“When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8
This is perhaps the most disturbing question in Scripture. It haunts me with each passing year. It comes at the close of a parable encouraging faithful, persistent prayer. God answers prayer, but what if a day comes when people no longer pray or have faith? As people increasingly turn from God, I worry that this rhetorical question might come to realization. In some dystopian future there may come a day when faith is no more. This troubles me greatly.
A few countries are already there. North Korea has banned religious faith altogether. Nearby Japan has religious freedom yet ranks close to North Korea. France has the largest percentage of atheists and the lowest per capita church attendance in Europe. I’ve lived in Europe which has beautiful, empty cathedrals, and is so secular that Christians are going there as missionaries. I fear that America is in danger of becoming like Europe. Right here where I live, New England has been rated as the most spiritually indifferent part of the United States. Unbelief is rampant as people replace faith with personal comfort and various distractions (idols).
One consequence of covid is that for many church-goers, not attending worship has become the new normal, and many are not returning. This is a cause of grief for pastors who have invested their lives in their congregation, only to see large numbers depart without a word. And yes, we take it personally, but beyond this loss is an indicator of spiritual lethargy. Some have switched churches, but most have stopped church-going altogether. Were they ever genuine, committed followers of Christ? John the Apostle writes: “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going became evident they were not of us” (I John 2:19).
Besides covid, I recently read that 60% of teens walk away from church after age 15. I could blame their parents, but by 15 they are responsible for their choices and accountable for their actions. We can teach them right from wrong but we can’t make moral choices for them. We can pray for and encourage our kids but we can’t make them believe.
To get an idea of what can result from a lack of faith, let me tell you about a video I saw on YouTube. I watched a summary of a troubling movie, The Box. Here’s the premise: Someone is given a box with a button. If they push the button they’ll receive a million dollars, but someone they don’t know will die.
I posted a comment that pushing the button is equivalent to murder. I received considerable push-back in response. No one saw this as an ethical dilemma! One person said “I would slam that button as hard and as fast as I could repeatedly.” Others insisted they wouldn’t hesitate to push the button, no matter what. One said, “The button is a win. You get to kill someone and nobody will even know.” Another said they’d push the button for a pack of cigarettes. It is frightening how people make their own truth without a thought of what God might think.
We see spiritual apathy and irreverence when we try to share our faith. We’ve gotten used to people being not interested in hearing about God. Some are hostile towards religion. Some say they’ve outgrown faith, which they regard as fantasy. They’re too sophisticated to believe in God. They’ve eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge till they think themselves wise, and they condescendingly reject God and His word. They are proud of their unbelief, as they bow before the altar of self. Tim Keller warns, “Idolatry is not just a failure to obey God, it is a setting of the whole heart on something besides God… Idols are anything we look to for that which only God can give.”
To see where we may be headed, we need to be reminded of where we’ve been. We’ve gone from full, vibrant churches to churches on life support. America has changed. Francis Schaeffer said “Think of practices accepted today which were condemned as immoral ten years ago…what things considered sin today may be acceptable ten years from now?” Also notice how attitudes progress: Societies go from practicing sin, to excusing it, to defending it, to celebrating it, then condemning any who call it sin. Our counter-cultural faith insists that a sin, even if committed by many, remains a sin. This makes us appear to be hateful. We don’t hate people; we accept them, though we can’t affirm their choices.
“Will He find faith?” What is faith? Faith is patient trust in the unseen power of God based on His word. Faith is the opening of an inward eye--the eye of the heart--to be filled with the presence of Divine light, responding in obedience. And faith is precious to God. He won’t be looking at our abilities or accomplishments, but our faith. Let faith have a home in our hearts, even if it is denied a home everywhere else!
A world without faith is much like the lawless time of the Judges, where people did what seemed right in their own eyes. In such times the motto is “In self we trust,” or even “In nothing we trust.” In such a world those who live without faith lack purpose and may find themselves drifting toward despair. Without meaning, it’s easy to look at life and wonder, “Is that all there is?” People need the reassuring hope that there is more to life. People without purpose may seek solace in substitutes, but they are at best temporary distractions from reality. Eventually we have to come to terms with human existence, life and death. Otherwise, life is pointless.
I sound discouraged…I admit I am, as I consider Jesus’ somber question. My consolation is in knowing He will ultimately triumph. I can’t be overly dogmatic about the details of the Second Coming, but I know this: When Jesus returns, He will right every wrong and every knee will bow and every voice will confess Him as Lord. And He shall reign forever and ever, Hallelujah! But till that blessed Day we wait without growing weary, we watch, we remain faithful…and hopeful.
Just as North Korea is irreligious, South Korea is devoutly Christian. The year I spent there as a Chaplain with the 2nd Infantry Division I saw committed Christians devoted to the Lord. From the late 1800’s, believers have risen before sunrise to climb mountain retreats where they offer prayer to God. I visited the world’s largest church is just outside Seoul, the Yoido Full Gospel Church, with over 600,000 members; and the Youngnak Presbyterian Church in Seoul with 60,000 members. When Billy Graham visited Korea, over a million people gathered to hear him preach. We could use such devotion here in America.
So, what can we take from this? We need to feed our faith; we can’t let it waver. And we need to put feet to our faith. C.S. Lewis noted, “How little they know of Christianity who think that the story ends with conversion.” Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley said that his secretary paged him, concerned that someone at the door was claiming to be Jesus, and what should she do? The Cardinal told her, “Look busy.” If Jesus were to return today, would He find us faithful, busy serving Him, praying, and active in church?
“Will He find faith?” We feed our faith by immersing ourselves in God’s revelation; by taking it seriously. Romans 10:17, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” The widow of the parable pours out her heart and pleads her case. The story encourages us to pray; but might we be tempted to give up because we don’t see our prayers answered? In the parable, the judge has the authority to act, but he lacks compassion. In contrast, God is a righteous, caring Judge, willing to help us. The parable is a call to continue praying, even when God appears silent. He will one day vindicate us. But then Jesus adds something unsettling. He ends the parable wondering that, though God will listen, will anyone be asking? Reassurance followed by uncertainty.
Our Lord’s question wasn’t mere speculation, “thinking out loud.” It was raised intentionally, for our benefit. We need to make sure a world without faith doesn’t come to pass. Paul Tournier writes, “Our task is to live our personal communion with Christ with such intensity as to make it contagious.” We can be lifelines of the Gospel by conveying God’s word with love. We need to pray for revival, that God would use us as His messengers, and raise up others who will bring about an outpouring of faith to our broken world.
Prayer: God of comfort, give us steadfast hearts, which no concern can drag downward. Give us unconquered hearts, which no trial can discourage. Give us devoted hearts, which no idol can tempt. Restore to us the joy of our salvation, despite all that’s going on around us. We pray for faith in a faithless, fallen world. Until the End of Days, help us to be salt and light, sharing the saving Gospel message. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
