trust

God any less than the other? -- Sunday School Times

Mr. Wesley was once engaged in a very important conference with

some of his leading associates. The subject of discussion was faith.

No one was able to furnish a definition satisfactory to himself or to

anyone present. In the midst of their perplexity, Mr. Wesley said,

"Lets call in Mrs. ," naming an individual of strong good sense and of

very deep piety. "She," continued Mr. Wesley, "can tell us just what

faith is because she has consciously exercised it." When asked to tell

what faith is, her reply was this, "It is taking God at His word."

"That will do," exclaimed Mr. Wesley. And that will do for us all.

William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."

Picture a person helplessly trapped on the sixth floor of a burning hotel. The elevators no longer function, the stairways are flaming infernos. To live, the person must leap into a net that firemen down below are holding ready. Imagine the trapped man screaming from his broken window, “I will not jump until you give me a satisfactory explanation of several things:

(1) How did this fire get started?

(2) Why has it spread so quickly?

(3) What happened to the sprinkler system? and

(4) How do I know for sure that net will hold me?

Until you guys can come up with some pretty substantial answers,

I’m staying right here in Room 612!”

In like manner, the question as to why God allowed sin to enter the world or the need for airtight convincing proof is comparatively unimportant, even irrelevant, as we find ourselves lost, moving rapidly toward the grave, and destined for eternal condemnation. Slice it up and analyze it any way you wish, when we reduce our response to God’s offer of salvation, it comes down to {faith}: being willing to abandon oneself, without reservation, to ehe eternal net God has spread ... leaping while believing with absolute confidence that He will do as He promised. Remember, the other options are reduced to zero, according to God’s plan.

________

Charles R. Swindoll, MAN TO MAN (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996) 352

On board a steamer I met a fruit grower from California. We were

talking together, and he said: "Did you notice that White Star liner

was two minutes late in starting?"

No," I said, "I did not notice it." For these big steamers go away

to the minute, with the precision of a railway train.

He continued: "There was a detention of two minutes.''

"I saw excitement on the wharf," I said, "but I did not know what

it was.''

"Well," he said, "my friend and I raced from California to catch

the steamer. We had just five hours between the advertised time of

arriving in New York and the sailing of the Teutonic. For days our

train ran exactly to the minute, and we reached Albany, only a few

hours from New York, exactly on time -- five days' traveling to the

minute; but at Albany a snow storm came on. The conductor wired the

White Star Company that there were two passengers on board their train

who wanted to catch the Teutonic, and would they just wait a bit? On

the train raced; we came to Jersey City, and the very ferryman had

been advised to wait for us. We got across the river and got a cabman,

and told him to hurry, hurry -- we had just about fifteen minutes, and

we found as we swung into the wharf that we were half a minute behind

time. There were two officers of the Teutonic, all was ready, every

rope had been lifted, every gangway but one away, steam up and the

Teutonic facing seaward, and the mighty racer across the deep was

anxious to be off. Two minutes! There we are. I wanted to give the

cabman something extra, but I could not get my hand into my pocket.

They said: "Come away, come away, or you will be left behind," and I

shouted to my cabman: "I'll see you when I come back," and he replied:

"Ay, many of them tell me that, but they never see me;" and the fruit

grower said: "When I get back to New York, in 21 days, I am going to

find out that poor cabman and let him know that I mean it when I say

'I'll see you again.'"

But the point is that hardly had they got over the gangway, hardly

had they got their feet on the deck, when the vessel swerved from the

shore and swung out into the deep. No more to get on board, no

possibility of getting on board. Do you see it? The ship of salvation

is alongside the wharf, you may be saved tonight, but it is a matter

of haste, for I believe that the gangway is about to be flung ashore.

I believe that the passageway into grace is soon to be dropped, and

the church of God, the saved in the ark of salvation, are to be taken

away.

For your never-dying soul's sake get on board, for as soon as the

ark is filled it is off. And it is filling up. They are coming from

China, and from India, and from Japan, and from the isles of the sea

-- and the ark is filling up, and soon the angel will get his

instructions to put one foot on the sea and the other on the shore,

and to swear that time shall be no longer. O soul, go aboard. Are you

safe in the arms of Jesus? That will stand. Saved and safe. -- John

Robertson.

By J. Wilbur Chapan, "Present Day Parables."

Obedience is the Only path that leads to the glory of God. Not

obedience instead of faith, nor obedience to supply the shortcomings

of faith, but faith's obedience. -- Anon.

By J. Wilbur Chapan, "Present Day Parables."

Are humans hard-wired for religious faith?

Atheists from Karl Marx to Sigmund Freud to Richard Dawkins have claimed that religion is a manmade opiate of the masses, a cultural virus that infects the human mind.

Christian scholar Paul Copan, however, challenges those who question the existence of God and the human soul. While biology and psychology may play a role in religious faith, it does not prove the non-existence of God, nor does it diminish the existence or role of the human soul. “God has placed eternity in our hearts, so it makes sense that we would be hard-wired with God-ward inclinations,” Copan said, referring to Ecclesiastes 3:11. “That natural processes contribute to religious belief doesn’t disprove the existence of God.”

Supporters of research in what is called “cognitive science of religion” seek to transform religious belief into a psychological or biological process, Copan said. The argument that religion is a virus can be turned on its head, he argued.

“If God has designed us in such a way that these sorts of processes enable us to come to know God personally, we’re actually at our cognitive best when our faculties direct us to a true belief in God,” Copan said.

He added: “Despite religious superstition and extremism, natural processes partly contributing to the formation of religious belief are not at odds with God’s existence; indeed such processes may indicate that our minds are properly functioning -- according to the way they’ve been designed.”

The existence of God is a better explanation for the creation of the universe than the atheist view that the universe came to existence without cause, Copan said. “The better unifying explanation is a supremely valuable, supremely aware, reasoning, truthful, powerful, intelligent, beautiful being,” he contended.

Copan also took issue with those who deny the existence of the human soul. Christians have long believed that humans are comprised of the physical body and the soul, in which human identity continues even after the physical body dies. Cognitive science of religion, however, links personhood to the physical. Acceptance of that view packs dangerous consequences, Copan noted.

When the existence of God is rejected, “the existence of the soul is also at stake and the suggestion that our choices, behavior, reasoning and beliefs are physically determined is hard to escape,” Copan said. “The clear result [of rejecting the soul’s existence] is undermining of robust freedom of the will, moral responsibility and the human ability to reason and seek truth.”

The atheist argument that theology is “a useful fiction” -- or worse, a harmful delusion -- falls short of explaining why the religious impulse is so deeply imbedded, Copan said.

“The reasons humans persist in looking beyond the finite realm in search of the source of coherence, order, morality, meaning and guidance for life is because this realm doesn’t contain it,” Copan said. “Humans, though embodied, are moral, spiritual beings with the capacity for self-transcendence upon our world and our condition; that, in turn, enables us to search for a world-transcending God.”

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Paul F. South is a writer for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Paul Copan holds the Pleger Family Chair in Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #5641]