Philosophy professor, Thomas Nagel, wrote: “I want atheism to be true, and I am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God and, naturally, hope that I’m right in my belief. It’s that I hope there is no God! I don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want the universe to be like that.”
It’s a remarkable statement. Some people think that the only reason anyone could believe in Christianity is because of an emotional need for it to be true. They ignore the fact that people also disbelieve Christianity because of an emotional need for it not to be true. All of us have both rational and emotional reasons for whatever view we hold.
Have you ever thought, “How can Christianity really be true if so few people believe it?” One of the reasons the Gospel of John was written was to deal with this very issue. In our study through the Gospel of John, we reach this sad line in John 12:37, “Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.” Like the rest of the apostles, John was Jewish, and most Christians were of Jewish background. But in his day, many who were attracted to the story of Jesus and many who were new to the faith had begun to ask, “If Jesus is who he claimed to be, then why do so few believe it? Why do so few of our most influential leaders believe it?”
In John 12:34-50, he hits that issue head-on. And one thing we learn from those verses is that many people disbelieve in Christianity not because it’s not true but because they don’t want it to be true. It’s not a matter of the intellect but the will. At bottom, it’s not a rational question but a moral one. Let’s study this passage on Sunday. Join us on campus or online at 10am!
--Tom
Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter. If someone forwarded this email newsletter to you, sign up here to receive Tom’s weekly devotional in your email inbox.