Are you glad in your faith?

For the last few columns we’ve been trying to follow Blaise Pascal’s advice about persuading the sceptical.

Before his death in 1662 he suggested that we make people of good will ‘wish it were true, then show them that it is.’ I promise we’ll move on from this Pascalian perspective next month, but allow me one last word on the subject. In this column it’s very much a case of ‘once more with feeling.’

Because here I want to take Pascal a step further. Let me remind you of his advice in full:

‘People despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. The cure for this is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good people wish it were true, and then show that it is.’

Winning and keeping the heart

In the last few columns I’ve been applying this to some of the thorny issues raised by ‘despisers’ of the gospel – judgement, sex and freedom. As I conclude this exploration of ‘Pascalian evangelism’ I want to move things closer to home. To help, I’m going to enlist the help of a theologian on the other side of the channel – and of the reformation.

John Flavel was a Puritan and contemporary of Pascal and he too emphasised the crucial place of the heart. But notice how Flavel applies this to evangelism and discipleship:

‘The greatest difficulty in conversion is to win the heart to God; and the greatest difficulty after conversion, is to keep the heart with God’

The heart is central in coming to Christ, it’s also central to how we continue with Christ. Christians, obviously, are driven by our desires! And we too resist the power and goodness of the good news. Therefore a vital precondition for evangelism is that Christians themselves are evangelised.

The gospel for Christians

Think of how Paul did this in his letter to the Romans. He wrote to garner support for his mission to Spain (Rom. 15:24), and how does he motivate evangelism? He evangelises them. Paul knows that we’re all tempted to be ‘ashamed of the gospel’ (Romans 1:15) – especially when it comes into contact with the social, cultural and intellectual heft of a great empire like Rome. Therefore he sets to work giving this small church perhaps the richest gospel presentation in all the Scriptures. The letter to the Romans has been called by many ‘the Himalayas of the Bible’, taking us to unparalleled heights as ‘the gospel of God’ is proclaimed. But the letter is addressed to the ‘saints’ in Rome – to Christians (Rom. 1:7). It’s not an evangelistic tract addressed to Caesar or his court or to anyone beyond the church. This letter which has converted some of history’s greatest preachers – a letter which has been the text for a million evangelistic sermons – is for Christians. Because the gospel is for Christians.

Since this is true, we could perhaps adapt Pascal’s advice and expand it. Pascal wrote regarding an audience that may ‘despise’ the faith. Christians are not in that camp, but we are tempted to be ‘ashamed’ of it. So let’s re-write Pascal for a Christian audience:

‘Christians are often embarrassed by their faith. They’re afraid it may be silly or stifling. The cure for this is first to persuade them that it really understands human nature – like nothing else, it gives a true picture of the world. Next, proclaim it to their hearts as supremely attractive. Make Christians glad that it’s true, and then encourage them to share it.’

If we’re not glad to be Christians we will never share our faith. Or, if we do, it will be from duty, fear, pride, pressure or guilt. Much evangelism can be inspired by those motivations, but none of it is healthy. Let’s therefore evangelise ourselves. The best preparation for sharing the gospel is hearing it, receiving it, dwelling on it, enjoying it. Before we make non-Christians wish that it’s true, let’s make Christians glad that it is.