The Proof is in Your Actions, Not Your Words/Arguments
I was looking at the Nazarene Acts of the Apostles again, AKA Recognitions of Clement. I highly recommend the whole book. But, I thought maybe I could piece-meal write about some of the stuff in it here.
The book starts with Clement wanting to know if he has an immortal soul or if humans are doomed to just live their one life and then disappear from existence. He goes to hear philosophers debate the topic.
Chapter 3. His Dissatisfaction with the Schools of the Philosophers.
Having therefore such a bent of mind from my earliest years, the desire of learning something led me to frequent the schools of the philosophers. There I saw that nought else was done, save that doctrines were asserted and controverted without end, contests were waged, and the arts of syllogisms and the subtleties of conclusions were discussed.
If at any time the doctrine of the immortality of the soul prevailed, I was thankful; if at any time it was impugned, I went away sorrowful. Still, neither doctrine had the power of truth over my heart. This only I understood, that opinions and definitions of things were accounted true or false, not in accordance with their nature and the truth of the arguments, but in proportion to the talents of those who supported them.
Debating issues tends not to get to the truth of a matter… people just get swayed by fancy arguments.
Clement considers asking a magician to call forth a spirit (to prove life after death) but is dissuaded by logic - that the magician may fail to call a spirit even if there is life after death, and if a spirit is called forth that act could be displeasing to God. In other words, it may not prove anything, but if it does he may find himself on God’s bad side. He drops that idea.
He later hears about Christ, and then Barnabas arrives and says that Christ promises eternal life.
Chapter 7. Arrival of Barnabas at Rome
At length meetings began to be held in various places in the city, and this subject to be discussed in conversation, and to be a matter of wonder who this might be who had appeared, and what message He had brought from God to men; until, about the same year, a certain man, standing in a most crowded place in the city, made proclamation to the people, saying:
Hear me, O you citizens of Rome. The son of God is now in the regions of Judæa, promising eternal life to every one who will hear him, but upon condition that he shall regulate his actions according to the will of Him by whom he has been sent, even of God the Father. Wherefore turn ye from evil things to good, from things temporal to things eternal. Acknowledge that there is one God, ruler of heaven and earth, in whose righteous sight ye unrighteous inhabit His world. But if you be converted, and act according to His will, then, coming to the world to come, and being made immortal, you shall enjoy His unspeakable blessings and rewards.
Now, the man who spoke these things to the people was from the regions of the East, by nation a Hebrew, by name Barnabas, who said that he himself was one of his disciples, and that he was sent for this end, that he should declare these things to those who would hear them. When I heard these things, I began, with the rest of the multitude, to follow him, and to hear what he had to say. Truly I perceived that there was nothing of dialectic artifice in the man, but that he expounded with simplicity, and without any craft of speech, such things as he had heard from the son of God, or had seen. For he did not confirm his assertions by the force of arguments, but produced, from the people who stood round about him, many witnesses of the sayings and marvels which he related.
Clement was beyond frustrated believing the only way to figure out if there was eternal life was through logical debate. But in Barnabas he realized, perhaps, there was another way to come to this knowledge. Barnabas was not logically debating people or using confusing or crafty arguments. He had witnesses.
Remember that the bible is very big on having multiple witnesses. Jesus specifically mentions that his Father is his witness because without a witness his testimony would mean nothing.
John 5:31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. 32 There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. 33 Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. 34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. 35 He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. 36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
The Father’s works speak to the fact that Jesus was doing His will. And those who believed in the Father saw miracles and their witnessing to that (and a change in their lifestyles as well), led others to believe too.
Clement then writes about the philosophers trying to draw Barnabas into a logical debate. Barnabas would not do it.
Chapter 8. His Preaching.
Now, inasmuch as the people began to assent willingly to the things which were sincerely spoken, and to embrace his (Barnabas’) simple discourse, those who thought themselves learned or philosophic began to laugh at the man, and to flout him, and to throw out for him the grappling-hooks of syllogisms, like strong arms. But he, unterrified, regarding their subtleties as mere ravings, did not even judge them worthy of an answer, but boldly pursued the subject which he had set before him.
At length, some one having proposed this question to him as he was speaking, Why a gnat has been so formed, that though it is a small creature, and has six feet, yet it has got wings in addition; whereas an elephant, though it is an immense animal, and has no wings, yet has only four feet; he, paying no attention to the question, went on with his discourse, which had been interrupted by the unseasonable challenge, only adding this admonition at every interruption:
We have it in charge to declare to you the words and the wondrous works of Him who has sent us, and to confirm the truth of what we speak, not by artfully devised arguments, but by witnesses produced from among yourselves. For I recognise many standing in the midst of you whom I remember to have heard along with us the things which we have heard, and to have seen what we have seen. But be it in your option to receive or to spurn the tidings which we bring to you. For we cannot keep back what we know to be for your advantage, because, if we be silent, woe is to us; but to you, if you receive not what we speak, destruction. I could indeed very easily answer your foolish challenges, if you asked for the sake of learning truth — I mean as to the difference of a gnat and an elephant; but now it were absurd to speak to you of these creatures, when the very Creator and Framer of all things is unknown by you.
If someone doesn’t know the Father as God, then he or she will not believe what you say even if speak His very words. People rejected and mocked the prophets as well. We have to get used to that.
Because of these writings, I don’t see a reason to debate with someone with a closed mind. People have motivated reasoning and are unwillingly to change unless they’re absolutely after the ultimate truth and don’t run away from their fears. And, I’m reminded that it’s the actions that talk, not words.
You cannot prove something to anyone, but your actions and examples may be seen as witnesses to others. And sometimes you’re just planting seeds and God will remind them of something you said or did later and you may never know.
I hope this reminds you that endless arguing or debating can pointless. Just try to go out and live your life trying to be in the form/image of God as best as you can to be an example of Him… walking around with Him as your witness to His glory & might.
