ABC recently aired a debate between two Christians and two atheists. While I don’t think such debates are incredibly helpful because they don’t capture the essense of Christianity and are highly dependent on the knowledge and oratory skills of each speaker, there were several arguments worth noting. Take a look at the videos below. I think they have a couple of good points in them.

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Ok I admit, I read it… I read a book that some may think I shouldn’t have because, after all, I’m a man and men don’t read girlie books. But give me the benefit of doubt on this one. This one is different. It is called “Captivating” by John and Stasi Eldredge. If you’re a Christian, you are probably familiar with the writers. John wrote “Wild at Heart” – a book about men for men. Great read, by the way. But I figured that since I’ve already seen one side of the story, why stop there? I wanted to learn about both sides.

While this book didn’t resonate with me the way “Wild at Heart” did (and I’d be scared if I found “Captivating” very resonating…), I think John and Stasi do a good job pointing out the aspects of God that are feminine. Quite often we forget that all of us, both male and female, are made in the image of God. Thus it is only logical that we can discover who God is by looking at the feminine side as well.

So let’s talk about beauty for a minute. John and Stasi point out that beauty is not just something you stumble upon every day. Oftentimes beauty is hidden. It needs to be uncovered. In feminine terms Stasi says that every woman has an outer and an inner beauty to unveil. Every woman likes to be pursued and every woman longs to “be the beauty and to offer beauty”. And in the Godly sense there is also hidden beauty. In both senses that beauty isn’t simply there for the taking. It is hidden because God wants it to be pursued and uncovered. For example, it isn’t enough for God to just sit there high on His throne, look down upon us, peons, point his finger and tell us what to do. No, the whole point of Christianity is the relationship that we build with God. God isn’t merely content with us acknowledging Him. He wants us to pursue Him and to build that very personal relationship. In turn, we uncover God’s majesty as we get closer and closer.

John and Stasi liken this to the process of uncovering beauty in nature. Typically, the most beautiful and pristine places aren’t the ones that you see outside your window every day. To find the truly breathtaking sights you must put some effort into it, you must embark on a journey. I have done quite a bit of traveling myself and can attest to this firsthand. The most remote locations I have visited proved to harbor the most stunning gems of natural beauty. It cannot be captured, it cannot be described, it can only be perceived. So it is with God that the beauty is only revealed when you seek out God yourself. Have you noticed God’s beauty? It is everywhere. It is in nature, it is in us as humans, it is in the love He pours out onto each and every person without reservation and it is in the relationship each one of us builds with Him. Have you found this beauty yet? Are you looking for it?

– Alexei

A young man is brought before a judge for drunk driving. When his name is announced by the bailiff, there’s a gasp in the courtroom – the defendant is the judge’s son! [...] What is the judge to do? He’s caught in a dilemma between justice and love. Since his son is guilty, he deserves punishment. But the judge doesn’t want to punish his son because of his great love for him.

He reluctantly announces the sentence: “Son, you can either pay $5000 fine or go to jail.

“The son looks up at the judge and says, “But, Dad, I promise to be good from now on! I’ll volunteer at soup kitchens. I’ll visit the elderly. I’ll even open a home to care for abused children. And I’ll never do anything wrong again! Please let me go!”At this point, the judge asks, “Are you still drunk? You can’t do all of that. But even if you could, your future good deeds can’t change the fact that you’re already guilty of drunk driving.” Indeed, the judge realizes that good works cannot cancel bad works! Perfect justice demands that his son be punished for what he has done.

So the judge repeats, “I’m sorry Son. As much as I’d like to allow you to go, I’m bound by the law. The punishment for this crime is $5000 or you go to jail.”

The Son pleads with his father, “But, Dad, you know I don’t have $5000. There has to be another way to avoid jail!”

The judge stands up and takes off his robe. He walks down from his raised bench and gets down to his son’s level. Standing eye to eye next to his son, he reaches into his pocket … [...] (from Geisler and Turek, I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist)

… pulls out his checkbook and writes a check for $5000. He holds it out to his son. “This is your only way out of jail, Son. Take it.”

The son is faced with a choice. Take his Dad’s sacrifice for him or pay for breaking the law himself. If you were that son (or daughter), what would you choose?

It isn’t difficult to see the moral of the story. When Jesus died on the cross, he paid that ultimate sacrifice. But none of us can be forced into accepting it. Free will is a promise that God will not break even it means that his children go to jail. One might argue that our punishment is unfair. Why should we pay for sins committed by Adam and Eve? But the fact of the matter is that it’s not their sins, it is their sinful nature that lives within us. We have failed to adhere to God’s law because of this nature. Each and every one of us has committed at least one sin, and no matter how small that sin is, it is enough to be unclean in God’s perfect eye. The sacrifice, then, is our only option if we want to remain in God’s presence.

One might also say that it is unfair to ask someone to adhere to a law that one does not know or understand. But the fact of the matter is that the law has been written down and has been taught for thousands of years. Additionally, someone might argue that the Old Testament laws are no longer applicable in light of Jesus’s coming and the New Covenant that he made with the people. But Jesus himself was the biggest proponent of God’s Law. Some of the most important stories of the New Testament involve Jesus correcting the priests and even the devil in the interpretation of the scripture. What is most amazing is that not only are Jesus’s teachings in line with the law and his conduct is impecable, but also that the entire purpose of his life was to fulfill the law! His death on a cross is the only way to satisfy a demand for infinite and perfect justice.

Having understood that, I can only marvel at the beauty, simplicity and perfection of God’s grace. An infinite sacrifice has been made to satisfy an infinite God. Yet our most coveted right, that of freedom of choice, has been preserved. Incredible.