Persuasion

“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and HE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36 NKJV).

Look at the phrase “HE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE.”  It is from the Greek word “apeitheo”, which means “NOT TO ALLOW ONESELF TO BE PERSUADED.”

Have you ever had a disagreement with another person who simply REFUSED to accept the obvious?  One who, no matter how many facts or evidence you presented, continued to argue with you?  Frustrating, isn’t it?  The 26^th Chapter of the Book of Proverbs talks about arguing with those who simply won’t accept facts, no matter how plain they are.

So it is with one who does not believe in God.  It is not due to a lack of evidence FOR GOD – it is simply this:  Such a person REFUSES TO ALLOW HIMSELF TO BE PERSUADED, in spite of the intricacy of the human eye, the vastness of the universe, or the balance of cellular biology – in spite of these apparent fingerprints of God, this person REFUSES TO ALLOW HIMSELF TO BE PERSUADED!

How, then, do we PERSUADE anyone to BELIEVE IN GOD?  I think there are two things to remember.

First of all, we should realize that some people will not be persuaded (Acts 26:28), and it is not up to us who believes and who does not believe.

Second, we just need to love.  Love our brothers, love our neighbors, and love our enemies.  Jesus said, “By this all will know that you are MY disciples, if you have LOVE for one another” (John 13:35 NKJV).

Peace.

Davina