Once as Dr. Harry Ironside was speaking before an assembly, he noticed a man in
the crowd writing on a card, which he presently handed to the speaker. The man
was Arthur Lewis, an agnostic lecturer, and he proposed a challenge to Dr.
Ironside to debate the subject "Agnosticism vs. Christianity," and offered to
pay all the expenses involved in the debate.
Dr. Ironside read the card aloud to the audience and then said, "I accept your
challenge on these conditions:
"First... that you promise to bring with you on the platform one man who was
once an outcast, a slave to sinful habits, but who heard you or some other
infidel lecture on agnosticism and was helped by it and cast away his sins and
became a new man and is today a respected member of society, ALL because of your
unbelief!
"Second... that you agree to bring with you one woman who was once lost to all
purity purity and goodness, but who can now testify that agnosticism came to her
rescue while deep in sin and implanted in her poor heart a hatred of impurity
and a love of holiness, causing her to become chaste and upright, ALL through a
disbelief in the bible!
"Now sir," he continued, "if you will agree, I promise to be there with one
hundred such men and woman, once just such lost souls, who heard the Gospel of
the grace of God, believe it and have found new life and joy in Jesus Christ our
Savior. Will you accept my terms?"
Lewis walked away in silence....
"Do YOU not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do
not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
homosexuals, nor sodomites, {10} nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. {11} And such WERE
some of YOU!! But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (1
Corinthians 6:9-11).
One of the evidences of the inspiration of the Scriptures is the "change for
good" that occurs in the lives of those who believe in and practice its
teachings. The power of the Gospel has changed persecutors into preachers,
swindlers into saints, victims into victors!
This change is experienced by those whose:
HEARTS - are changed by faith in God and Christ (Hebrews 11:6; Acts 16:31),
WILLS - are changed by turning from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31),
ALLEGIANCE - is changed in confessing Christ as the Son of God (Romans 10:9-10),
STATE - is changed through baptism (immersion) into Christ for the forgiveness
of sins (Acts 2:38).
God will CONTINUE to recreate into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29; 2
Corinthians 3:18) those who CONTINUE to submit their lives in obedience to His
will (1 John 1:7).
Will YOU not submit your life to Him, so that you can be changed for good?
David A. Sargent creekwood@comcast.net
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