Jeffrey C. Long

I found this as I was going through some of my sent messages to clean up my inbox. I thought what I said was a fairly eloquent description of the basis of some of my faith. So I thought I’d share it here.

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Of course, my allegiance to the gospels begs the question, why the gospels?   My primary answer is the witness of the first through third century Christians.  Reading the Early Church Fathers, and the Desert Fathers is remarkable.  Also, I have a book that includes sayings of Jesus that are not found in the gospels and the Didache and Shepherd of Hermas.  Jesus changed their world.  And in so doing, He changed _the_ world.

And finally, it is the Spirit’s testimony that leads me to the gospels.  This is an infuriating statement to the unbeliever (not you necessarily).  Similarly, Paul’s statement that in I Corinthians 1:18ff

18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:
   ”I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
       the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”[3]
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

This is an infuriating passage to discuss between the believer and the non-believer.  Because the believer, who affirms the authority of scripture has to say that (verse 24) to those who are called, Jesus is the power of God and the wisdom of God, but that if the unbeliever finds this a stumbling block, then to Him the gospel is foolishness, and thus they are not called by God.   I’ve had this conversation with an atheist.  And he just hated it.  Because it’s an epistemological statement.  If you have faith, if you are called, then you know.  But if you do not have faith, if you are not called then you don’t know.  Unfortunately it is the logic of the text, so either it must be accepted, or the veracity of the text must be argued so that we no longer have to consider the meaning of it.