Ray Comfort - More Than Mere Words

Ray Comfort- National columnist for Christian Living magazine-

More Than Mere Words

By Ray Comfort

How do you demonstrate that you love someone? You could buy them an expensive ring. I'm sure that would help because it would be more than just mere words. It would be a tangible evidence of a sacrifice. And yet, it comes back to belief. If the person you love chooses not to believe that you love them, there is nothing you can do about it.

Drawn By Love

I was in New Zealand recently at a university where local Christians had organized a debate between an atheist and me. Around 150 people showed up for the event. Just before the debate started, a tall outspoken man named Ryan enthusiastically approached me and said something like, "I'm honored to meet you. I have watched your videos on the Internet, read your material and here I am actually getting to meet you. I am really excited about this debate." As Ryan walked back to his seat, I called out, "Which side are you on?" He replied, "I'm against everything you stand for."

            During the question time Ryan asked some good questions, and I gave my best answers. The next day, he showed up at another meeting at which I was speaking...and then he attended a church service where he listened to me again for another hour or so.

            Afterwards, we chatted, I signed a copy of You can Lead an Atheist to Evidence But You Can't Make Him Think, we had our photo taken together and he even helped with our book table. I really cared about Ryan and was pleased to hear him say at the end of the evening, "Man, why are you so likeable!!!" The fact that he could feel my love and concern for him was more powerful than any argument I could have given him for the existence of God.

Motivated By Love

            Some atheists read everything I write as if I hated them, but even my warning about a place called "Hell," springs from love. They accuse me of making money from the sale of my books and the Gospel, but I have preached open air more than 5,000 times, and for that I have never been paid. I do that because I love people and care where they spend eternity. If I didn't care, I wouldn't bother to preach or write Christian books.

I had a very successful business before I became a Christian, and I could have made a good living with it. I chose, however, to spend my life pleading with people to consider where they will spend eternity. Doing that has been a small sacrifice, but it has always been a tangible expression of my love for this dying world. If people refuse to believe that, there is nothing I can do about it.

            Most of this world knows that Jesus gave His life on the cross as a sacrifice, but they don't understand why. It was a legal transaction. Mankind had violated God's Law through lying, stealing, blasphemy, lust, adultery, hatred, fornication, selfishness, etc. That Law showed that we were all guilty criminals standing before the Judge of the Universe. We were heading for God's prison-a terrible place called "Hell."

The gospel tells us that Jesus paid our "fine" over 2,000 years ago through His sacrifice on the cross. That means because of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, God can legally dismiss our case. He can commute our death sentence and let us live based upon our repentance and faith in Jesus. The Bible puts it this way: "But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us" (Romans 5:8, Amplified Bible).

            There's the evidence of God's great love. It's up to you and me to believe it.  

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