An Ignorant Innocence

The whole Israelite community and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong. – Numbers 15:26.

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. – Acts 17:30.

Blaise Pascal said there are two kinds of ignorance. One comes as our birthright. The other comes as we grow in knowledge, only to realize how little we know of all that is available. When he felt boastful of his knowledge, Churchill once said, he walked into a library. The very sight of all those books reduced his hat size.

Christians need a third “ignorance”—the ignorance that something “can’t be done.” We need to teach, with the ignorance that “it can’t be done.” We need to evangelize, with the ignorance that “it can’t be done.” We need to start new churches and rebuild wounded ones, with the ignorance that “it can’t be done.” Not knowing it can’t be done, with God’s empowerment, we will do it! Even mountainous challenges, even insoluble spiritual defiance, yield to God’s “everything is possible” promise.

Courtesy of Speaker’s Sourcebook of New Illustrations by Virgil Hurley © 1995 by Word, Incorporated.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved.