Sir,-"‘The Student" of Wellingtdn claims in his letter that life after death has been proved over and over again. May I ask him, then, "Why is salvation through faith?" If these things can be proved, where is the need of faith? Proof, unlike faith, will force all people to believe, despite their disinclination to believe. No one need exercise faith in things which can be proved, There must always*be a trace of doubt in faith. Because proof will force belief, Christ never gave a public demonstration of His omnipotence. He performed miracles but none of them with the object of proving that He was the Son of God. To those people who pressed Him with requests to give them a sign of His power, He said: "A wicked and an adulterous generation seeketh after a sign but there shall be no sign given | id In short, Christ refused to give proof. God in His wisdom allows us to choose our own beliefs and has made "these things" impossible to prove, lest proof force us to do His will in terror instead of choosing to'do His will with pleasure. I am afraid that if "The Student's" theory that "these things can be proved" were to be correct, salvation through faith would become an absurdity and salvation through proof must become its substitute.
D.
MARTIN
(Palmerston North).
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 26, Issue 660, 29 February 1952, Page 5
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225Untitled New Zealand Listener, Volume 26, Issue 660, 29 February 1952, Page 5
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