President’s Post: We must not waver in confidence

There is an old story of two young men that God called into full-time gospel ministry. They were evangelists. They traveled together throughout the United States and Europe preaching the gospel to tens of thousands of youths and young adults. These two evangelists were on fire for the Lord; wherever they went, people were responding to the gospel and being saved. These two young men had devoted themselves to the ministry of God’s word, but one of the young men had doubts.

Before entering seminary at Princeton University in 1948, this young man argued with his friend privately that there was no way in his mind the biblical account of six-day creation could be true. He no longer believed the Bible’s account of creation. He argued that every reputable, modern scholar holds to evolution. The earth, by his logic, was millions of years old. The other young evangelist did not hesitate for a second. His faith was rooted in the authority and trustworthiness of the word of God.

He told his doubting friend, “I believe … because it’s in the Bible. I’ve discovered something in my ministry: When I take the Bible literally, when I proclaim it as the word of God, my preaching has power. When I stand on the platform and say, ‘God says,’ or ‘the Bible says,’ the Holy Spirit uses me. There are results. Wiser men than you or I have been arguing questions like this for centuries. I don’t have time or the intellect to examine all sides of the theological dispute, so I’ve decided once and for all to stop questioning and accept the Bible as God’s word.”

And just like that, the paths of these two young men began to diverge. The doubting evangelist who left the mission field for Princeton University in less than 10 years declared himself an agnostic and no longer a Christian. His name was Charles Templeton. The other evangelist who had declared his unequivocal belief in the inerrancy and authority of God’s word went on to preach to over 200 million people in more than 185 countries worldwide for more than 50 years. His name was Billy Graham.

Dear student, we must hold on to the word of God and not waver in our confidence. Our very faith depends on the trustworthiness of the word of God. It contains every promise that God has ever given, whose promises are all fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul writing to Timothy, a young evangelist, said, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible contains all that we need concerning salvation and eternal life.

No other written book in recorded history has the power and authority to change human hearts and minds and shape the world like the Bible. As Christians, we know that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). What do the Scriptures teach us about salvation? Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Some of you might say, “I’m struggling with doubt. How can I have confidence in the word of God and eternal life?” The Bible says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). We know that the Bible tells us we can have confidence, so there are things that we can do to guard against doubt.

First, have you prayed? If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ but are struggling with doubt, I first want to encourage you to pray and ask God for confidence. The Bible tells us not to be anxious about anything, but “by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your requests known to God, and the peace of God … will guard your hearts and your minds” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Second, are you renewing your mind? The Bible teaches us to “take every thought and make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Also, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1-2). So often, doubts come into our life from a pattern of thinking or unconfessed sin. If you are doubting, I want to encourage you to pray to the Lord and ask for confidence. Second, I want to encourage you to regularly commit yourself to read God’s word each day. Spend time thinking and meditating on the promises of God. It will change your heart and your mind.

Finally, dear student, when you graduate from Liberty University, there is nothing more important than knowing Jesus Christ, that you are his, bought with a price. The tragedy would be to leave Liberty for a job but without Jesus. Even more than a degree or a credential, I want you to have bold confidence in Jesus Christ and the truth of God’s word. 

Prevo is the Interim President of Liberty University