Skepticism and Faith - Day 140

"If any man's will is to do his will, he shall know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority." John 7:17

An agnostic holds that the existence of God and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable. He is skeptical of the existence of absolutes of any kind. Faith cannot exist in such an environment; it paralyzes a person in inaction. If you are skeptical regarding something happening, you are reluctant to commit in an act of faith.

As our culture embraces secularism, where nothing can be known for sure, with the exception that man ought to be autonomous, skepticism results. The scientific method was founded on the belief that transcending creation and ruling over it reigns a Sovereign God who established inviolable laws governing the universe. With the erosion of this belief in the God of Scripture, certainty that such laws exist begins to wane. Some university professors despair because they see in their students the fruit of secularism, a profound skepticism of anything absolute. They worry that it undermines the scientific method, for agnosticism questions the foundation upon which the scientific method exists.

By definition, faith is commitment without knowing, and you will not commit if you are a skeptic, any more than an astronaut will commit to space travel if he doesn't have faith in the laws governing science. Faith can only thrive in an environment in which commitment is predicated on the veracity of laws under-girding faith. As a follower of Christ you assume that the Revelation of God in Scripture can be trusted, the same assumption the secular scientist must also make if he will take the risks inherent in the scientific method.