Faith vs. Credulity by William N. Glenn

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Nov 8, 1883

Faith vs. Credulity.

By William N. Glenn

THE point where the Christian and the infidel part company is on faith. In all things pertaining to the word of God, the infidel refuses to believe what he cannot see. The Christian believes on the evidence of faith, which is his basis of hope. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb. 11 : 1. When the Christian has gone as far as he can by sight, he keeps right on with the same confidence, because he believes the word of the Lord. And it is a fact that if he walk in humble, implicit faith, he will make straighter paths than in walking by sight, for what he does see, he sees "through a glass darkly," or only "in part." 1 Cor. 13 : 12. The light of faith is the brightest light he has.

But because the Christian walks by faith, it does not necessarily follow that he walks in ignorance. Faith in God is simply trust in one who has many times over demonstrated his wisdom, truthfulness, goodness, and power. When we trust in his promises, we trust in that which has been proved reliable ever since man existed. We have the record of those who, in all ages of the world, have exercised implicit confidence in God, and not one of them ever had his trust betrayed. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews furnishes witnesses enough to establish the confidence of any reasonable person, that trusting in the God of the Bible is no mere experiment in our day. Aside from these there are hundreds of living witnesses in our own generation who have tested and proved that walking by faith is no uncertainty—witnesses whose testimony upon any other subject would not be doubted by the veriest skeptic.

But what does the unbeliever in a living God and the Christian religion have to offer in lieu of faith as a guide? When he parts company with the Christian at the point of faith, and seeks a road that he can travel by sight, whence hath he light? Ask him, and he will point you to some "undeveloped" theory, "yet in its infancy," originated in his own generation, perhaps. If you insist upon seeing the way, he will endeavor to show you the origin of all things in some "chaotic nebula," the theory of whose "self-development" is more "chaotic" than the "nebula" itself. Ask him where his road leads to, and he gives you another refulgence of chaotic light regarding "self-organized plants and animals" under the "laws of developing sociology," ending as a result of the "survival of the fittest" in some "unknowable absolute."

Such is a specimen of the light proffered to the world by some who insist upon not believing what they cannot see. Others, having less ambition, are content to know nothing beyond what is picked up by the natural senses without any further mental effort. These also refuse to believe in any revelation from the Creator—failing even to come up to the intelligence of the untutored savage, who

"Sees God in clouds and hears him in the wind." Amid all the beauties of nature, they are ready to deny that "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handy work." Ps. 19 : 1.

And upon what evidence do all classes of these opposers base their positions? Upon nothing but the speculations of men who never arrive at a definite conclusion—"Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." They have no faith, for faith must have truth to rest upon; and they have ignored it, calling for sight. Their light is all darkness. They have no hope, for hope must have faith for a basis. The whole ground of their opposition to Christianity lies in their credulity—which Webster defines as "readiness to believe without sufficient evidence." They do continually that which they claim to be too wise to do—believe without evidence. Thus, while the Christian walks by faith, the infidel is led by his credulity.

W. N. GLENN.