Good morning. Several years ago, I found myself in the waiting room of our car dealership’s service department with about an hour to spend before our car was ready. The only other person there was a young woman who looked like she was of Chinese heritage, but who happened to speak perfect English, and by that, I mean the British kind. She explained that she had been one of the treasured upper 1% of the Chinese population of over a billion people who had tested extremely high and was therefore given every opportunity in education. This included post-graduate study at Oxford in England.
She was in Minnesota for a few months conducting some kind of business. When she found out that I was a Christian Pastor she perked up and wanted to talk. She had been raised a communist/atheist but while at Oxford had begun to study world religions. She said that there was one question (which were actually two questions) which troubled her, and she had never heard a good answer for it (them). The questions were: “Why do you Christians believe that your God is the only god worth believing in, and why do you think your God is better than all the rest?”
After a few minutes of discussion, it became clear that her real question was why Christians felt comfortable with such an opinion of God when such attitudes were, in her opinion, clearly intolerant and therefore unacceptable in modern culture?
So, there we were, with about 45 minutes left for me to try to answer her questions. I began by sharing scripture from Isaiah 44:6-8 “This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people,
and what is yet to come—yes, let them foretell what will come. Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
Obviously, she wasn’t ready to accept a passage from the Bible as proof of anything, but her question was “why do you believe” so I felt it was a good place to start. Beyond “because the Bible tells me so” the answers to her questions needed to be given from personal experience and belief. I believe in one awesome and absolute God because the evidence of the world (creation) around me points to that truth. I believe in one great God because only Jehovah God has been put to the test through the centuries and never been found wanting. But more than anything else, I told her that I believe in one incredible God because He has chosen to reveal Himself to me in personal ways. He is God, and yet He covets my prayers. He is God, and yet He loves to heal me. He is God, and yet He loves to brush away my tears and heal my spirit when it feels crushed. He is the creator of the universe, and He is the God who knows my true name. He is the Almighty and omnipotent One, who became flesh to reveal Himself to me in a very personal and intimate way. I find it impossible to explain the joy of knowing God without sharing the truth of Jesus Christ.
As for the question of tolerance, I explained my point of view on that as well. I agree that tolerance is wonderful and essential in an enlightened society. Another person’s race, background, ethnicity, culture, gender, or any other external difference between us is not relevant and should never be a deterrent regarding how I would value them or relate to them. But with that being said, I had to go on to say that tolerance has also taken on a philosophical meaning in recent years that I do not feel is justified or in any way appropriate. Culturally, tolerance has evolved to mean that no idea or point of view is any more valid or true than any other. That idea, that evolution of understanding of the word tolerance, is wrong. There is such a thing as truth. There is right and there is wrong. There is a way to heaven, and that way is the only way. His name is Jesus.
As the passage from Isaiah makes clear, there is one God. There is no other, and there is no need for any other. God has revealed the fullness of His love by giving rebellious, fallen, sinful people a way to return to Him in holiness and righteous purity that is not from themselves but the gracious gift of God. This love of God revealed bears the name of Jesus.
Did my time with the Chinese/British business lady answer her questions and perhaps turn her towards the Lord? I have no idea. All too soon they came to tell her that her car was ready, and I never saw her again. I hope that seeds of God’s truth may have been planted in her heart, but I don’t know. I do know that her questions gave me some things to think about. Perhaps they have given you some thoughts for today as well?
Vern