Faith in a Skeptical Age

Saturday, April 20, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

2 Peter 3:1–4

Recent surveys of religious life and belief in America have shown a dramatic increase in “nones”—people with no religious affiliation at all. That there would be an increase in cynicism and skepticism regarding the truth would come as no surprise to the Apostle Peter. In fact, he wrote to warn Christians of the scoffers in the “last days.” The Apostle Paul sounded a similar warning in his final letter to Timothy: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come” (2 Timothy 3:1).

Those outside the church can make our lives more difficult, but they cannot impact our faith unless we allow them to do so. Before issuing his warning about the scoffers, Peter reminded the Christians to whom he was writing to be focused on the Bible—to “be mindful of the words” of the Old Testament. Though they did not yet have much of the New Testament, they had the words which God inspired to be written, and it was critical that they not forget them.

Our faith does not rely on public approval or majority opinion. It is not a reaction to what those around us say or do. Faith is a reliance on the promises of God and is rooted in a constant, ongoing remembering of what He has spoken.

Today's Growth Principle: 

The more opposed our society is to the truth, the more vital it is for us to be people of the Word.