the Challenge

Reprint from August 7, 2010

The fence around the courtyard of the tabernacle in the wilderness served to include and to exclude.

My son has been learning about different cultures around the world via port cities through his computer history curriculum, and I’ve been helping him. After the study of Hong Kong and then the study of Istanbul including the different religious beliefs prevalent in those areas, he asked me, “When there are so many different beliefs, how are we supposed to know which one is right? Are they all right? How can so many people be wrong?”

“Those are very good questions, Wes,” I said, “I’m glad you asked. You’re paying attention and you’re thinking. I like to see that.” I told him that first of all, if they were all right, then there would have been no need for Jesus to suffer and die for our sins. We would just find any old belief system that we wanted and that would save our souls. I went on to tell him that the best I could offer to him right now regarding why I believe in Jesus was that I have searched the scriptures and the arguments of the world because I want the truth, and what I’ve found is that the others don’t compare to our God. They don’t even come close, and in fact are foolishness in light of God’s Word.

Now, Wes, I’m not saying that I prefer Christianity over the alternatives,” I continued, “I’m saying that the alternatives have proven to be false. You see, the Bible says that there is only one God, and one way to get to Him. That’s through the blood of Jesus.” I went on to say that the Bible has never been proven false, and in fact, the more that man learns about the world around him, the more the Bible is confirmed.

But I did not stop there. I said that as he gets older, I expect something from him. “Don’t just believe this, Wesley, because I told you to believe it. Keep on asking questions. Do your own research. Ask God to show you the truth.” He actually said right then and there, eyes wide open, “God, show me the truth.”

Later that day, while driving my kids around town running my errands, I brought up the conversation again. “Did you know, Wesley, that there is no other belief system in the world that would challenge you to prove it wrong? But I challenge you. None other would dare you to go outside of its realm and compare it to the rest just to see which one is correct. Do you know why?”

“It’s like,” he said, “when Garrett (that’s my 6 year old) cleans his room, and he asks you to check it. He has nothing to hide. But when Clay (that’s my 4 year old) is told to clean his room, he comes out a few minutes later and closes the door because he doesn’t want you to know that it’s still a mess.” My 16 year old daughter and I looked at each other in amazement at hearing the wisdom in this 9 year old boy to be able to communicate so clearly that ‘yes’ he understood what I was saying and showed it by using such a perfect analogy. “That’s right, Wes, I’m not afraid to tell you to check. I know what you’ll find. You’ll find exactly what I’ve found. You’ll also find that others are afraid for you to look inside because when you tell others why you believe so strongly in Jesus.”

A couple of days later, my Bible study director was giving her lecture, and she spoke of the inclusion and the exclusion that the fence provided for the tabernacle. The fence was a testimony that there is no middle ground. He does not tolerate the lukewarm person who walks along the fence unable to decide what to believe and so chooses to believe them all as just many ways of getting to the same place. They can’t all be right. God may patiently wait for them to come down off of the fence, but if they don’t, they have lost their chance, and He will spit them out. Others may wish to believe otherwise, but the truth is that He is not a God of tolerance, but a God of mercy.

I was reminded of my 9 year old, and I felt confirmed in my heart that he too understood that there is no middle ground. He understood that there must be only one truth. What an exhilarating thrill it is to know that my son is on a quest to know that truth. I trust that God will show it to him in the very way he needs to see it.

"Elijah went before the people and said,

“How long will you waver between two opinions?

If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

But the people said nothing."

1 Kings 18:21

Written by Amie Spruiell