While
riding on a train a few years after the American Civil War, General Lew Wallace
of the Union Army encountered a fellow officer, Colonel Robert Ingersoll.
Ingersoll was one of the 19th century’s leading agnostics, and Wallace was a
man of faith. As their conversation turned to their spiritual differences,
Wallace realized that he wasn’t able to answer the questions and doubts raised
by Ingersoll. Embarrassed by his lack of understanding about his own faith,
Wallace began searching the Scriptures for answers. The result was his
confident declaration of the person of the Savior in his classic historical
novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
Probing
questions from skeptics don’t have to be a threat to our faith. Instead, they
can motivate us to seek a deeper understanding and equip us to respond wisely
and lovingly to those who might question our faith. The apostle Peter
encouraged us to pursue the wisdom of God in the Scriptures when he wrote,
“Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the
hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).
We don’t have to have an answer for every question, but we need the courage, confidence, and conviction to share our love for Christ and the hope that is in us.
